Green Colour in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin

اللون الأخضر في المنام

In Islam, green seen in a dream is one of the most favourable colours. The Ibn Sirin collection says that green points to martyrdom, entry into Paradise and good deeds, and sometimes to a hardship that earns a reward. Green clothes are those of the people of Paradise. The collection still quotes exceptions, such as the green eye.

والخضرة دالة على الشهادة ودخول الجنة والأعمال الصالحة وربما دلت على الضر الموجب للأجرIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Green points to martyrdom, entry into Paradise and good deeds. Sometimes it points to a harm that earns a reward.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 352

This sentence comes from a passage of the collection on colours, starting with the colours of clothes. Just before it, the collection says that yellow points to illnesses, frights and worries, and that white points to radiance, beauty, repentance and uprightness. Other chapters speak of green in connection with clothes, the sky, plants and animals.

The meaning according to what you saw

The collection has no chapter devoted to the colour green. It speaks of it in connection with clothes, the sky, crops, fruit and a few animals. Here are the cases it describes.

In your dream	Meaning in the collection
You wear green clothes	Green in clothes is good for religion, because it is the clothing of the people of Paradise. Elsewhere, the collection adds: strength, religion, more worship and a good standing with Allah. For a living person, wearing green also points to an inheritance.vol. 1, pp. 247 and 255
You see a dead person dressed in green	His death was a form of martyrdom. The collection also says that green, for a dead person, shows that he left this world as a martyr.vol. 1, pp. 111 and 255
You are in shackles and wearing green clothes	Your situation concerns religion and the gaining of a reward of great value. In yellow clothes, it concerns an illness.vol. 1, p. 295
Your sandals are green	In the collection, the sandal points to travel, and its purpose depends on its colour. Green, the journey is for religion. Black, for money and rank. Yellow, for an illness and a worry.vol. 1, p. 260
You see green banners	A journey for good. Yellow banners, for their part, announce an epidemic in the army.vol. 1, p. 275
The sky turns green	Many crops that year. A yellow sky points to illnesses.vol. 2, p. 15
You see a green rainbow	Safety from famine and from the injustice of the sultan. Yellow points to illnesses, red to bloodshed.vol. 2, p. 55
You run in a green field	You hasten to good and devout deeds. The collection adds that all green plants, except wheat, barley, sesame, millet and beans, stand for Islam.vol. 2, p. 234
You see green fruit or green ears of grain	Yellow fruit is an illness, but green is not an illness. Green ears of grain are fertile years and dry ears are years of famine.vol. 2, pp. 216 and 360
You see a green pigeon or a green donkey	The best of pigeons is the green one, and green pigeons point to scrupulous piety. The green donkey points to piety and religion.vol. 1, pp. 332 and 407
You see a green eye	A religion that opposes the religions. In the same passage, the black eye is the religion and the blue eye an innovation (bid’a).vol. 1, p. 146
A green, fertile land dries up	A severe harm strikes the dreamer.vol. 2, p. 346

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 the colour green in a dream good in Islam?

Most of the time, yes. The collection says that green points to martyrdom, entry into Paradise and good deeds, and sometimes to a harm that earns a reward (vol. 2, p. 352). It also quotes unfavourable cases: the green eye, and green land that dries up.

What do green clothes mean in a dream in Islam?

Green clothes are good for religion, because they are the clothing of the people of Paradise. They point to strength, religion and a good standing with Allah, and for a living person to an inheritance (vol. 1, pp. 247 and 255).

What does a dead person wearing green mean in a dream?

According to the collection, a deceased person dressed in green died a form of martyrdom and left this world as a martyr (vol. 1, pp. 111 and 255). The other situations involving the deceased are explained on our page on the dead person.

Does a green snake have a particular meaning in a dream?

The collection gives no specific meaning to a green snake. So no interpretation of this colour for the snake should be attributed to Ibn Sirin. The general meaning of the snake is explained on its own page.

What is the difference between green and yellow in a dream?

The collection often sets them against each other. Green goes with religion, Paradise and fertility, yellow with illness and worry. This holds for sandals, banners, the sky, the rainbow and fruit.

Sources

Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin: chapter 58, vol. 2, pp. 346, 352 and 360; chapter 29, vol. 1, pp. 247, 255 and 260; chapter 16, vol. 1, p. 111; chapter 31, vol. 1, pp. 275 and 295; chapter 38, vol. 2, pp. 15 and 55; chapter 44, vol. 2, p. 234; chapter 43, vol. 2, p. 216; chapter 22, vol. 1, p. 146; chapters 33 and 35, vol. 1, pp. 332 and 407 (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.