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Nose in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الأنف في المنام
In Islam, a nose seen in a dream stands for a man’s beauty or for his relatives, according to the Ibn Sirin collection. Having no nose means having no ties of kinship. Having two noses announces a disagreement with the family. Smelling a pleasant scent announces relief, and blowing your nose, a debt paid or a worry that goes away.
وأما الأنف فيقال إنه جمال للرجل ويقال هو قرابة الرجلIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “As for the nose, it is said to be a man’s beauty, and it is said to be his kinship.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 22, vol. 1, p. 147
The collection then gives other opinions: the nose may be the child, or rank and noble lineage, or both parents. Whatever enters the nose is read as a remedy, unless it is something unpleasant: then it is anger held back.
The meaning according to what you saw
The main passage is in chapter 22, on the parts of the body. Other cases come from the chapters on what comes out of the body, on illnesses and on insects.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You have no nose | You have no ties of kinship.vol. 1, p. 147 |
| You have two noses | A disagreement between you and your family, because the nose is not a stranger.vol. 1, p. 147 |
| You smell a pleasant scent | Relief reaches you. If your wife is pregnant, she will give birth to a child who will bring you joy.vol. 1, p. 147 |
| Something unpleasant enters your nose | Anger that you hold back. Whatever enters the nose, in general, is read as a remedy.vol. 1, p. 147 |
| You have a trunk | You have a strong noble lineage.vol. 1, p. 147 |
| Someone cuts off your nose | He speaks words to you that humiliate you. According to another opinion, a nose cut off at the root announces the death of the one whose nose was cut. According to yet another, the death of his wife if she is pregnant. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 204 |
| A merchant sees his nose cut off | He makes a loss in his trade.vol. 1, p. 204 |
| You blow your nose | You pay off a debt, or you are freed from a worry, or you pay people back for what they did to you.vol. 1, p. 182 |
| You sneeze | You become certain about a matter you were doubting.vol. 1, p. 182 |
| There is mucus in your nose | Your wife is pregnant.vol. 1, p. 183 |
| Your nose is running | You will have children who look like you.vol. 1, p. 183 |
| Ants come out of your nose | If you are glad of it, you will die a martyr. If it grieves you, there is reason to fear for you.vol. 2, p. 9 |
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
What does seeing a nose in a dream mean in Islam?
According to the Ibn Sirin collection, the nose is a man’s beauty, or his kinship. Other opinions see in it the child, rank or the parents. What happens to the nose in the dream therefore concerns one of them.
What does a nosebleed in a dream mean in Islam?
Nosebleeds are explained on the page about blood. There the collection distinguishes abundant, thin blood from thick blood, and looks at whether it stains the clothes (vol. 1, pp. 181 and 182).
What does a runny nose or blowing your nose mean in a dream in Islam?
Blowing your nose means paying a debt or being freed from a worry (vol. 1, p. 182). A runny nose announces children who look like the dreamer, and mucus in the nose, a pregnancy of his wife (vol. 1, p. 183).
What does a cut or broken nose mean in a dream?
A nose cut off by someone is a humiliating word. Another opinion sees death in it, if it is cut at the root, and a merchant makes a loss in his trade (vol. 1, p. 204). Elsewhere, the collection says that whoever cuts off a nose pays a debt for the one whose nose he cuts (vol. 1, p. 201). A broken nose is not dealt with.
Does the collection speak of a blocked nose in a dream?
No. The collection does not speak of a blocked nose. The closest case is something unpleasant entering the nose: anger that one holds back (vol. 1, p. 147).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 22, vol. 1, p. 147 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection: chapter 23, vol. 1, pp. 182 and 183; chapter 25, vol. 1, pp. 201 and 204; chapter 37, vol. 2, p. 9.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.