The third is that he should tell those he loves among his brothers and companions—those who cooperate with him in goodness and mutually encourage righteousness and benevolence—so that the dream he saw may increase the good among them and spur them to press on in its various avenues.

The fourth is that he should not tell anyone he dislikes, thereby warding off such evils as harm or envy from that person, or anything similar.

Fourth: Among the lessons contained in the preceding hadiths is an explanation of what a Muslim should do when he sees something he dislikes in his sleep. This may be summarized in the following points:

The first is that he should know that it is only from Satan, who seeks thereby to grieve the believer and fill him with worry, distress, and fear. He should therefore pay no heed to Satan’s scheming or allow it to preoccupy him.

The second is that he should seek refuge in Allah from its evil and from the evil of the accursed Satan. Seeking refuge means turning to Allah for protection and holding fast to Him, Glorified is He: “Whoever holds fast to Allah has indeed been guided to a straight path.” 1

The third is that he should spit to his left three times. It has been said that this is because Satan approaches the son of Adam from his left, seeking to whisper into his heart; and since the heart lies nearer the left side, Satan approaches him from the side closest to it. Allah knows best.

The fourth is that he should turn over from the side on which he was lying. It has been said that the wisdom behind this is to express the hopeful expectation of moving from this distressing and sorrowful state to one of happiness and joy.

The fifth is that he should not tell anyone about the things he saw in his sleep that he disliked. It is related in Sahīh Muslim that Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man came to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and said, “O Messenger of