35/5. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 3912 — Satan Playing in Dreams
One whom Satan plays with in his dream should not tell people about it
Satan Playing in Dreams: Why Bad Dreams Should Not Be Shared
Sunan Ibn Majah : 3912
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 3912
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ رَجُلٌ وَهْوَ يَخْطُبُ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ رَأَيْتُ الْبَارِحَةَ فِيمَا يَرَى النَّائِمُ كَأَنَّ عُنُقِي ضُرِبَتْ وَسَقَطَ رَأْسِي فَاتَّبَعْتُهُ فَأَخَذْتُهُ فَأَعَدْتُهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " إِذَا لَعِبَ الشَّيْطَانُ بِأَحَدِكُمْ فِي مَنَامِهِ فَلاَ يُحَدِّثَنَّ بِهِ النَّاسَ " .
Jabir Narrated from:
A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was delivering a sermon and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Last night in my dream I saw my neck being struck and my head fell off, and I chased it, picked it up and put it back.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If Satan plays with any one of you in his dreams, he should not tell people about it.’”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 3912In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 20English translation : Vol. 5, Book 35, Hadith 3912
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 3912
This hadith gives a clear lesson about telling bad dreams to people. A man described a disturbing dream during the Prophet’s sermon: his neck was struck, his head fell, and he chased it and put it back. The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that if Satan plays with any one of you in his dream, he should not tell people about it. The search phrase “Satan playing in dreams hadith” matches this text closely. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did not explain the dream image or invite public discussion about it. He gave a simple rule for this kind of dream: do not spread it among people.
What we learn from this hadith
- Some disturbing dreams are described as Satan playing with a person.
- Such dreams should not be told to people.
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) redirected attention away from the disturbing details.
