Backbiting in a dream: meaning in Ibn Sirin, al-Nabulsi and Ibn Shahin

6 passages from 3 sources, quoted as written, every one linked to its page.

Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi, Ta'tir al-Anam fi Ta'bir al-Manam

In a dream it indicates the wiping out of blessings, because backbiting devours good deeds just as fire devours firewood.

Ta'tir al-Anam fi Ta'bir al-Manam, p. 254

(And whoever sees) that he is backbiting a person: if the backbiting concerned poverty, then poverty will come back upon him,

Ta'tir al-Anam fi Ta'bir al-Manam, p. 254

and if it concerned some disgrace, the disgrace will come back upon him,

Ta'tir al-Anam fi Ta'bir al-Manam, p. 254

and likewise with other matters than these two — it comes back upon him. For backbiting in a dream returns with its harm upon the one who does it; so whoever backbites someone with a thing will be afflicted with that very thing.

Ta'tir al-Anam fi Ta'bir al-Manam, p. 254

attributed to Ibn Sirin, Muntakhab al-Kalam fi Tafsir al-Ahlam

Backbiting returns with its harm upon the one who does it. So if he backbites a man with poverty, he will be afflicted with poverty; and if he backbites him with some other thing, he will be afflicted with that thing.

Muntakhab al-Kalam fi Tafsir al-Ahlam, pp. 745–746

Kinds and conditions of Backbiting

eating human flesh (backbiting)

Ibn Shahin al-Zahiri, al-Isharat fi Ilm al-Ibarat

A rare account: It is related of al-Junayd, may Allah Most High have mercy on him, that he was sitting at the door of his house when a blind man passed by, importunately begging from people. He said to himself: If this man relied upon Allah Most High and sat in the corner of some place or a mosque, Allah Most High would provide for him without begging. He said: Then I slept that night and saw in a dream a copper tray placed before me, and on the tray was that blind man stretched out, and someone was saying, "Eat of the flesh of this man." So I said, "By Allah, I did not backbite him; I only spoke within myself, and my tongue did not utter it." He said, "Enough, O Junayd! You are not among those from whom this excuse is accepted." When morning came, I sat at the door of my house, pondering and repenting to Allah Most High, and behold, the blind man came along in his usual state and said, "O Abu al-Qasim, have you had enough of what you saw last night, and have you repented?"

al-Isharat fi Ilm al-Ibarat, pp. 267–268