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Boat in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
السفينة في المنام
In Islam, a boat in a dream is most often a sign of rescue. The Ibn Sirin collection says the boat stands for anything that saves, because through it Allah saved Nuh (peace be upon him) and those with him. The meaning depends on the dreamer’s state: the sinner repents, the poor man becomes rich, the sick man recovers. A boat that stands still, sits on dry land or sinks changes this meaning.
السفينة دالة على كل ما ينجى فيه مما يدل الغرق عليه لأن الله سبحانه نجى بها نوحا عليه السلام والذين معهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The boat stands for anything in which one is saved from what drowning stands for, because Allah, glory be to Him, saved Nuh, peace be upon him, and those with him by it.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 41, vol. 2, p. 180
The collection adds that the boat can stand for Islam, which saves from ignorance and trials, for a wife, for the father and mother, or for the Bridge (as-sirât) on which the believers escape the Fire. When it stands still, it can also mean prison and worry, because of the story of Yunus (peace be upon him).
The meaning according to what you saw
The Ibn Sirin collection speaks of the boat in the chapter on the sea, drowning and rivers. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You board a boat at sea | The disbeliever embraces Islam, the sinner repents, the poor man becomes rich, the sick man recovers. Unless the sick man boards with dead people and the dream confirms death: the boat is then a rescue from the trials of this world.vol. 2, p. 181 |
| A student boards a boat | He keeps company with a scholar or gains knowledge that saves him from ignorance, like Musa, who boarded the boat with al-Khidr (peace be upon them).vol. 2, p. 181 |
| A debtor, a deprived person or an unmarried man boards a boat | The debtor sees his debt paid and his worry lifted. The deprived person receives provision from where he did not expect it, if the boat moves along with him. The unmarried man marries.vol. 2, p. 181 |
| The boat stands still and the sea is stormy | The prisoner stays in prison, the sick man’s illness drags on, provision stays hard to come by, the journey fails, the newly married man cannot reach his wife, the student slackens. The collection adds that the outcome of all this is good, if Allah wills.vol. 2, p. 182 |
| The boat leaves the water and moves over dry land | There is no good in it. The sick man dies. The student strays towards innovation, hypocrisy or depravity, because the boat has left the water that protects it. Otherwise, the dreamer’s trade may decline and his provision become hard, and he then seeks it where he should not.vol. 2, p. 183 |
| The boat flies through the air | Everything it stands for perishes.vol. 2, p. 183 |
| The boat belongs to you | Rescue from distress, worry, illness and prison. If you get out of it, the rescue comes sooner. If the boat sits on dry ground, the worry is harder and the rescue further off.vol. 2, p. 184 |
| A dismissed governor boards a boat | He receives a post from the supreme king, in proportion to the sea. The extent of this post depends on how sound and how wide the boat is. The further the boat is from the shore, the further he is from dismissal.vol. 2, p. 184 |
| Sailing at sea, or being on a sea in flood | According to some, being in a boat on a swelling sea announces a great kingdom or great power. According to another opinion, sailing at sea is a journey in hardship and danger. The further the boat is from the shore, the further off the relief. Someone involved in an affair takes a risk: if he leaves the boat, he is saved, but he disobeys his Lord. The collection quotes the verse: “But when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him” (Surah al-‘Ankabut, 29:65). (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 184 |
| The boat sinks | For a governor, the sultan becomes angry with him, then he is saved and gets his post back. For a merchant, a loss of money that will be made up. For others, the collection says it is like someone who drowns. If its planks scatter, a misfortune strikes someone dear to the dreamer. According to another opinion, the sinking announces a safe journey.vol. 2, pp. 184 and 185 |
| A boat full of people, the oar or the rope of the boat | A boat laden with people is safety for those travelling in it. Taking the oar: knowledge, or money from a powerful man. Taking the rope: sound religion and the company of righteous people.vol. 2, p. 185 |
| You flee a boat to take refuge on a mountain | Ibn Sirin said the dreamer perishes, like the son of Nuh. For someone who is neither at sea nor on a boat, the dream may mean that he breaks away from the view of the community and follows his desires and innovation.vol. 2, p. 63 |
The black boat with only its ropes left
رأيت كأني في سفينة سوداء لم يبق منها إلا الحبال قال أنت رجل لم يبق من دينك إلا الإخلاص وحبال السفينة أصحاب الدينA man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw that I was in a black boat of which nothing was left but the ropes.” He replied: “You are a man who has nothing left of his religion but sincerity. The ropes of the boat are the people of religion.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 41, vol. 2, p. 185
Just before this account, the collection explains that taking the rope of the boat means staying with righteous people, and quotes the verse: “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 3:103).
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 boat in a dream good or bad in Islam?
Most often it is good. The collection makes the boat a sign of rescue, because of Nuh (peace be upon him). It also lists bad cases: a boat standing still on a stormy sea, a boat moving over dry land, a boat flying through the air, and fleeing the boat for a mountain.
What does a sinking ship or boat mean in a dream in Islam?
For a governor, the sultan’s anger, then rescue and the return of his post. For a merchant, a loss that is made up. If the planks scatter, a misfortune strikes someone close. For others, the collection says it is like someone who drowns. Another opinion quoted in the collection sees in it a safe journey (vol. 2, pp. 184 and 185).
What does travelling in a boat in a dream mean?
According to one opinion in the collection, sailing at sea is a journey in hardship and danger, and the distance from the shore measures the distance from relief. A boat laden with people is safety for those travelling in it (vol. 2, pp. 184 and 185).
What does a boat on dry land mean in a dream?
The collection says that a boat which leaves the water to move over land brings no good. For the sick man it is death, and for the student a turn towards innovation or depravity (vol. 2, p. 183). A boat sitting on dry ground announces a harder worry.
Does the size or material of the boat have a meaning?
The collection speaks of neither a wooden boat, nor a yacht, nor a small boat. It only says that, for a dismissed governor, the extent of his new post depends on how sound and how wide the boat is (vol. 2, p. 184).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 41, vol. 2, pp. 180 to 185 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, vol. 2, p. 63 (the mountain).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.