Home › Dream dictionary › Marriage
Marriage in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الزواج في المنام
In Islam, dreaming that you get married most often announces authority or a position, in proportion to the bride seen in the dream: her rank, the meaning of her name, her beauty. The Ibn Sirin collection sets a condition. If the dreamer is called a “groom” without seeing the bride or knowing her name, the dream announces his death or a killing. A wedding feast, for its part, brings joy to the guest.
وإذا رأى أنه تزوج أصاب سلطانا بقدر المرأة وفضلها وخطرها ومعنى اسمها وجمالهاIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “If he sees that he has married, he obtains authority in proportion to the woman: her merit, her standing, the meaning of her name and her beauty.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 54, vol. 2, p. 311
This rule opens the chapter of the collection on marriage. It only holds if the dreamer sees the bride, knows her or hears her name. Divorce follows the same logic the other way: whoever divorces his wife in a dream loses his authority.
A marriage shown in a dream, in the hadith
The Prophet ﷺ told Aisha that he had seen her in a dream before marrying her:
أريتك قبل أن أتزوجك مرتين، رأيت الملك يحملك في سرقة من حرير فقلت له اكشف. فكشف فإذا هي أنت، فقلت إن يكن هذا من عند الله يمضه“You were shown to me twice (in my dream) before I married you. I saw an angel carrying you in a silken piece of cloth, and I said to him, ‘Uncover (her),’ and behold, it was you. I said (to myself), ‘If this is from Allah, then it must happen.’”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7012, narrated by Aisha
The dream showed the bride through an image, the piece of silk, and the Prophet ﷺ left its fulfilment to Allah.
The meaning according to what you saw
Most cases come from chapter 54 of the collection, on marriage and what relates to it. The others are taken from other chapters, with their page.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You get married and you see or know the bride | Authority in proportion to the woman, her rank, the meaning of her name and her beauty.vol. 2, p. 311 |
| You are called a “groom” without seeing the bride or knowing her name | You die, or you kill someone. The collection asks for this to be checked against the other signs in the dream.vol. 2, p. 311 |
| A married man marries another woman | He obtains authority. If he marries ten, it is still a good for him.vol. 2, p. 314 |
| A married woman marries another man | A good and a favour. Elsewhere, the collection sees in it a benefit for her, for her family or for her husband.vol. 2, p. 314 |
| A woman marries an unknown man, never seen or named | She dies.vol. 2, p. 314 |
| You marry four women | An increase in good, after the verse: “then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four” (4:3).vol. 2, p. 319 |
| You hold a wedding feast | A misfortune. For the guest, it is a joy, if he sees no food.vol. 2, p. 319 |
| Another man marries your wife and takes her away | The king loses his kingdom, the trader sees his trade fail.vol. 2, p. 319 |
| You divorce your wife | You lose your authority. According to another opinion, you become rich, after the verse: “But if they separate [by divorce], Allah will enrich each [of them] from His abundance” (4:130).vol. 2, pp. 311 and 320 |
| A woman without a husband sees a cap placed on her head | She gets married. If she is pregnant, she gives birth to a boy.vol. 1, p. 249 |
| An unmarried person sees himself die | His marriage. For a married man, the same dream announces divorce, because death separates. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 106 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the dove
إنك تتزوج امرأة جميلة تعجبك جدا ولا يهولك الذي رأيت فإن العيب ليس في بصرها وإنما هو شئ في نظرهاA man came and told Ibn Sirin: “I saw that I found a white dove that I liked very much. One of its eyes was among the most beautiful of dove eyes. The other squinted and was clouded with yellow.” Ibn Sirin laughed and said: “You will marry a beautiful woman whom you will like very much. Do not let what you saw alarm you: the defect is not in her sight, it is something in the way she looks at things. She will have a bad character and make you suffer from it.” The man married, and found his wife to have a very harsh character.
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 35, vol. 1, p. 407
In the collection, the dove can stand for a woman. Here Ibn Sirin reads each detail of the bird as a trait of the future wife.
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 marriage in a dream good in Islam?
Often, yes. The Ibn Sirin collection sees in marriage authority in proportion to the bride, if you see her or know her name (vol. 2, p. 311). Two cases are exceptions: being called a “groom” without seeing the bride, and, for a woman, marrying an unknown man never seen or named.
What does a second marriage in a dream mean when you are already married?
For a married man who marries another woman, the collection announces authority (vol. 2, p. 314). For a married woman who marries another man, a good and a favour, or a benefit for her family and her husband.
What does a wedding in a dream mean in Islam?
It depends on your place. For the one who holds the wedding, the collection speaks of a misfortune. For the guest, of a joy, provided he sees no food (vol. 2, p. 319).
Why is marriage sometimes linked to death in a dream?
The collection makes this link in two cases. The man called a “groom” without seeing the bride dies or kills someone (vol. 2, p. 311). The other way round, according to one opinion, an unmarried person who sees himself die is going to marry (vol. 1, p. 106).
Does the collection speak of a forced marriage, a cancelled marriage or an ex?
No, these cases are not in the Ibn Sirin collection. The closest is divorce, which announces the loss of authority, or according to another opinion, becoming rich (vol. 2, pp. 311 and 320).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 54, vol. 2, pp. 311 to 320 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, vol. 1, pp. 106, 249 and 407.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Interpretation of Dreams, no. 7012 (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.