The Role of Iblis in the Dreamer in His Dreams

"The Role of Iblis in the Dreamer and His Dreams"
Sahib Iblis
25 May 2022, revised 6 July 2023

There is a prominent oneiric element to Iblis in his Islamic context. This is partly a result of the regard afforded dreams by the Quran, various Hadiths, and a variety of other sources. I examine three facets of this oneiric element: In a miniature in The Stars of the Legend, in a tradition about Iblis regarding dreamers, and the attribution of bad dreams, including nightmares, to Iblis.

First, there is a passive agency that dreamers have relative to Iblis. That is, Iblis may refer to a dreamer without direct or explicit influence.

In a miniature found in The Stars of the Legend, it shows Iblis, in a green kilt and a red sash, and with a monstrous face and red eyes, walking into a mosque with the Second Caliph following behind him. In front of them is a man that is deep in prayer while there is another man that is deep in the thrall of sleep. Iblis remarks that of the two, he would favor a dreamer in the oblivion of sleep.

Though Iblis spares the dreamer, it is not because he has put him to sleep or even caused his dreams. He is merely in a state of being preferred by Iblis. Hence, this is an example of the passive agency dreams can have to Iblis.

Second, and in contrast, there is an active agency dreamers have to Iblis. That is, Iblis may encourage someone to sleep and to dream. There is a legend about this, claiming that Iblis actively encourage men to dream long dreams.

"The night is long, so keep on sleeping."

In addition to their role as an example of active agency relative to dreams by Iblis, they may also signify our susceptibility to suggestion in dreams. That is, in dreams we are most prone to the whispers, or "waswas" [وسوس], of Iblis.

This leads naturally to the third example, where Iblis not only encourages sleep or dreams but actually creates or controls the conditions of dreams.

In the Sahih al-Bukhari, a Hadith collection, it remarks that: "A good vision (ru'ya) is from Allah and a bad dream (hulm) is from Satan" and if a man has "a dream which he dislikes, he should spit on his left side thrice and seek refuge with Allah from its evil, and then it will never harm him." That is, bad dreams come from Iblis, and this includes nightmares, a belief prominent in other textual sources.

In The Kitab al-Ruya, or The Book of Dreams, it is reiterated: A bad dream (hulm) comes from Iblis: "The evil dream which causes pain is from the Satan." There are at least three of this sort: Nightmares, dreams that incite mischief, and "confused" or futile dreams, as Iblis allegedly provokes all futility. In Book 29, Number 5619, it is urged that such dreams be kept to oneself, not told to others.

In this scene from this well known film, Karris experiences an unsettling dream of his slowly dying mother: Pazuzu, a precursor to Iblis, is his Jungian shadow, giving shape to his fears that she will soon succumb to death.

To summarize, there is a link between Iblis and dreams that comes out of the role of Iblis in Islam. These include sleeping as passive tool of Iblis, sleeping as active tool of Iblis, and lastly, "bad dreams" as the creations of Iblis.