42/0. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2261d — Good Vision and Bad Dream
The Book of Dreams
Good Vision and Bad Dream Hadith: Turn to Allah Without Fear
Sahih Muslim : 2261d
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2261d
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ بْنِ قَعْنَبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ بِلاَلٍ - عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا سَلَمَةَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا قَتَادَةَ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " الرُّؤْيَا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَالْحُلْمُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِذَا رَأَى أَحَدُكُمْ شَيْئًا يَكْرَهُهُ فَلْيَنْفِثْ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ وَلْيَتَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَرِّهَا فَإِنَّهَا لَنْ تَضُرَّهُ " . فَقَالَ إِنْ كُنْتُ لأَرَى الرُّؤْيَا أَثْقَلَ عَلَىَّ مِنْ جَبَلٍ فَمَا هُوَ إِلاَّ أَنْ سَمِعْتُ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَمَا أُبَالِيهَا .
Abu Qatadah Narrated from:
Abu Qatada reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: A good vision is from Allah and a bad dream (hulm) is from the satan; so if one of you sees anything (in a dream) which he dislikes, he should spit on his left side thrice and seek refuge with Allah from its evil, and then it will never harm him. Abu Salama said: 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).
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2261dIn-book reference : Book 42, Hadith 4USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 29, Hadith 5616
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2261d
This Hadith about good visions and bad dreams gives both the source and the response. Abu Qatada reports that Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said a good vision is from Allah and a bad dream is from Satan. If someone sees something in a dream that he dislikes, he should spit to his left three times and seek refuge with Allah from its evil. The Hadith says it will not harm him. Abu Salama then explains how this changed his own reaction. He used to feel some dreams were heavier than a mountain, but after hearing this Hadith he no longer cared for their burden. For bad dream hadith searches, this narration teaches calm trust in Allah after following the Prophetic instruction.
What we learn from this hadith
- Good visions are from Allah and bad dreams are from Satan.
- A disliked dream should be answered with spitting left three times.
- Seeking refuge with Allah is part of the response.
- Abu Salama felt relief after learning this guidance.
