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Perfume in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الطيب في المنام
In Islam, dreaming of perfume generally announces a good reputation. The Ibn Sirin collection says that perfume, at root, is the praise people give someone. Musk announces prestige and joy, ambergris money obtained from a noble man. The collection still quotes another opinion: for a sick person, perfume is a sign of death.
والطيب في الأصل ثناء حسنIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Perfume, at root, is a good reputation.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 28, vol. 1, p. 246
The Arabic expression used, thanâ’ hasan, means the good that people say about someone. Almost every kind of perfume the collection names comes back to this meaning, with its own shade. The collection adds a few negative meanings, which the table below keeps as they are.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection speaks of perfumes mostly in the chapter on gatherings, drinks and scents, and says a few words about them elsewhere. Here are the cases it describes.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| Perfume in general | A good reputation. According to another opinion, for a sick person, it is a sign of death.vol. 1, p. 246 |
| A scented oil | Oil with a pleasant smell is a good reputation, foul-smelling oil a bad reputation. In the chapter on perfumes, however, the collection says that all oils are worries, except zanbaq (lily) oil, which is a good reputation (the printed text reads “zi’baq”, mercury, probably a misprint) (vol. 1, p. 246).vol. 1, pp. 219 and 246 |
| A censer | A well-mannered servant who earns his master a good reputation.vol. 1, pp. 245 and 246 |
| Funeral spices or burning incense for its scent | A good reputation that comes with a danger, because of the smoke.vol. 1, p. 246 |
| Ambergris | Money obtained from a noble man.vol. 1, p. 246 |
| Musk or a dark spice (clove, nutmeg) | Prestige and joy. Grinding them is a good reputation. If what is ground has no pleasant smell, the dreamer does good to an ungrateful person.vol. 1, p. 246 |
| Camphor | A good reputation with brilliance.vol. 1, p. 246 |
| Ghâliya | According to one opinion, the pilgrimage. According to another, prestige. According to a third, the one who anoints himself with it in the imam’s house is accused of embezzlement and betrayal. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 246 |
| Scented powder or rose water | Scented powder is a good reputation. Rose water is money, a good reputation and bodily health.vol. 1, p. 246 |
| You perfume yourself with incense | Good relations with people. The collection adds that the dreamer obtains profit, good and provision, with a good reputation.vol. 1, p. 246 |
| A perfume seller | A cultured man, a scholar or a pious man. At root, a man of whom people speak well.vol. 1, p. 313 |
| Saffron | A good reputation, as long as its colour does not show. If its colour appears on the dreamer’s clothes or body, it is an illness.vol. 2, p. 355 |
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 perfume in a dream a good sign in Islam?
Yes, in most cases. The Ibn Sirin collection says that perfume, at root, is a good reputation (vol. 1, p. 246). It does give some reservations: for a sick person, according to another opinion, it is a sign of death, and saffron that leaves its colour announces an illness.
What does applying perfume in a dream mean in Islam?
The collection mostly speaks of perfuming yourself with incense: good relations with people, as well as profit and provision with a good reputation (vol. 1, p. 246). Anointing yourself with a pleasant-smelling oil is also a good reputation (vol. 1, p. 219), but the chapter on perfumes says that all oils are worries, except zanbaq (lily) oil, which is a good reputation (the printed text reads “zi’baq”, mercury, probably a misprint) (vol. 1, p. 246).
What does musk mean in a dream in Islam?
Musk and dark spices, such as clove, announce prestige and joy. Grinding them is a good reputation, but if they have no pleasant smell, the dreamer does good to someone who does not thank him (vol. 1, p. 246).
What does receiving, buying or breaking a perfume bottle in a dream mean?
The collection does not speak of a broken bottle, of perfume received as a gift, or of buying perfume. It gives the meaning of each kind of perfume, and the general meaning of a good reputation.
Is dreaming of perfume when you are sick a bad sign?
The collection quotes an opinion according to which perfume, for a sick person, is a sign of death. It does not present this as the main meaning, which remains a good reputation. Saffron announces an illness when its colour appears on the clothes or the body.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 28, vol. 1, pp. 245 and 246; chapter 26, vol. 1, p. 219; chapter 32, vol. 1, p. 313; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 355 (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.