Human Being

In a dream, an unknown person whom one does not recognize is one’s own lower self. If this unknown person, who represents the dreamer’s own lower self, is good, then the dreamer himself is good; and if he is evil, then the dreamer himself is likewise evil. At times, this dream indicates that the dreamer is living the final days of his life and is making preparations by repenting and writing his testament. Two unknown persons signify becoming safe from fear, and three persons signify avoiding sins.

To see in a dream someone whom one knows signifies receiving something from him or from someone resembling him; to receive something from a known person signifies attaining that which one hopes for from him; to see that a goodness has befallen a known person signifies that this will occur exactly as seen; and if the opposite occurs, it signifies a warning and admonition concerning that person. (In connection with this subject, one should consult entries with more specific meanings, such as “Woman,” “Man,” “Girl,” “Young Man,” and “Child.”)

To see in one’s dream a person whom one does not know means that the dreamer will receive the help of someone in human affairs. Eating human flesh in a dream means that one must pay attention to one’s actions; otherwise, one will suffer great harm.

Seeing a human being in a dream is interpreted as the person’s own lower self. Whoever encounters in a dream a human being whom he does not recognize or know has encountered himself. The entire appearance of that person seen in the dream and the things he does, whether good or evil, correspond to the dreamer’s own deeds. Allah (Exalted is He) has thus shown the dreamer his own lower self in the dream.

According to another account: If a person sees in a dream a human being whom he does not know and cannot liken to anyone, that man is the dreamer’s own lower self. Allah has shown it to him. If the dreamer has seen that person perform a good deed, it is his own deed. At times, this dream indicates that the dreamer has reached the utmost limit of his sustenance and appointed term. If he sees two persons, and he is afraid, he will become safe from fear. If he sees three persons, this indicates that the dreamer will protect himself from committing forbidden things. If the man he sees is a person of rank, and he sees that he has received a new garment from him, he will be appointed in place of that person of rank. If he sees that he has received a rope from that person, the dreamer will lose hope in him, and enmity and hatred will arise between them. A dream concerning a person renowned and famous among the people indicates one’s own lower self, one’s kind, one’s likeness, or one’s city and profession.

If a person sees in a dream that someone he knows has attained a high rank, or that he has fallen from the rank he holds, or that some calamity and affliction has befallen that person, it is a sign that good or evil will come to that man just as it was seen.

Ibn Sirin: Seeing a human being in a dream, if he is someone known, indicates that person’s condition; if he is unknown, it indicates news coming from the unseen. Seeing a crowd of people signifies blessing and abundance.

It provides early awareness; the person sees risks before they grow and can choose a more solid path.

Neglect, haste, untrustworthy people or uncontrolled behavior can increase the difficulty.

In the interpretation, the themes of work and responsibility, success and reputation, the emotional tone in the dream, and how the symbol concludes in the dream should be evaluated together.