Talking Birds & Human-Animal Transformations Explained
Interpretation of Birds Speaking in a Dream:
Warning: In a dream, if an animal speaks to a human or if a human adopts the traits of an animal, it is a sign of reconciliation with enemies. It also symbolizes the establishment of peace and security, the arrival of strange and unusual news, and the fulfillment of needs. As mentioned earlier, the news delivered by an animal in a dream is accurate because animals do not lie.
The interpreters have said that hearing birds speak in a dream is a sign of something good.
When birds speak in a dream, it symbolizes the dreamer’s high status and position.
A man once asked Imam Ibn Sirin (may Allah be pleased with him): “I saw in my dream that a beast was talking to me.” He replied: “You will pass away.” Then he recited the following verse:
“And when the word befalls them, We will bring forth for them a creature from the earth that will speak to them.” (An-Naml: 82)
Interpretation of a Human Turning into an Animal in a Dream:
Warning: The transformation of a human into an animal in a dream can symbolize more than just the interpretations mentioned above. The principle in such cases is that if a person adopts any characteristic of an animal in the dream, it reflects a quality that the dreamer possesses. The interpretation is based on this quality. For example, if someone dreams of turning into a lion, and if they are deserving of kingship, they will become the ruler of a kingdom. Otherwise, they may become a highway robber.
Below are some interpretations shared by my esteemed teacher, Shahabuddin Qrafi:
- A person dreamt that he turned into a stork and was standing on one leg. The interpretation was: “You will become a guard, but you will not become a caretaker of a vineyard.”
- Another person mentioned that he dreamt he became a mountain cave. The interpretation was: “You desire solitude for worship, and Allah will grant you the opportunity.”
- A person dreamt he turned into a deer or a wild cow. The interpretation was: “You are determined to go to a wilderness, or you want to hunt snakes.”
- A person dreamt of becoming a rat (a type of wild rodent). The interpretation was: “You are a deceitful person. You have many doors to your house, and when someone comes through one door, you exit through another.”
- Someone dreamt of becoming a giraffe. The interpretation was: “You are a slave, and you are under the command of a king.”
- Another person saw the same dream, and the interpretation was: “You expose people’s secrets and sneak into their homes through skylights, taking anything you find with you.”
- A person dreamt of becoming a monkey, and no one recognized him. The interpretation was: “Your faith is corrupt, and you hide it from others.”
- Someone dreamt of becoming a snake and entering a person’s mouth, eating their intestines. The interpretation was: “You have crossed the boundary of that person’s house and stolen all their belongings.”
- Another person dreamt of becoming a snake and entering a vessel, then transforming into a frog. The interpretation was: “You have committed an immoral act with a naked woman.”
- A person dreamt of becoming a wolf. The interpretation was: “You are a grave robber.”
- A person dreamt of becoming the claw of an eagle. The interpretation was: “You will kill many people for a powerful individual.”
- Another person had the same dream, and the interpretation was: “You will become a doorman for a tyrant.”
- A person dreamt of becoming a hoopoe (bird). The interpretation was: “You are under the influence of magic” (because magicians use parts of the hoopoe in their practices). Another person with the same dream was told: “You are trying to mediate a marriage between a man and a woman, and you will succeed.”
- A person dreamt of becoming a crow. The interpretation was: “You will travel to different countries.”
- Someone dreamt of becoming a honeybee. The interpretation was: “You build traps.”
- Another person dreamt of becoming a honeybee, and the interpretation was: “You dig wells and build graves.”
- Someone else dreamt of becoming a locust. The interpretation was: “You harvest fruits and vegetables.”
- A person dreamt of becoming a hornet. The interpretation was: “You practice archery, and people are afraid of you.”
- Another person with the same dream was told: “You harm good people because hornets attack honeybees.”
- A person dreamt of becoming a frog. The interpretation was: “You teach people to sing.”
- Another person with the same dream was told: “You travel by sea.”
- Someone dreamt of being in the sea and turning into a tortoise. The interpretation was: “You will carry people’s belongings on your shoulders as a laborer.”
- Another person dreamt the same and was told: “You have bought a heavy armour and will carry it.”
- Someone dreamt of becoming a crocodile. The interpretation was: “You will become a highway robber, and it may happen when you are in Egypt.”
- A person dreamt of turning into a bird. The interpretation was: “You will be like a bird that flies wherever it wants. If you are a slave, you will be freed. If you are in trouble, you will find relief. If you are ill, you will recover.”
- Someone dreamt of becoming a sparrow and eating a spider. The interpretation was: “You speak a lot and live off earnings gained by deceit. You have stolen hunting equipment or someone’s weapon.”
All these interpretations proved to be accurate.
Thus, Imam Qrafi gave interpretations based on each person’s dream. This shows that one should only share interpretations with the person who had the dream. The same applies to dreams where one animal transforms into another.
If someone dreams of a hen turning into a rooster, it means that the dreamer’s woman or slave will lose her offspring.
If a hen in the dream symbolizes livelihood, then the livelihood will decrease or be lost.
There is also mention of a goat turning into a dog.
A person told Imam Shahabuddin Qrafi: “I dreamt of having a hen, and I was gathering its eggs. Later, it transformed into a partridge.” The interpretation was: “You had some slaves who brought you financial benefit, but then they began hiding money from you and became deceitful.” The reason for this interpretation is that the female partridge hides its eggs from the male partridge so that he doesn’t eat them.
A person dreamt of having a beautiful deer, which turned into a leopard. The interpretation was: “Your son or slave is involved in plundering, and if he does not change, he may become a thief or a robber.”
Someone dreamt that a calf turned into a camel. The interpretation was: “You have a Jewish friend who will soon accept Islam.” This interpretation is based on the fact that Jews do not consider it halal to slaughter or eat camels.
(Al-Martabah Al-Ulya fi Ta’bir al-Ru’ya – Imam Muhammad bin Rashid, d. 736 AH)