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Skin in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الجلد في المنام
In Islam, skin seen in a dream is what covers a person, according to the Ibn Sirin collection. A red complexion announces esteem and joy. Skin diseases are often read as money: the pus of pustules is abundant wealth. Dirt on the body, on the other hand, shows many sins.
بشرة الإنسان وجلده سترهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “A person’s outer skin and his hide are what cover him.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 22, vol. 1, p. 135
This is the first sentence of the chapter on the parts of the body, attributed in the text to the master Abu Sa’id (al-ustâdh Abû Sa’îd), whose introduction the collection takes up. Skin diseases are dealt with later, in the chapter on illnesses, with one rule: it is better to see them on yourself than on someone else.
The meaning according to what you saw
The cases come mainly from chapters 22 (parts of the body) and 25 (illnesses). A few are in the chapters on animals and on miscellaneous subjects.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| Your complexion is red | Esteem and joy. According to another opinion, if the red is mixed with white, you obtain might. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 136 |
| You have scabies | Without fluid: worry and fatigue coming from relatives. With fluid: money obtained with effort. According to another opinion, scabies is wealth for the poor and leadership for the rich. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 197 |
| You have white patches on your skin (vitiligo) | Clothing received, without adornment. According to another opinion, money. Seeing yourself spotted in two colours has the same meaning. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 197 |
| Pustules or spots | If they burst and the pus flows: victory. The pus of pustules, scabies or smallpox is abundant wealth, and smallpox is an increase in wealth.vol. 1, pp. 197 and 198 |
| Your body itches | You worry about your relatives, you go to see them and you bear the fatigue they cause you.vol. 1, p. 198 |
| Dirt on the body and face | Many sins.vol. 1, p. 198 |
| You see these skin diseases on someone else | It is better to see them on yourself. Seen on someone else, they announce sadness and a loss of standing for the dreamer.vol. 1, p. 212 |
| A raised cautery mark on the skin | You obtain worldly goods from a treasure. If you use them in obedience to Allah, you succeed. If you use them in disobedience, this treasure will be used to brand you on the Day of Resurrection, according to the verse: “seared therewith will be their foreheads, their flanks” (Surah 9, verse 35).vol. 1, p. 214 |
| The skin of your knee peels | More labour and fatigue. Strong skin on the knee is the strength of your livelihood, and thick skin, money earned with effort.vol. 1, p. 175 |
| Skins of rams or ewes | Money and good that you obtain, like their fat, their milk and their wool.vol. 1, p. 358 |
| Lice or worms fall from your body and multiply on it | You obtain money, servants and a large family.vol. 2, p. 375 |
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 seeing skin in a dream mean in Islam?
According to the Ibn Sirin collection, the skin is what covers a person. Its colour and its diseases give the exact meaning: a red complexion, esteem and joy; skin diseases, often money; dirt, many sins.
What does scabies, vitiligo or itching mean in a dream in Islam?
Scabies without fluid is worry and fatigue coming from relatives; with fluid, money obtained with effort. According to another opinion, it is wealth for the poor and leadership for the rich. The white patches of vitiligo are clothing received without adornment, or money according to another opinion (vol. 1, p. 197). An itching body shows that you worry about your relatives, go to see them and bear the fatigue they cause (vol. 1, p. 198).
What does a skin disease or spots mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection reads most skin diseases as money: the pus of pustules and scabies is abundant wealth, and any mark on the body with pus is a good thing (vol. 1, p. 211). Dirt is the exception: many sins. It is better to see these diseases on yourself than on someone else.
What does peeling skin mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection only speaks of it for the knee: the skin of the knee peeling announces more labour and fatigue (vol. 1, p. 175). It gives no meaning for peeling skin on the rest of the body.
What does a sheepskin or an animal skin mean in a dream?
The skins of rams and ewes are money and good (vol. 1, p. 358). For the female hyena, its skin, hair and bones are also money (vol. 1, p. 374). The collection does not speak of snake skin.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 22, vol. 1, pp. 135, 136 and 175, and chapter 25, vol. 1, pp. 197 to 214 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection: chapter 33, vol. 1, p. 358; chapter 34, vol. 1, p. 374; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 375.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.