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Carpet in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
البساط في المنام
In Islam, a carpet seen in a dream stands for its owner’s life in this world. The Ibn Sirin collection says that spreading a carpet means spreading out this world, that its width is the breadth of provision and its thickness the length of life. A carpet that is small, worn, thin or folded announces hardship, blessings withdrawn or a life nearing its end.
البساط دنيا لصاحبه وبسطه بسط الدنيا وسعته سعة الرزق وصفاقته طول العمرIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The carpet is its owner’s life in this world. Spreading it is spreading out this world. Its width is the breadth of provision, and its thickness the length of life.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 47, vol. 2, p. 259
This sentence opens chapter 47 of the collection, devoted to carpets, beds, tents and curtains. The carpet is read by its size, its thickness, its material, its condition and the place where it is spread. The collection adds that it also points to the gatherings of the wise and of leaders, and of all those whose carpet people tread on. On page 260 the Arabic text has a misprint (“فغنه” for “فإنه”) that does not change the meaning.
The meaning according to what you saw
The passage on the carpet runs from page 259 to page 261 of volume 2. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A carpet is spread in an unknown place or among people you do not know | You will obtain this good of the world during a journey, far from home.vol. 2, pp. 259 and 260 |
| A small, thin carpet | A meagre life and a short lifespan. Folding the carpet means folding up blessings and life.vol. 2, p. 260 |
| You see yourself on a carpet | Safety, if you are at war. Otherwise, you buy a piece of land.vol. 2, p. 260 |
| A carpet is spread among known people or in a known place | The blessing is shared among the people of that place. According to another opinion, spreading a carpet for someone means praising him.vol. 2, p. 260 |
| A new, thick carpet is spread out for you | Ample provision and a long life. At home or among your own people, you will enjoy it where you are. In an unknown place, it will be in exile.vol. 2, p. 260 |
| A carpet that is small and thick, or thin and wide | Small and thick: honour with few means. Thin and wide: a vast world but a short life. Thick, wide and of fine material: a long life and ample provision.vol. 2, p. 260 |
| A small, worn carpet | There is no good in this dream.vol. 2, p. 261 |
| You carry your folded carpet on your shoulder | You are moving it from one place to another. If you leave like this for an unknown place, your life is nearing its end and you are taking your accounts of this world with you. Seeing a deceased person in that place confirms it.vol. 2, p. 261 |
| Your carpet is folded without you having folded it | This world folds up for you: few means and some hardship in living. If it is then spread out for you again, your provision widens and your hardship lifts.vol. 2, p. 261 |
| The carpet is snatched from you, or it burns | Its owner dies, or his journey becomes impossible. Folding one’s carpet can also point to a post that is suspended or property that is held back.vol. 2, p. 261 |
| The carpet shrinks or becomes thin | Shrunk: this world becomes narrow for its owner. Thin: his end is near, or he grows thin.vol. 2, p. 261 |
| A mat (hasîr) | A servant, or the court of the judge and the ruler. What happens to the mat is read as for the carpet.vol. 2, p. 295 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the carpet
أن رجلا أتى ابن سيرين فقال رأيت كأني على طنفسة إذ جاء يزيد بن عبد الملك فأخذ الطنفسة من تحتي فرمى بها ثم قعد على الأرض فقال ابن سيرين هذه الرؤيا لم ترها أنت وإنما رآها يزيد بن المهلب وإن صدقت رؤياه هزمه يزيد بن عبد الملكA man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw that I was on a carpet. Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik came, took the carpet from under me, threw it away, then sat on the ground.” Ibn Sirin replied: “It is not you who saw this dream, it is Yazid ibn al-Muhallab. If his dream is true, Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik will defeat him.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 47, vol. 2, p. 268
Just before this story, the collection says that the tunfusa, a thick pile carpet, is interpreted like the carpet. Ibn Sirin reads in it a man’s position: whoever takes his carpet from him gets the better of him.
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 carpet in a dream a good sign in Islam?
It depends on its condition. A new, thick and wide carpet spread out for you announces ample provision and a long life. A small, worn carpet is “without good”, and a thin carpet can announce that the end is near (vol. 2, pp. 260 and 261).
What does a rolled-up or folded carpet mean in a dream?
Folding the carpet means folding up blessings and life, according to the collection. A carpet folded without you having folded it points to hardship in living. If it is then spread out for you, provision widens and hardship lifts (vol. 2, p. 261).
What does a prayer mat mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection has no entry for the prayer mat. In the chapter on the mosque, it only says that whoever sees himself on a place of prayer (musallâ) is granted the hajj and safety, but this is about the place and not the mat (vol. 1, p. 94). For prayer itself, see the page on prayer.
Does the colour of the carpet, red, green or blue, change the meaning?
The collection does not speak of the carpet’s colour, so a red carpet has no meaning of its own in this text. Nor does it speak of cleaning a carpet. It judges the carpet by its size, its thickness, its material, whether it is new or worn, and the place where it is spread.
Is the meaning different for a married woman, a single woman or a pregnant woman?
No. The passage on the carpet makes no distinction between man and woman, nor between a married, single or pregnant woman. It only distinguishes the dreamer’s situation: seeing yourself on a carpet announces safety to someone at war, and the purchase of land to others.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 47, vol. 2, pp. 259 to 261 and p. 268 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 49, vol. 2, p. 295, for the mat, and chapter 11, vol. 1, p. 94, for the place of prayer.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.