Dove The dove symbolizes the virtuous, loving, and beloved woman who sticks to her man. It also alludes to the messenger, the letter, and the unexpected or the urgent information. According to legend, it was blessed by Noah after he was disappointed by a crow. He had sent the latter to view the condition of the water, but the crow, having seen carrion floating on the surface, forgot all about its mission. By contrast, the dove brought Noah a green leaf. Likewise, the dove refers to a girl, in particular the white one, sight of whom means good religion. Black pigeons are the leading figures of both sexes in society. But the best dove to be dreamt of is that which is green, for it means piety. The piebald or spotted doves are people of mixed blood. The baby doves are children and servants (slaves in the ancient mentality). The dovecote represents the ladies quarter. Pigeons cooing is a love quarrel. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Mouse The mouse symbolizes the dreamer’s household: those who dwell in his house—his wife and children, et cetera—a debauched woman, or, some say, a devilish Jewish woman or a Jew, as related by Al-Nabulsi. It could also refer to a thief. Many mice means profit and welfare. Mice of the same color allude to women. The rat is a digging thief. • Dreaming of a mouse playing in one’s house: Prosperity will increase because, according to the ancient Arabs, mice invade only those places that are prosperous. And only people who are not hungry can afford to play. • Seeing mice in one’s house: Dangerous women will enter that house. • A mouse leaving one’s house: Livelihood and blessings will decrease. • Owning a mouse: Will have a servant because, like servants, mice share the food of the master. • White and black mice coming and going: Long life, as the white indicate the days and the black the nights. To borrow the expressions of Ibn Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Mattress If one tears his mattress in pieces in a dream, it means that he will commit adultery. If he sees his mattress placed in front of the city hall in a dream, it means that he may assume an important political appointment. An unknown mattress in an unknown place in a dream means buying, receiving, or inheriting a farmland. A mattress in a dream also means bearing a son. Changing one's mattress in a dream means leaving one's wife for the sake of another woman. Dream Interpreter: Ibn Sirin
Tree The tree symbolizes religion and sects in view of the allegory in the Holy Quran of the good tree (date palm) and the good words: “Seest thou not how Allah coineth a similitude: A goodly saying, as a goodly tree, its roots set firm, branches reaching into Heaven.” (“Ibrahim” [Abraham], verse 24.) Likewise, the Muslims Holy Prophet likened the good tree to the Muslim. The one he saw himself holding in a spiritual odyssey,52 he said, was the duty of praying, which he had brought to his followers. Ancient Arab dream interpreters said that whereas the tree referred to the man’s deeds, religion, or ego, its leaves symbolizes his character, its beauty his nice shape and clothing, its branches his brothers, relatives, folk, and beliefs, its heart his hidden essence and his secrets, its bark his appearance, skin, and all that he uses to adorn himself with, and its semen his faith, piety, assets, and life. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Death • Death of the king: The country will be lost. • Death of the imam (Muslim spiritual leader): (1) Havoc in the city or country. (2) Loss of the dreamer’s religious faith. • Death of a ulema (Muslim religious scholar): No more learning or Islamic Law in that place. • Death of either parent: Will deteriorate materially and/or spiritually. • Death of the father: Quandary regarding the dreamer’s livelihood. • Death of the mother: (1) Worries and sorrow. (2) Aims will not be fulfilled. • Death of a son: (1) Will get rid of or be safe from one’s enemy. (2) An inheritance. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Destruction Seeing a city destroyed by an earthquake in a dream represents the carrying of a death sentence for someone there, or it could mean violation of people's rights or freedom in that town. If one sees an entire town being destroyed with its urban area, factories and fields in a dream, it means that the people of that town have gone astray, or that its leaders are struck with calamities. On the other hand, if one sees it flourishing in a dream, then it reflects the spiritual awareness and religious devotion of its people. (Also see Collapsing walls; Cloud of destruction) Dream Interpreter: Ibn Sirin
