How are dreams interpreted in Islam? The principles of dream interpretation

Dream interpretation is a knowledge the Quran says was taught to Prophet Yusuf (Joseph): "Thus We established Joseph in the land, and taught him the interpretation of events" (Quran 12:21). In the Islamic tradition it is therefore not guesswork but an understanding with clear principles. Still, an interpretation is never certain knowledge; Allah knows best.

First, identify the kind of dream

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said dreams are of three kinds: a righteous dream that is good news from Allah, a distressing dream from Satan, and a dream that comes from what a person tells himself (Sahih Muslim 2263a). It is the righteous dream that is interpreted. Frightening, jumbled dreams, or replays of what was on your mind during the day, are not forced into an interpretation.

Symbols are read within the whole dream

In prison, Prophet Yusuf interpreted the dreams of two young men: one saw himself pressing grapes, the other carrying bread on his head that birds ate. The dreams looked alike, but their outcomes were completely different (Quran 12:36-41). Classical interpreters likewise say a symbol changes with its details: killing a snake and being bitten by one, clear water and murky water, do not mean the same thing.

• Details: the symbol's colour, size, what it does, and the feeling in the dream.
• The course of the dream: a dream that starts frightening and ends in rescue is read as good.
• The whole: look at the entire event, not a single word.

The dreamer's situation changes the meaning

Scholars such as Ibn Sirin and al-Nabulsi wrote that the same dream can mean different things for the poor and the rich, the sick and the healthy, the single and the married. The dreamer's work, current worries and intentions, such as whether they prayed istikhara about something, are part of the interpretation. The hadith says: "The truest of you in dreams are the truest of you in speech" (Sahih Muslim 2263a).

Examples from the Prophet's own interpretations

• He saw himself drinking milk and interpreted it as knowledge (Sahih al-Bukhari 7006).
• He saw people in shirts of different lengths and interpreted the shirt as religion (Sahih al-Bukhari 7008).
• He interpreted fresh dates as honour in this world and a good end in the Hereafter (Sahih Muslim 2270).
• When Abu Bakr interpreted a dream, the Prophet told him: "You were right in part and wrong in part" (Sahih Muslim 2269a). Even the greatest interpreters can err.

Numbers, time and symbols

The seven fat and seven lean cows in the king of Egypt's dream were interpreted as seven years of plenty and seven years of hardship (Quran 12:43-49). Numbers in a dream can point to periods of time; healthy animals to abundance and weak ones to scarcity. A righteous dream may also come true years later: Prophet Yusuf said the dream he saw as a child had been fulfilled long afterwards (Quran 12:100).

Things to keep in mind

• Never invent a dream. Claiming to have seen a dream one did not see is called a grave lie in the hadith (Sahih al-Bukhari 7042).
• Dreams do not set religious rulings. An interpretation that calls for harming anyone or doing something forbidden cannot be right.
• Share a good dream with those who love you; tell no one a bad one.
• Do not base life decisions on a dream alone; combine it with consultation and istikhara.

In short

To interpret a dream, first ask whether it is a righteous dream, then read its symbols within the whole dream, and consider the dreamer's situation. The story of Yusuf in the Quran and the Prophet's own interpretations are the foundation of this knowledge, while the works of the classical scholars preserve the traditional meanings of symbols.

Allah knows best the truth of dreams.