Had a frightening dream? Don’t panic — here are traditional, easy-to-follow prayers and practices recommended by the Prophet and the Imams that people use to nullify bad dreams.
Seeing nightmares and bad dreams is one of the unpleasant experiences anyone can have. In this section we explain which Sura to recite for a bad dream and which supplications are effective for nullifying bad dreams. Stay with us.
Many of us may sometimes see bad and frightening dreams during the night that worry us and make us afraid of their interpretation. But you should know there are prayers and remembrances to nullify and negate bad dreams.
Bad dreams and nighttime nightmares can create feelings of fear, panic and anxiety in a person. Numerous traditions regarding dreams say that some of our dreams are the result of the devil’s interference and harassment aimed at troubling humankind, and thus they are not actually something to be overly worried about.
Now, to nullify bad dreams, there are prayers and dhikr you can recite; by reading them you can find calm and not fear the interpretation of your dreams.
Sūrah Maryam
When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked which sūra to recite for bad dreams, he reported that if someone writes Sūrah Maryam and carries it with them, they will be protected from frightening and dreadful dreams.
It is also narrated that the person will see nothing but good in their dreams and that if they keep it in their home, fear will depart from the house.
Reciting Sūrat an-Nās, al-Falaq (the Mu‘awwidhatayn) and Ayat al-Kursi
Imam al-Bāqir (peace be upon him) recommended Sūrat an-Nās, Sūrat al-Falaq (the two refuge-surahs) and Ayat al-Kursi for bad dreams. In this matter he is reported to have said:
Whoever is seized by panic at the time of sleep, when he goes to his bed let him recite the two Mu‘awwidhatayn and the Ayah al-Kursi.
Avoiding bad dreams — Advice of Ayatollah Bahjat
Ayatollah Bahjat advised that those who wish to avoid bad dreams should recite the Sūras that begin with “Qul” before sleeping. These blessed Sūras are: Sūrat al-Tawhīd (al-Ikhlās), Sūrat an-Nās, Sūrat al-Kāfirūn, Sūrat al-Falaq and Sūrat al-Jinn.
Sūrah Quraysh
Another sūra recommended for protection against bad dreams is Sūrat Quraysh: recite it eleven times before sleep.
A recommended bedtime procedure
Another recommended procedure for calming sleep and preventing bad dreams is as follows: perform wudu (ablution) and go to bed while in wudu. Before sleeping recite this invocation:
“In Your name, my Lord, I lay my side down and in You I raise it up. If You withhold my soul, have mercy on it; and if You send it forth, protect it as You protect Your righteous servants.”
Then recite Ayat al-Kursi and Sūras al-Ikhlās, al-Falaq and an-Nās. Finally, read the two last verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah:
“The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. Each one has believed in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers; we make no distinction between any of His messengers. And they say, ‘We hear and we obey; [we seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return.’”
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
There are recommendations from the Imams and in the narrations regarding prayers to remove bad dreams. Below are some of those prayers and verses.
Nullifying a bad dream — from Imam Sadiq
Imam Ja‘far al-Sādiq (peace be upon him) said: whenever someone sees an unpleasant or frightening dream and awakens, it is better that they roll onto their other side and recite Verse 10 of Sūrat al-Mujādilah. The verse is:
“Indeed, the private conversation is from Satan to cause sadness to the believers; but it will not harm them except by permission of Allah.” (al-Mujādilah 58:10 — translation)
He also taught to say:
“In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. I seek refuge with what the near angels of God and His sent prophets and His righteous servants sought refuge with, from the evil of the dream I have seen.”
Another narration from Imam Sadiq
In another report from Imam al-Sādiq, to remove nighttime terror he recommended the following recitation: say 34 times “Allāhu Akbar,” 33 times “SubḥānAllāh,” 33 times “Alḥamdu lillāh,” and 10 times repeat the phrase:
“There is no god but God alone; He has no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise. He gives life and causes death; He causes death and gives life; in His hand is all good. Night and day alternate by His decree and He is over all things competent.”
(— i.e., the classical long dhikr formula emphasizing God’s uniqueness and power)
If bad dreams are destined to be fulfilled according to divine decree, they can still be altered by supplication and intercession; so if you saw a bad dream, pray.
