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Head in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الرأس في المنام
In Islam, a head seen in a dream points first to the person in charge of you. The Ibn Sirin collection says that the head is a person’s chief, his capital and his fortune. A bigger head announces more honour, a smaller head less honour. For a cut-off head, the Prophet ﷺ said not to tell people about this play of Satan in sleep.
وأما الرأس في التأويل فرئيس الإنسان الذي هو تحت يده ورأس ماله وجدهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “As for the head, in interpretation, it is a person’s chief, the one under whose authority he is, and it is his capital and his fortune.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 22, vol. 1, p. 137
The collection places the head at the start of the chapter on the parts of the body. So everything that happens to the head in a dream affects, according to this text, the dreamer’s chief, his money or his fortune. Hair has its own page, as does shaving the head.
The cut-off head in the hadith
Muslim reports from Jabir that a man came to tell the Prophet ﷺ about a dream:
جاء رجل إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال يا رسول الله رأيت في المنام كأن رأسي قطع . قال فضحك النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وقال إذا لعب الشيطان بأحدكم في منامه فلا يحدث به الناسA person came to Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) and said: “Allah’s Messenger, I have seen in the state of sleep as if my head had been cut off.” Thereupon Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) laughed and said: “When the satan plays with any one of you in the state of sleep, do not mention it to the people.”
Sahih Muslim, no. 2268, narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah
In another version under the same number, the Prophet ﷺ said to the man: “Do not narrate to the people the vain sporting of satan with you in your sleep.”
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection describes these cases in the chapter on the human body, then in the chapter on food for the cooked head. Here they are with their page.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| Your head is bigger, or smaller, than usual | Bigger: your honour increases. Smaller: your honour decreases.vol. 1, p. 137 |
| You have two or three heads | For someone who fights, victory over his enemies. The poor man becomes rich. The rich man has dutiful children. The single man marries and obtains what he wants.vol. 1, p. 137 |
| Your head is upside down, or you are hanging head down | For a merchant, a loss in his trade. Hanging head down: a long life of struggle and reproach, based on the story of Harut and Marut. Head bowed before an assembly: you have committed a fault that you regret and repent of. At root, this dream points to a long life.vol. 1, p. 137 |
| Your head becomes that of a dog, a donkey or a horse | You move into toil, fatigue and servitude.vol. 1, pp. 137 and 138 |
| Your head becomes that of an elephant, a lion, a tiger or a wolf | According to what is reported, you undertake affairs higher than your rank and you profit from them, with command and victory over your enemies.vol. 1, p. 138 |
| Your head becomes that of a bird | Many journeys.vol. 1, p. 138 |
| A perfumed and oiled head | Good fortune.vol. 1, p. 138 |
| You see cut-off heads | People submit to you.vol. 1, p. 138 |
| Your head comes off without anyone striking | You part from your chief. If you carry your head away from that place, you lose your authority. If it is cut off, you put it back in place and it becomes sound again, you will be killed in jihad.vol. 1, p. 138 |
| Someone strikes your neck and your head comes off | The sick person is healed, the debtor pays his debt, the one who has not performed hajj performs it, and the one in distress or at war finds relief. If the one who strikes is a child who has not reached puberty, it is the dreamer’s release from his distress or illness, through his death in that state. The same goes for the sick person whose illness has lasted long: he meets Allah in the best of his states. For someone in none of these cases, the well-being he lives in comes to an end, he parts from his chief and loses his authority. According to another opinion, this dream is bad for someone whose parents are alive and who has a child. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, pp. 138 and 139 |
| A king or a governor cuts off your head | The collection says that this governor stands for Allah, the Exalted, who frees you from your worries and helps you in your affairs.vol. 1, p. 139 |
| You buy a cooked head or eat the head of a sheep or goat | The head cooked in the oven is a chief. Buying a cooked head, large and fat, from the seller of heads: a useful master. Thin: a master of no use. A foul-smelling head: he is spoken of badly. Eating raw heads of livestock: backbiting a chief associated with that animal. According to some interpreters, eating the head and trotters of a sheep or goat (ghanam) brings prestige and money, through inheritance or otherwise. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, pp. 227 and 228 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the crown
أن رجلا أتى ابن سيرين فقال رأيت كأن على رأسي تاجا من ذهب فقال له إن أباك في غرفة قد ذهب بصره فورد عليه الكتاب بذلكA man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw that I had a crown of gold on my head.” He replied: “Your father is in a room, and he has lost his sight.” A letter then reached the man telling him so.
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 142
The collection explains: the crown on a man’s head is the one who is above him. He has lost something dear to him, and the dearest thing is sight.
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
What does a cut-off head mean in a dream in Islam?
The Prophet ﷺ answered a man who had seen his head cut off: when Satan plays with one of you in sleep, he should not tell people about it (Muslim, 2268). The hadith first asks you not to tell this dream to people. The collection then gives meanings case by case: healing for the sick person, except in particular cases, a debt paid for the debtor, but loss of well-being for someone in none of these cases (vol. 1, p. 139).
What does shaving your head in a dream mean in Islam?
The collection deals with shaving together with hair. For a man, shaving his head during hajj announces safety, a victory, a debt paid and relief. Outside hajj, the meaning is the same but weaker. For a leader who shaves outside the season, it is impoverishment or removal from office (vol. 1, p. 143).
What does a goat’s or sheep’s head mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection says that a cooked head bought from the seller of heads is a chief or a master: large and fat, he is useful; thin, he is not. According to some interpreters, eating the head and trotters of a sheep or goat (ghanam) brings prestige and money, through inheritance or otherwise (vol. 1, pp. 227 and 228). The Arabic word ghanam covers both sheep and goats.
Is it good to dream of having a bigger head?
Yes. The collection says that someone who sees his head bigger than before sees his honour increase. Conversely, a smaller head announces honour that decreases (vol. 1, p. 137).
Is dreaming of an animal’s head bad in Islam?
It depends on the animal. The head of a dog, a donkey or a horse announces toil and servitude. The head of an elephant, a lion, a tiger or a wolf announces, according to what is reported, command and victory (vol. 1, pp. 137 and 138).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 22, vol. 1, pp. 137 to 139; chapter 27, vol. 1, pp. 227 and 228; chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 142 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih Muslim, Book of Dreams, no. 2268 (English translation by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.