What to Do After a Bad Dream in Islam

The hadith that brings the steps together

A single hadith, narrated by Jabir, gives the first three steps together:

إِذَا رَأَى أَحَدُكُمُ الرُّؤْيَا يَكْرَهُهَا فَلْيَبْصُقْ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ ثَلاَثًا وَلْيَسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ ثَلاَثًا وَلْيَتَحَوَّلْ عَنْ جَنْبِهِ الَّذِي كَانَ عَلَيْهِ“If anyone sees a dream which he does not like, he should spit on his left side three times, and seek refuge with Allah from the Satan three times, and let him turn over from the side on which he was sleeping.”
Sahih Muslim, no. 2262, narrated by Jabir

The other hadiths complete this text. Here is each step with its source.

The five steps, one by one

1. Spit lightly three times to the left

The versions use three close verbs: nafatha, basaqa and tafala. It means a light spitting, with very little saliva, towards the left. It is found in Muslim (no. 2261 and 2262) and in al-Bukhari (no. 6986, 6995 and 7044). One version says: “Then spit thrice on the left side when you get up from sleep” (Muslim, no. 2261, version of Yunus).

2. Seek refuge with Allah

الرُّؤْيَا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَالْحُلْمُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِذَا حَلَمَ أَحَدُكُمْ حُلْمًا يَكْرَهُهُ فَلْيَنْفُثْ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ ثَلاَثًا وَلْيَتَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَرِّهَا فَإِنَّهَا لَنْ تَضُرَّهُ“A good vision comes from Allah and a (bad) dream (hulm) from devil. So when one of you sees a bad dream (hulm) which he does not like, he should spit on his left side thrice and seek refuge with Allah from its evil; then it will not harm him.”
Sahih Muslim, no. 2261, narrated by Abu Qatada

The hadiths name two things to seek refuge from: Satan (Muslim, no. 2262) and the evil of the dream itself (Muslim, no. 2261; al-Bukhari, no. 7044). They do not fix a set wording. You can use their own words: أعوذ بالله من الشيطان ومن شر هذه الرؤيا, “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan and from the evil of this dream”.

3. Turn over onto the other side

You leave the side you were sleeping on (Muslim, no. 2262). The same instruction appears in one version of the hadith of Abu Qatada: “He (one who sleeps) should change the side on which he had been lying before” (Muslim, no. 2261, version of Ibn Rumh).

4. Get up and pray

The hadith of the three types of dreams, narrated by Ibn Sirin, adds this step: “if any one of you sees a dream which he does not like he should stand up and offer prayer” (Muslim, no. 2263). For those who can, it is the fullest response.

5. Tell no one

وَإِذَا رَأَى مَا يَكْرَهُ فَلْيَتَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَرِّهَا، وَمِنْ شَرِّ الشَّيْطَانِ وَلْيَتْفِلْ ثَلاَثًا وَلاَ يُحَدِّثْ بِهَا أَحَدًا فَإِنَّهَا لَنْ تَضُرَّهُ“…and if he saw a dream which he disliked, then he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and from the evil of Satan, and spit three times (on his left) and should not tell it to anybody, for it will not harm him.”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7044, narrated by Abu Qatada

“It will not harm him”

This promise comes back in almost every version (al-Bukhari, no. 6985, 6986, 6995 and 7044; Muslim, no. 2261). Those who passed it on had lived it. Abu Salama says: “I used to see a dream which would make me sick”, until Abu Qatada told him he had gone through the same thing before hearing this hadith (al-Bukhari, no. 7044). In another version, Abu Salama adds:

إِنْ كُنْتُ لأَرَى الرُّؤْيَا أَثْقَلَ عَلَىَّ مِنْ جَبَلٍ فَمَا هُوَ إِلاَّ أَنْ سَمِعْتُ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَمَا أُبَالِيهَا“I used to see dreams weighing more heavily upon me than a mountain; but since I heard this hadith I don’t care for it (its burden).”
Sahih Muslim, no. 2261, version of Sulayman ibn Bilal

What the collection of Ibn Sirin adds

The introduction of the collection repeats the same steps: turn over onto the other side, spit three times to the left, seek refuge with Allah, get up to pray, tell your dream to no one (vol. 1, p. 42). It also advises reading the Verse of the Throne on waking, with a supplication found only in the collection (vol. 1, p. 26), and reports another supplication with no chain of narration (vol. 1, p. 42). These additions are not in the hadiths of al-Bukhari and Muslim quoted here. The steps above are enough.

After a good dream

إِذَا رَأَى أَحَدُكُمْ رُؤْيَا يُحِبُّهَا فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ مِنَ اللَّهِ، فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهَا، وَلْيُحَدِّثْ بِهَا“If anyone of you sees a dream that he likes, then it is from Allah, and he should thank Allah for it and narrate it to others…”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6985, narrated by Abu Sa’id al-Khudri

You tell it, but not to just anyone: “he should not tell it to anybody except to the one whom he loves” (al-Bukhari, no. 7044). One version in Muslim says: “if one sees a good vision one should feel pleased but should not disclose it to anyone but whom one loves” (no. 2261). The collection also advises telling it to a scholar or to a sincere adviser (vol. 1, p. 3). To learn its meaning, see the three types of dreams and Ibn Sirin’s method.

What not to do

• Telling the bad dream. A man told the Prophet ﷺ he had dreamt his head was cut off. The Prophet ﷺ corrected him: “Do not narrate to the people the vain sporting of satan with you in your sleep” (Muslim, no. 2268).
• Trying to have it interpreted. In that same hadith, the Prophet ﷺ gave the dream no meaning. The collection agrees: the frightening dream that comes from Satan has no interpretation (vol. 1, p. 42). There is no point looking up your nightmare in a dream dictionary.
• Making up a dream or adding to it. “Whoever claims to have seen a dream which he did not see, will be ordered to make a knot between two barley grains which he will not be able to do” (al-Bukhari, no. 7042). The collection also asks that nothing be added to what was seen (vol. 1, p. 24).
• Staying afraid. The steps are there to close the matter. The hadith says the dream will not harm you: you can go back to sleep with a calm mind.

If nightmares are frequent and weigh on your life, see a doctor as well.

Every reference on this page can be checked in the Arabic text: see our method and sources.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Sahih Muslim, Book of Dreams, no. 2261, 2262, 2263 and 2268.
• Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Interpretation of Dreams, no. 6985, 6986, 6995, 7042 and 7044.
• Muntakhab al-Kalam fi Tafsir al-Ahlam, collection passed down under the name of Muhammad ibn Sirin, introduction, vol. 1, pp. 3, 24, 26 and 42 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
• Hadiths in English: translations of Muhammad Muhsin Khan (al-Bukhari) and Abdul Hamid Siddiqui (Muslim). Other English translations: tafsir-a7lem.com.