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Bag in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الكيس في المنام
In Islam, a bag seen in a dream stands first for the person himself, according to the Ibn Sirin collection. An empty bag announces the death of its owner. According to another opinion, the bag is a secret, like the purse: entrusting a purse means entrusting a secret, and opening it means revealing it. The meaning depends on what is in the bag and what you do with it.
والكيس يدل على الإنسان فمن رآه فارغا فهو دليل موت صاحب الكيسIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The bag stands for the person. Whoever sees it empty, it is a sign of the death of the bag’s owner.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 49, vol. 2, pp. 275 and 276
The Arabic word used in the collection, kîs, means the bag or purse in which one keeps one’s money. The collection speaks of it in the chapter on furniture and household objects. It sees in it the person himself. In a story reported from Abu Bakr, the bag is the person’s body, and its coins stand for remembrance and speech. According to another opinion, it is a secret, like the purse.
The meaning according to what you saw
The Ibn Sirin collection deals with the bag, the purse and the money belt together. Here are the cases it describes.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You see an empty bag | The death of the bag’s owner, because the bag stands for the person.vol. 2, pp. 275 and 276 |
| A bag, according to another opinion | A secret, like the purse. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 276 |
| You carry a bag at your waist | You return to a good share of knowledge. If the coins in it are whole, this knowledge is sound. If they are broken, it needs to be revised. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 276 |
| You shake out your bag to empty it and find nothing in it but a clot of blood | The collection reports that Abu Bakr interpreted this dream as follows: the bag is the body, the coins are remembrance and speech, and the clot does not last. As the dreamer left his house, a horse kicked him and killed him.vol. 2, p. 276 |
| You empty your bag, your purse or your money belt | Death, and the end of the memory people keep of you in this world.vol. 2, p. 276 |
| Your money belt falls into the sea, a river or fire | The money belt first has the meaning of the bag. According to another opinion, it stands for money: if it falls into water, your money goes through the hand of a king; if it falls into fire, through the hand of an unjust ruler. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 276 |
| You entrust someone with a purse or a bag full of coins | You entrust him with a secret. If the coins are good, it is a good secret. If they are bad, it is a bad secret.vol. 2, p. 275 |
| You open the purse | You reveal this secret.vol. 2, p. 275 |
| You are given coins in a purse or a bag | According to another opinion, which sees coins as words and a dispute, you are entrusted with a secret. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 139 |
| You see large sacks or a leather provision bag | A person who keeps secrets. If something comes out of them, a secret is revealed.vol. 2, p. 287 |
Before you interpret your dream
Not every dream carries a meaning. The Prophet ﷺ described three kinds: a good dream, which is glad tidings from Allah; a distressing dream, which comes from Satan; and what a person tells himself during the day (Sahih Muslim, no. 2263). Only the first is read with a collection like Ibn Sirin’s. See the three kinds of dreams, and if your dream frightened you, what to do after a bad dream.
Frequently asked questions
Is seeing a bag in a dream good or bad in Islam?
It depends on its state. The Ibn Sirin collection sees the bag as the person himself: empty, or shaken out to the bottom, it announces death. Full of good coins and entrusted to someone, it announces instead a good secret that is shared.
What does a handbag, purse or luggage mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection speaks of neither handbags nor travel bags. It speaks of the kîs, the bag or purse in which one keeps one’s money, and of the large sacks used to carry provisions. The meanings it gives concern the person, money and secrets.
What does losing a bag in a dream mean in Islam?
The collection does not speak of a lost or stolen bag. The closest case is the money belt that falls. According to another opinion, which sees this belt as money, if it falls into the sea or a river, the money goes through the hand of a king; into fire, through the hand of an unjust ruler (vol. 2, p. 276).
What does a black bag or a rubbish bag mean in a dream in Islam?
The Ibn Sirin collection gives no meaning to the colour of the bag, and does not speak of rubbish bags. What matters in the text is what the bag contains: nothing, whole coins or broken coins.
Does the meaning change for a married woman, a single woman or a man?
The collection makes no such distinction for the bag. It speaks neither of the married woman, nor of the single woman, nor of men in particular.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 49, vol. 2, pp. 275 to 287 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 139.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.