Grape Black grapes during the right season symbolize fear and disease; otherwise they mean trouble and worries. They are also a harbinger of cold weather. Grapes were believed by the ancient Arabs to be harmful. They also thought that no benefit could be derived from the black color and hated black grapes in any case. Among other things, they argued that the grape was originally white, placed near the son of Nuh (Noah). When his father cursed him, it suddenly turned black. Certain dream interpreters felt that the black grape meant nothing but money that will not last. Separate from the bunch, it symbolized extreme fear or chills. Others regarded the black grape as a not so bad dream, in view of a verse in the Holy Quran: “And of the fruits of the date-palm, and grapes, whence ye derive strong drink and (also) good nourishment. Lo! therein, is indeed a portent for people who have sense.” (“Al-Nahl” [The Bees], verse 67.) They also thought so because the Prophet Zakareyyah (Zacharia) used to find it at Mariam’s (Mary’s) place. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Incident - Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) seeing dreams before the important battles On the eve of the battle of Badr between the believers and the Quraish tribe of Mecca, Prophet Muhammad (Alayhi-Salam) saw a dream as stated in the Holy Qur'an: "And remember when God showed them to thee as few in thy dream — " (Qur'an 8:43). Later on, when Prophet Muhammad (Alayhi-Salam) led his companions to Hudaibiyyah, he also saw in a dream that he and his companions were entering the Holy city of Mecca. Dream Interpreter: Ibn Sirin
Wall A wall in a dream is also interpreted as a mighty person who cannot be managed except through kindness. Jumping over a wall in a dream means reverting from being a believer to a disbeliever, or accepting and following the advice of a disbeliever. Seeing one's picture reflected in a wall in a dream means one's death, and that his name will be itched on his gravestone. If a traveller sees himself returning to his house, whereby its walls are renewed, it means that he will get married. Seeping water from a crack in a wall in one's dream means adversities and stress. (Also see Walls of the city) Dream Interpreter: Ibn Sirin
Bee A bee has different meanings depending on whether the dreamer is a civilian, farmer, or military man, for bees produce honey, which is something sweet, useful, and beneficial and, according to a verse of the Holy Quran, a remedy for people. Paradoxically, bees could also be an allusion to disease, by association of ideas. At the same time, bees have a clear-cut hierarchy and are highly disciplined, tenacious, and toiling creatures. They symbolize the military or the Muslim army (once one of the most powerful in the world). In any case, a bee in a dream is a laborious and very gifted person in terms of earning his or her livelihood and whose companions can only benefit from him, but a dangerous person as well. For the ancient Arabs, a bee symbolized the Bedouin or, in abstract terms, perseverance, gains, and the accumulation of wealth. And since Muslims believe that bees are inspired by God to follow a certain order and discipline in excelling in the production of various types of honey with different aromas, they are thought to symbolize knowledge or know-how, division of labour or categorization, erudition, and the authoring of literary or scientific works. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Pledge of allegiance Making a pledge of allegiance to the governor of a seaport city in a dream means winning victory over one's enemy, glad tidings, honoring piety, being grateful to one's Lord and oft-praying for salvation and forgiveness. Making a pledge of allegiance to an impious person or to an evil companion in a dream means helping evil people. Making a pledge to someone under a tree in a dream means receiving blessings from Allah Almighty. Dream Interpreter: Ibn Sirin
Vulture • Vulture meat: Money and influence. The Egyptian vulture, also called pharaoh’s chicken, is an impulsive individual. It refers as well to bad people, bastards, or those who dwell in the cemeteries. Likewise, it alludes to the dead’s washhouse. • Dreaming of an Egyptian vulture during daytime: Will be sick. • A sick person dreaming of an Egyptian vulture: Will die. • Capturing a pharaoh’s chicken: War and terrible bloodshed. • Flocks of Egyptian vultures landing in a city: Mean and immoral soldiers will invade it. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Ant • Seeing ants carrying food and entering the dreamer’s house: Welfare will increase. The reverse is also true. • Ants coming out of the dreamer’s nose, ear, or other holes: (1) If the dreamer is happy to see them getting out, he will die as a martyr. (2) If he resents the feat, dangers are lying ahead. • Ants entering a country or a village: Soldiers will intrude. The reverse is also true. • Ants escaping from a town or a house: Thieves will make it with their booty. • A multitude of ants in a city or village: The population is large. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Dove The dove symbolizes the virtuous, loving, and beloved woman who sticks to her man. It also alludes to the messenger, the letter, and the unexpected or the urgent information. According to legend, it was blessed by Noah after he was disappointed by a crow. He had sent the latter to view the condition of the water, but the crow, having seen carrion floating on the surface, forgot all about its mission. By contrast, the dove brought Noah a green leaf. Likewise, the dove refers to a girl, in particular the white one, sight of whom means good religion. Black pigeons are the leading figures of both sexes in society. But the best dove to be dreamt of is that which is green, for it means piety. The piebald or spotted doves are people of mixed blood. The baby doves are children and servants (slaves in the ancient mentality). The dovecote represents the ladies quarter. Pigeons cooing is a love quarrel. • A person facing hardships or missing someone dreaming of a dove flying to him or landing on him: Good augury. