Dream about struggling to find water for wudu
Miscellaneous Fiqh · Hanafi
Question
Please interprete this dream for me:
I dreamed that I went back to my office. I stayed there either to collect some of my belongings or simply to visit, but I felt embarrassed because I was no longer an employee. So, I pretended that I was there to collect some of my things.
I was a little surprised to notice that Kabary Apa (a close colleague) did not seem happy or comfortable with my being there. Eventually, I left the office with Jahanara.
At some point, I realized that I needed to pray Salah. What was strange was that, I had actually missed that particular Salah and needed to pray its Qadha. But I felt an urgency to find a mosque so that I could perform it immediately. The time was not clear. Logically, it should have been afternoon as it was after office, but in the dream I somehow felt as though I had missed Fajr and needed to make it up.
Jahanara and I were looking for a mosque. When I saw one I told her to go there. She did not seem interested in praying, but she still came with me.
When I entered the mosque, I saw something unusual. The main prayer area did not look like it was daytime; it felt as though it was sometime after Fajr (a bit dark). A man and a woman were lying there sleeping, and there were also several women lying down. The man and woman did not appear to be married. I felt that it was not appropriate. They were lying with their bodies toward the Qiblah, which I only consciously realized now while remembering the dream. The other women were facing toward the gate.
I did not feel comfortable praying in that area. The people there also seemed to belong to an ethnic minority group, such as the Chakma (except the couple may be), and in the dream I assumed that they were not Muslim.
I then went into another room. It looked somewhat like a dining area with a table. I began performing Wudu there sitting on a chair and taking water from the table in various forms, but I was struggling to find enough clean water. At one point, I even considered using the water from a vegetable curry. Eventually, I found different water and completed my Wudu. I specifically remember washing my hands up to my elbows.
After completing Wudu, I needed to pray, but I decided not to pray in the previous main room because I did not feel comfortable there. The place then somehow seemed more like someone's house than a mosque. I chose to pray in the other room because I felt safer and more comfortable there.
Jahanara and another woman from the same ethnic group were sleeping on a bed in that room, while I prayed on the floor. Interestingly, in that part of the dream, Jahanara was Hindu, even though she is Muslim in real life.
At one point, I also ate a chicken wing. Immediately afterward, I wondered why I had eaten it and thought, âIsn't this haram?â Then I reasoned that since this was a mosque, the food could not possibly be haram.
One thing I noticed that, as in many of my dreams, I was eating. I seem to eat something in almost every dream I have.
jazakAllah khayer
Answer
Answer: Wa Alaikumus Salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Dream interpretation is a delicate matter. According to the principles of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah, true dreams (Ru'ya) are a part of prophethood, but they are subject to interpretation and are often influenced by one's state of mind, daily activities, and spiritual condition. The general rule regarding dreams is that if it is good, one should praise Allah and hope for good; if it is disturbing, one should seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan and not dwell on it, as per the Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari.
Based on the Hanafi scholarly tradition, particularly the principles found in the works of scholars like Imam Ibn Abidin and Mufti Muhammad Shafi, we will analyze the symbols in your dream. However, we must preface this by stating that dream interpretation is not an exact science (ghayr qat'i) , and the most authentic approach is to not become overly anxious about it.
Here is a breakdown of the symbols based on classical Islamic dream interpretation (Ta'bir) as understood by the scholars of the Hanafi school:
1. Returning to the Office and Embarrassment: Returning to a place of past work or status in a dream often symbolizes a return to a past state of mind or a reflection on one's past achievements and social standing. The feeling of embarrassment and pretending to collect belongings indicates a sense of detachment from worldly status or a feeling of being out of place in a previous role. This often reflects a subconscious realization that one has moved on, or a concern about how one is perceived by former peers.
2. Kabary Apa's Discomfort: Seeing a specific person unhappy in a dream is often a reflection of your own anxieties regarding that relationship or a projection of your own feelings of guilt or awkwardness. It is not necessarily a prophecy about that person's feelings towards you, but rather a mirror of your own internal state.
3. Missing Salah and Urgency to Pray Qadha: This is a very positive sign. The urgency to make up a missed prayer (Qadha) in a dream indicates a strong desire for spiritual rectification and a fear of neglecting one's religious obligations. The confusion between Fajr and afternoon time symbolizes a state of spiritual confusion or a feeling of being "behind schedule" in your religious life. It shows that your soul is yearning to reconnect with Allah, even if your conscious mind is preoccupied with worldly matters.
4. The Mosque, the Sleeping Couple, and the Ethnic Minority:
- The Mosque: A mosque in a dream represents safety, guidance, and the heart of the believer.
