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Tree in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الشجرة في المنام
In Islam, a tree seen in a dream most often stands for a man. The Ibn Sirin collection judges this man by the nature of the tree: a tree that bears fruit is a prosperous man, a tall tree without fruit is a hard man with no good in him. The tree can also stand for the dreamer’s religion, for women or for wealth.
أن أصل الرؤيا جنس وصنف وطبع فالجنس كالشجر والسباع والطير وهذا كله الأغلب عليه أنه رجالIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “A dream rests on kind, species and nature. The kind is, for example, trees, beasts of prey and birds: most often, all of this stands for men.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, introduction, vol. 1, p. 23
This rule is found in the introduction of the collection. It explains the method: first you recognise that the tree is a man, then you look at its species and its nature. The palm tree, for example, is a useful man, after the verse that compares a good word to “a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches [high] in the sky” (Surah 14, verse 24). Chapter 43 adds that the tree can also stand for women, for wealth, or for the dreamer’s religion. The collection mixes in remarks about people’s origins, which we leave aside.
The meaning according to what you saw
The tree has a whole chapter in the Ibn Sirin collection, chapter 43, on trees, fruits and gardens. Here are the main cases, in the order of the text, with three passages from other chapters.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You see a palm tree | A man who does good around him, prosperous and easy to deal with.vol. 1, p. 24 |
| You sit under the tree of Tuba, in Paradise | The good of both worlds, after the verse: “a good state (tuba) is theirs and a good return” (Surah 13, verse 29).vol. 1, pp. 125 and 126 |
| You enter an unknown garden whose leaves have fallen | A worry reaches you.vol. 2, p. 200 |
| The tree as religion | The tree can stand for the dreamer’s religion, because Allah compared a good word to a good tree, the palm tree, and the Prophet ﷺ interpreted this palm tree as the Muslim man.vol. 2, p. 202 |
| You own many trees | You are given responsibility over a group of people, in keeping with your standing: a command, a post as judge, leading the prayer, or leading a caravan.vol. 2, p. 203 |
| A tree in a mosque | It stands for your religion and your prayers. If the tree is in its bad season, you neglect your religion. If it is in its good season, you are a pious man and your deeds grow.vol. 2, p. 203 |
| A tree falls, is cut down or is broken by a strong wind | A man or a woman dies or is killed. If the tree is in your house, it is the sick person of the house or a relative.vol. 2, p. 204 |
| You plant a tree and it takes root | An honour, or a man you win over to your side, in keeping with the nature of the tree. If it does not take, a worry.vol. 2, pp. 204 and 205 |
| Tall trees without fruit, such as the cypress or the plane tree | Hard, heavy men in whom there is no good.vol. 2, p. 206 |
| A tree that bears fruit | The man it stands for lives in plenty, in keeping with its fruit.vol. 2, p. 206 |
| You plant trees in your garden | Sons will be born to you. Their life will be long or short like that of these trees.vol. 2, p. 206 |
| You cut down a tree or a palm tree | You fall ill, you or one of your relatives. If you uproot it, this can announce a death.vol. 2, p. 346 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the olive tree
رأيت كأن قائلا يقول لي إن شئت تنال العافية من مرضك فخذ لاولا فكله فقال ابن سيرين إنما ذلك على أكل الزيتون لأن الله تعالى قال زيتونة لا شرقية ولا غربيةIt is reported that a man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw someone telling me: if you want to recover from your illness, take some ‘neither-nor’ and eat it.” Ibn Sirin replied: “This means eating olives, because Allah said: ‘an olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west’” (Surah 24, verse 35).
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 43, vol. 2, p. 205
This story shows Ibn Sirin’s method: an obscure word heard in a dream is explained by a verse of the Qur’an.
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 tree in a dream a good sign in Islam?
It depends on the tree. A tree that bears fruit stands for a man who lives in plenty, and sitting under the tree of Tuba announces the good of both worlds. A tall tree without fruit, on the other hand, stands for hard men with no good in them (vol. 2, p. 206).
What does a falling tree or cutting a tree mean in a dream in Islam?
A tree that falls, that is cut down or that the wind breaks announces the death of a man or a woman, often the sick person of the house if the tree stands there (vol. 2, p. 204). Cutting down a tree yourself announces an illness for the dreamer or a relative (vol. 2, p. 346).
What does planting a tree mean in a dream in Islam?
Planting a tree that takes root announces an honour or a man won over to your side. Planting trees in your garden announces the birth of sons, whose life will be long or short like that of the trees (vol. 2, pp. 204 to 206).
What does a fruit tree or a green tree mean in a dream?
A fruit tree stands for a man who lives in plenty, in keeping with its fruit. The collection gives no meaning to the green colour of the tree. It does take its season into account: when the sap rises in it, the dream is favourable. When the sap declines, the meaning becomes unfavourable (vol. 2, p. 203). Entering an unknown garden whose leaves have fallen announces a worry (vol. 2, p. 200).
Does the meaning change for a married woman, a single woman or a pregnant woman?
The collection speaks neither of the married woman, nor of the single woman, nor of the pregnant woman for the tree. It makes only one close distinction: a man seeking to marry or a woman seeking a husband who sees himself or herself owning a tree or climbing it obtains a spouse in the image of that tree (vol. 2, pp. 202 and 203).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, introduction, vol. 1, pp. 23 and 24; chapter 19, vol. 1, pp. 125 and 126; chapter 43, vol. 2, pp. 200 to 206; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 346 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.