From Imam Kāẓim
Imam Muhammad al-Kāẓim (peace be upon him) is narrated to have said:
“Be diligent in supplication, for prayer and asking of God can turn away a calamity that has passed the stage of decree and qada and only the signing remains” — meaning, supplication can reverse events even when the causal processes are assembled but the outward occurrence has not yet manifested.
Imam Sadiq also said:
“Supplication can reverse divine decree even if the decree has been strengthened; therefore, pray abundantly because it is the key to every mercy and the fulfillment of every need.”
A prayer taught to the Prophet by Gabriel: in the biography of Lady Fāṭimah (peace be upon her) it is related that she once had a bad dream and went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to ask about it. The Prophet performed two rak‘ahs of prayer and supplicated to God. Gabriel then descended and identified the cause of such dreams as the devil called Dhahhār (or a certain devil who afflicts people). Gabriel told the Prophet that if you or any believer sees a frightening dream, say:
“I seek refuge with God in what the near angels and His sent prophets and His righteous servants sought refuge from, from the evil of what I saw and the evil of my vision.”
Then recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and the Mu‘awwidhatayn (Qul a‘ūdhu birabbil-falaq and Qul a‘ūdhu birabbil-nās) and Sūrat al-Ikhlās (Qul huwallāhu ahad) and spit three times to your left — doing this, no harm from that dream will reach you.
A person asked Imam Sadiq:
There is a woman who in the night affrights people in sleep. Imam said: tell that person to make a rosary (tasbīḥ) and say 34 times Allāhu Akbar, 33 times SubḥānAllāh, 33 times Al-ḥamdu lillāh, and ten times the formula mentioned above: “There is no god but God alone…” (Reference: Kulaynī, etc.)
Sūrat al-Kahf
Persistent nightmares are distressing. Therefore whoever sees troubling dreams should recite the last four verses of Sūrat al-Kahf — this will help them.
Once Lady Fāṭimah (peace be upon her) dreamt that by the order of her father she left Medina with her husband and two children and later a sheep was slaughtered and they ate of it and all died thereafter — the same events later occurred in reality and caused sorrow for her until the sheep was slaughtered and when she went to eat she moved aside and wept.
The Prophet asked her about the events and then rose, performed two rak‘ahs and supplicated; Gabriel descended and said: O Muhammad, there is a devil named Dhahhār who caused this frightful dream for Fāṭimah; he torments the believers and causes terrifying and sorrowful dreams.
The Prophet then brought that devil and struck him; he spat on him and told Fāṭimah to listen and know that it was nothing. Gabriel told the Prophet: whenever you or a believer sees a fearful dream, say:
“I seek refuge with what the near angels have sought refuge with, and His sent prophets, and His righteous servants, from the evil of what I saw and from the evil of my vision.”
Then read Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, Sūrat al-Falaq, Sūrat an-Nās, and Sūrat al-Ikhlās, and spit three times to your left; by doing so, no harm from that dream will befall you.
Events that we learn of through dreams can be changed — that is, by giving sadaqah (charity), making vows, and supplicating to God we can prevent them from occurring — because the occurrence of all events depends on God’s will and permission. Therefore, by giving charity one can attract more divine attention and avert calamity. It is narrated that a Jewish man once passed by the Prophet and said “as-sam ‘alayk” (a greeting that was mispronounced as “sam,” meaning “poison” or “death”); the Prophet replied the normal greeting. The companions remarked that the Jew had said “sam” which means death; later a black serpent bit that Jew and killed him; he had piled wood and returned, and the Prophet told him to put the wood down; then they saw a black serpent biting the wood. The Prophet asked: what had you done? The man answered: nothing except I had eaten one of two loaves and given the other in charity. The Prophet said that because of that loaf given in charity, God turned away the calamity. Thus charity repels evil and death.
Also: it is forbidden to narrate a bad dream to others. In another narration it is stated that you should not tell your dream to others because evil-doers may plot against you; as the verse warns: “O my son, do not relate your dream to your brothers, lest they contrive against you.” (Yusuf/5) — in short, generally do not recount dreams to others. Interpretation is not something anyone can claim expertise in; interpreters were specially chosen people granted that knowledge by God. Plain speculation is unhelpful; revealing a bad interpretation is like a bad omen because it breeds worry. The best approach is to say “God willing it is good” and leave it to God.