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Bond If it is a bond made of a piece of cloth, or a thread in the dream, then it means attachment to something that will not last. In a dream, a bond also means delays when one is intending to travel, and for a merchant it means salability of his merchandise, and as for someone suffering from depression, it means perseverance of his sorrows. To see oneself tied-up in Allah's cause in a dream means caring for one's family. Seeing oneself tied-up or fettered in a city or a village in a dream means living there. Being bound inside a house in a dream means living with a difficult wife. Dream Interpreter: Ibn Sirin
Madhouse See Asylum. MADINAH. • Being in Madinah, the city of the Muslims Holy Prophet: (1) Will have the best of two worlds. (2) Will escape danger. (3) Will be relieved from worries. (4) Will be safe and secure. (5) Will repent and be pardoned by God. (6) Will have or enjoy mercy. (7) Will live nicely. (8) Will be reunited with loved ones. (9) Aspirations will be fulfilled. • Standing at the gate of the Haram, the Holy Prophet’s Mosque in Ma dinah, where he used to live and is now buried, or at the gate of the Prophet’s Mausoleum in there: Atonement and absolution or God’s for giveness. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Home The distinction is very vague in Arabic between the words dar and bayt, both meaning “house” or “home.” But after consulting a knowledgeable colleague (a Moroccan ambassador and man of letters), the author assumes that dar is more likely to mean a house as a structure or an apartment block and bayt a room, an apartment, or simply home. However, in the ancient Arab texts the writer often jumps from one meaning to another, and I have taken real pain trying to disentangle them, as usual. Home symbolizes the man’s wife sheltered under his roof and to whom he goes, whence the expression “He went home.” Therefore, home and wife are synonyms. The door is her vagina or her face, the closet or the safe a maiden, like the dreamer’s daughter, whom he does not penetrate, as they are covered or hidden places in which he does not sleep. The servants quarters symbolize the servant (s). The place where cereals are stored is the mother, who used to keep the dreamer alive and let him grow by feeding him milk. The toilet represents those servants who are in charge of cleaning and washing or the dreamer’s wife, whom he embraces and penetrates when isolated, i.e., away from his children and the rest of the household. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Ali Ibn Abi Taleb • An Ulema, or Muslim religious scholar or erudite, seeing Ali: Will acquire further knowledge, prestige, and power over his equals. The dreamer should be careful as not to be taken captive, deported, or relocated. Seeing Ali in a warlike mood in a Muslim city: Civil strife or a very strong polemic. • Seeing Ali in a place where there are great or old people: They will all be destroyed. • Seeing Ali, his hands deeply tinged: The children of the dreamer will have the upper hand in a dispute with him. • Seeing Ali with a wound in his body: The dreamer is being stabbed or strongly contested and will be brought down or subdued. • Ali taking out the sword: The dreamer is asking his children to become chiefs and to fight for it. Seeing Ali in a fight means that those children will triumph. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Archangels Jibril (Gabriel) Seeing Jibril: • Will embark on a journey to seek knowledge abroad and return successfully. In modern terms, will study and graduate from abroad. • Will triumph over enemies. • Will promote virtue and combat vice. • Being hostile to Jibril or arguing with him: Will arouse God’s wrath and anger and concur with non-Muslims. • Taking food from Jibril: Will deserve Paradise. • Jibril looking sad and worried: Will encounter hardships and be punished, for Gabriel is not only the Archangel of Knowledge and Learning but of Chastisement as well. • Jibril appearing in a city or village: Abundance and cheaper prices, because he is the Archangel of Mercy, too. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Lion • Seeing a lion entering a house where a person is ill: The patient will die. • A lion intruding in one’s house: Hardship on the part of the chief. If the beast suddenly devours the dreamer, he will be the victim of an injustice, his money will be stolen, or he will be beaten or killed at the hands of the ruler, especially if he dreamed that his soul had left his body or that his head had been cut off. • Receiving a lion and seeing it in one’s place without bothering with it: Will be scared to death by the sultan, but no real harm will occur. • A lion entering the city: A plague, hardships, a tyrant, or an enemy. • A lion entering the mosque and standing at the minbar or podium: A tyrant will emerge and will terrorize and harm people. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
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