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Divorce in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الطلاق في المنام
In Islam, dreaming of divorce has no single meaning. The Ibn Sirin collection first says that a man who sees himself divorcing his wife is removed from his authority. Other opinions see in it becoming rich, after the verse “But if they separate, Allah will enrich each [of them] from His abundance”, or parting from a king. Ibn Sirin also read a broken ring as a sign of divorce, for a man who had seen it in a dream.
ولو رأى أنه طلق امرأته فإنه يعزل عن سلطانهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “If he sees that he divorces his wife, he is removed from his authority.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 54, vol. 2, p. 311
This sentence is found at the start of the chapter on marriage. Just before, the collection explains that marrying in a dream means obtaining authority in proportion to the woman married: her worth, her rank, her beauty. Divorce is the reverse. The collection adds an exception: if the dreamer has several wives, he loses only part of his authority. Further on, in the same chapter, it reports three other opinions, introduced by “it has been said”.
The meaning according to what you saw
Divorce appears in several chapters of the Ibn Sirin collection: those on the Qur’an, death, weapons, the heavenly bodies, marriage and various subjects. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You read Surah at-Talaq (Divorce) | A quarrel between you and your wife, which leads to separation.vol. 1, p. 71 |
| A married man sees himself die | According to some, it is divorce, because death separates husband and wife. For an unmarried person, death seen in a dream announces marriage instead. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 106 |
| You wear two or three swords and they break | You divorce your wife three times.vol. 1, p. 277 |
| The sun rises again after setting | For a man who has divorced, it can announce that he takes his wife back.vol. 2, pp. 25-26 |
| You divorce while you have several wives | Only part of your authority decreases.vol. 2, p. 311 |
| You divorce your wife, according to another opinion | You become rich, after the verse “But if they separate, Allah will enrich each [of them] from His abundance”. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 320 |
| Divorce as a parting | According to another opinion, you leave a king whose company you kept. The collection explains: women have cunning, like kings, and divorce is a parting. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 320 |
| A governor or a craftsman divorces | According to another opinion, the governor is dismissed and the craftsman leaves his trade. If the divorce is revocable, he goes back to his work. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 320 |
| You say farewell to your wife | You divorce her. According to another opinion, saying farewell announces a parting by death or by another cause. Others say the opposite: saying farewell is liked in interpretation, and it announces the return of the divorced wife.vol. 2, p. 334 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the broken ring
أن رجلا أتى ابن سيرين فقال رأيت كأن خاتمي انكسر فقال إن صدقت رؤياك طلقت امرأتك فلم يلبث إلا ثلاثة أيام حتى طلقهاA man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw in a dream that my ring broke.” He replied: “If your dream is true, you will divorce your wife.” Only three days later, he divorced her.
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 147
The collection reports a similar answer from Ibn Sirin to a man who had seen the water jar of his house break: “If your dream is true, you will divorce your wife”, and so it was (vol. 1, p. 244). Walking with a single sandal can also announce that you divorce your wife or part from your business partner (vol. 1, p. 261), and an ankle boot that you wear and then lose or that falls off also announces divorce (vol. 1, p. 260): see the page on shoes.
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 dreaming of divorce a bad sign in Islam?
The first meaning is not favourable: a man who sees himself divorcing is removed from his authority (vol. 2, p. 311). But the collection quotes other opinions: becoming rich, after the verse of Surah an-Nisa, or leaving the company of a king (vol. 2, p. 320).
What does divorcing your wife in a dream mean in Islam?
According to the collection, it is a loss of authority, or a partial loss if the dreamer has several wives. According to another opinion, for a governor it is dismissal, for a craftsman leaving his trade; if the divorce is revocable, he goes back to his work (vol. 2, p. 320).
Which dreams announce a divorce according to Ibn Sirin?
Ibn Sirin announced a divorce to a man who had seen his ring break (vol. 2, p. 147), and to another who had seen the water jar of his house break (vol. 1, p. 244), each time with the reservation “if your dream is true”. The collection also mentions swords that break, saying farewell to your wife and reading Surah at-Talaq.
Can a dream of divorce announce a return?
Yes, in some cases. According to another opinion, a revocable divorce announces going back to your work. The sun rising after setting can also announce that a man who has divorced takes his wife back. According to one opinion, saying farewell also announces the return of the divorced wife.
Does the meaning change for a married woman or a single woman?
The collection gives no particular meaning to a married woman who dreams of divorce, nor to a single woman. It almost always speaks of the man who divorces. According to some, a married man and an unmarried man who see themselves die are not in the same case: for the first it is divorce, for the second marriage (vol. 1, p. 106). The collection also sets apart the man who has several wives: if he divorces in a dream, only part of his authority decreases (vol. 2, p. 311).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 54, vol. 2, pp. 311 and 320; chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 147; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 334; chapter 29, vol. 1, pp. 260 and 261; and passages from chapters 5, 16, 28, 31 and 38 (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.