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Shade and Shadow in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الظل في المنام
In Islam, taking shelter in the shade in a dream is most often a sign of protection. The collection attributed to Ibn Sirin says: “Whoever feels the heat of the sun and takes refuge in the shade escapes a sorrow.” Sitting in the shade of a mountain or a hill means living under the protection of an important man. The meaning depends on what gives the shade.
ومن وجد حر الشمس فأوى إلى الظل فإنه ينجو من حزنIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Whoever feels the heat of the sun and takes refuge in the shade escapes a sorrow.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 38, vol. 2, p. 29
This sentence comes from the passage on the sun. In the collection, shade is almost always a shelter: it protects from the heat, and what gives the shade (a mountain, a hill, a tent) often stands for the person under whose protection one lives.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection gives no chapter of its own to shade. Here are the passages where it speaks of it, with their volume and page.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You are hot in the sun and you move into the shade | You escape a sorrow.vol. 2, p. 29 |
| You are cold in the shade and you go and sit in the sun | Your poverty goes away, because cold is poverty.vol. 2, p. 29 |
| You are sitting in the shade of a mountain | You draw close to a leader, you become known through him and he protects you: a ruler, or a pious and devout scholar. The collection gives the same meaning to being on the mountain or leaning against it.vol. 2, p. 63 |
| You are sitting in the shade of a hill | You live under the protection of an important man.vol. 2, p. 71 |
| You shelter in the shade of a gourd plant | Company after loneliness, reconciliation after a dispute. Elsewhere, the collection adds that your affairs take a good turn.vol. 2, pp. 232 and 365 |
| You shelter under a tent | A favour granted to you, for which you will not be able to give thanks as it deserves. The same meaning applies to the one who owns these tents.vol. 2, pp. 265 and 266 |
| You are sitting in the shade of your eyelashes | For a man of religion and knowledge, he lives sheltered by his religion. For a man turned towards this world, he takes people’s money and hides.vol. 1, p. 146 |
| A parasol | According to al-Qayrawani, like banners, it stands for kings, emirs, judges and scholars. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, pp. 268 and 269 |
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 shade in a dream good or bad in Islam?
Most often it is good. Moving into the shade when the sun is burning means escaping a sorrow (vol. 2, p. 29), and sitting in the shade of a mountain means finding the protection of an important man. The collection mentions one exception: in the shade of his eyelashes, a man turned towards this world takes people’s money and hides.
What does a black shadow or a human shadow mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection does not speak of a person’s shadow, nor of a black or white shadow that appears. It only deals with shade as a shelter. We therefore give no meaning to these dreams.
What does the shade of a tree mean in a dream?
The only plant whose shade the collection mentions is the gourd: sheltering under it means company after loneliness and reconciliation after a dispute (vol. 2, p. 232). For trees in general, see the page on trees.
What does moving into the shade to escape the sun mean in a dream?
The collection says that whoever feels the heat of the sun and takes refuge in the shade escapes a sorrow. In the opposite case, whoever is cold in the shade and goes to sit in the sun sees his poverty go away (vol. 2, p. 29).
What does sitting in the shade of a mountain mean in a dream?
You draw close to a leader, you become known through him and he protects you. This leader can be a ruler, or a pious and devout scholar (vol. 2, p. 63). In the shade of a hill, the meaning is close: living under the protection of an important man.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 22 (vol. 1, p. 146), chapter 38 (vol. 2, p. 29), chapter 39 (vol. 2, pp. 63 and 71), chapter 44 (vol. 2, p. 232), chapter 47 (vol. 2, pp. 265 to 269) and chapter 58 (vol. 2, p. 365) (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.