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
Donkey • A donkey that goes along well or keeps the pace: The best of this world.
• A saddled donkey: A child with a golden spoon (born and living in prosperity).
• A donkey with a long tail: The dreamer’s empire or tradition will be preserved by his successors.
• Death of a donkey: The owner will die, will be isolated, or will lose his money and his business or his shop will be destroyed or he will be ousted from it. Otherwise, the slave who serves him or his father or grandfather who supported him will pass away, his endeavours will fade, or his master, who was under his spell will die, sell him, or go away. For a woman, her husband will divorce her, die, move away, or travel and leave her behind.
• A donkey whose owner is unknown and which, instead of obeying, keeps braying: An ignorant and loud person in view of a verse of the Holy Quran that reads as follows: “Be modest in thy bearing and subdue thy voice. Lo! the harshest of all voices is the voice of the ass.” (“Surat Luqman,” verse 19.) According to the ancient Arabs, it could also be a reference to Jews: “The likeness of those who are entrusted with the Law of Moses, yet apply it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying books. Wretched is the likeness of folk who deny revelations of Allah. And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.” (“Surat Al-Jumuah” [The Congregation], verse 5.) Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Archangels Azrail (the Archangel of Death)
• Seeing Azrail: (1) Must prepare for death. (2) Death of a sick person. (3) A lurking enemy. (4) Will have a long life.
• Azrail seeming happy: The dreamer will die as a martyr.
• Azrail frowning and looking unhappy: The dreamer will die without repenting.
• Wrestling with Azrail: (1) If he overcomes the Angel of Death, the dreamer will face death, but God will save him. (2) If the Angel of Death gains the upper hand, the dreamer will die.
• Kissing Azrail or vice versa: (1) Inheritance. (2) Dispersal. (3) Something bad will happen. Israfil (the archangel who will blow the horn to summon mankind on the Day of Resurrection)
• Seeing Israfil: Good tidings and a beneficial trip.
• Israfil bending and blowing the horn and only the dreamer hearing its sound: The dreamer will pass away. Israfil bending and blowing the horn and other people in the area hearing the horn: (1) Death and atrocities will take place in that spot. (2) Justice will prevail and the unjust will perish. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Call For Prayer (Arabic: Athan) There are contradictory interpretations of dreams involving the athan or call for prayers. In general, according to interpreter Abu Said Al-Waez, the athan is a good dream for religious-minded people and those who specialize in religion. It should also be done properly and in the proper place. Otherwise, it is a bad dream, as in the case of someone dreaming that he is calling for prayer in a garbage disposal area, in which case it would mean that the dreamer is attempting a reconciliation with a foolish person who would reject him. Likewise, calling for prayer in a house, rather than in the mosque, would mean that the dreamer is trying to entice a woman. According to Ibn Siren, the athan means separation between partners in view of a verse to this effect in “Suratul Taubah” (Repentance) in the Holy Quran.
• Calling for prayer once or twice, then praying as ordained by God: Will perform hajj or umrah (minor and out-of-season pilgrimage).
• Launching the prayer call while standing on the Kabah in Mecca (Makkah): The dreamer will come out with a heresy. The dream would be worse if the call was launched from within the Kabah. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
Thunder Hearing the sound of thunder in a dream also represents hymns, praising Allah Almighty, glorifying Him, or it could mean a sickness, fear, deafness, or the sound of drums in a wedding. If the one seeing the dream is an atheist, it means that he will be guided and have faith in Allah Almighty. If he is a sinner, it means that he will repent for his sins. Hearing the roaring of thunder in a dream on the first day of October means death. If it is heard during the first six days of that month, it means benefits, or lower prices, but if it is heard near the end of the month, then it means a plague or a disaster. Hearing the sound of thunder at any other time during the month of October in a dream means evil. If it is heard during the month of November in a dream, it means blessings for the land, prosperity, the spreading of Allah's words in a new land, the falling of a comet in a populated area, the death of a leader, a pollution that will devastate bird life, or a heavy rainstorm with limited damages. Dream Interpreter: Ibn Sirin
Cat The case would be worse if the cat dreamt of was of the wild type. By contrast, a quiet she-cat means a comfortable year, a savage one a year full of harm. The she-cat is sometimes a reference to tender motherhood. Other contradictory symbols include: (1) Dispute or controversy. (2) Adultery. (3) The product of adultery or an abandoned child whose father cannot be identified. (4) The absence of gratitude. (5) The failure to fulfil a promise or honour one’s obligations. (6) Being quick of hearing. (7) Whispers. (8) The hypocritical flatterer and gadabout. The she-cat usually symbolizes an evil and deceitful woman. A woman told Ibn Siren she dreamed that a cat had introduced its head into her husband’s stomach, taken something out of it, and eaten it. The great seer said that a black thief would enter her husband’s shop that evening and steal 316 dirham's from his safe. And so it was. There was a black bath attendant in the neighbourhood. The people of the area got hold of him, and he confessed to his crime and restored the money. When asked how he managed to know all that, Ibn Siren said that the cat was a thief, the husband’s stomach his safe and what was taken out of it the money. As for defining the exact amount, Ibn Siren said that each letter of the alphabet had its specific number. Therefore cat—in Arabic sanur—stood for 316 dirham's. Dream Interpreter: Various Islamic Scholars
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