- The Sleeping Couple and Women: Seeing inappropriate scenes in a mosque reflects your own inner discomfort with the state of the Muslim Ummah or your immediate community. It symbolizes a feeling that the sanctity of sacred places or religious practices is being compromised by negligence (sleeping = heedlessness/Ghaflah).
- The Ethnic Minority (Chakma) and assumption they are non-Muslim: This represents your perception of "the other" or those who are outside your immediate circle of religious practice. It indicates a feeling of alienation or discomfort when religious spaces are occupied by people you perceive as not adhering to the norms you are familiar with.
5. Struggling to Find Clean Water for Wudu: Water in dreams represents purity, knowledge, and life. Struggling to find clean water for Wudu symbolizes the difficulty you face in your waking life in finding spiritual purity or authentic religious knowledge. The consideration of using curry water (which is impure for Wudu) reflects the temptation to accept diluted or corrupted forms of religious practice. Successfully finding clean water and completing the Wudu is a very good sign, indicating that despite the struggles, you will find the correct path and achieve spiritual purification.
6. Jahanara being Hindu and Sleeping: This is a significant symbol. In dream interpretation, a person's religion in a dream is often a reflection of their state of faith (Iman) at that moment. Seeing a Muslim as a non-Muslim in a dream can indicate that the person is in a state of spiritual heedlessness (Ghaflah) or that their faith is currently weak. It can also represent a "sleeping" state of their soul, meaning they are not actively engaged in their spiritual growth. It does not mean they have left Islam, but rather that they are spiritually dormant.
7. Eating the Chicken Wing and Questioning its Permissibility: Eating in dreams often symbolizes acquiring sustenance (Rizq) or knowledge. The fact that you eat in almost every dream suggests a deep hungerâeither physical, emotional, or spiritual. The specific act of eating a chicken wing and then questioning if it is Haram, only to justify it because it's in a mosque, reflects an internal conflict. It shows a struggle between your conscience (which knows something is wrong) and your rationalization (which tries to justify it based on the environment). This is a warning against self-justification in matters of Halal and Haram. The permissibility of food is not determined by the place, but by the method of slaughter and the nature of the food itself. This part of the dream is a reminder to be vigilant in your religious practice and not to assume something is permissible simply because of its surroundings.
Overall Interpretation: This dream reflects a soul in transition. You are moving away from a past worldly identity (the office) and are in a state of spiritual seeking (the urgency to pray). You are struggling with feelings of discomfort regarding the state of the Muslim community around you (the mosque scene) and are finding it difficult to find pure, unadulterated spiritual nourishment (the Wudu struggle). The dream highlights a conflict between your higher spiritual aspirations (praying, finding a mosque) and the distractions or heedlessness of those around you (Jahanara sleeping, the non-Muslims).
Advice from the Hanafi Tradition:
- Do not be distressed: According to the Hadith, if a dream is disturbing, one should spit three times to the left, seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, and not speak about it to others. This dream is not a bad omen, but rather a spiritual mirror.
- Focus on your Salah: The urgency you felt to pray Qadha is a call from your soul. Ensure you are praying all your Salah on time. If you have missed any, make them up (Qadha) as soon as possible, as this is a major source of spiritual anxiety.
- Strengthen your Iman: The dream about Jahanara and the non-Muslims indicates a need to strengthen your own faith and to be cautious about the company you keep. Surround yourself with people who remind you of Allah.
- Be vigilant in Halal: The chicken wing incident is a clear reminder to be extremely careful about what you consume. Always verify the Halal status of your food.
- Make Dua: Ask Allah for guidance and steadfastness (Istiqamah). The Prophet īˇē taught us to ask Allah for the good of a dream and to seek refuge from the evil of a dream.
Final Note: The fact that you are eating in almost every dream may indicate a physical need (perhaps you go to sleep hungry or are not eating enough) or a spiritual hunger for knowledge and closeness to Allah. We advise you to read the Qur'an daily, especially Surah Al-Baqarah, and to engage in Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) to bring peace to your heart.
May Allah grant you clarity, peace, and steadfastness in your faith. Ameen.
References:
- Radd al-Muhtar 'ala ad-Durr al-Mukhtar (Ibn Abidin) â Principles of Fiqh and spiritual matters.
- Ma'ariful Quran (Mufti Muhammad Shafi) â Commentary on verses regarding dreams (e.g., Surah Yusuf).
- Sahih al-Bukhari â Hadith on dreams (Chapter on Dreams).
- Fatawa Usmani (Mufti Taqi Usmani) â General guidance on dream interpretation and spiritual anxieties.
And Allah knows best.