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Light in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
النور في المنام
In Islam, seeing light in a dream announces guidance. The collection attributed to Ibn Sirin says it in one sentence: “light, in interpretation, is guidance, and darkness is going astray.” Light that comes after darkness announces the end of a trial, the sinner’s repentance or the poor man’s ease. Putting out the lamp you hold announces a loss or a dismissal. A lamp going out announces the death of a sick person it stands for.
والنور في التأويل هو الهدى والظلمة هي الضلالةIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Light, in interpretation, is guidance, and darkness is going astray.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 343
The collection comes back to this principle several times. In the chapter on the sky and the air, it also writes: “light is guidance that comes out of going astray, and its interpretation is the opposite of darkness.” The lamp follows the same rule: it gives light to the one who carries it, and whoever sees it go out loses what it stood for.
The meaning according to what you saw
These cases come from several chapters of the collection: the sky and the air, the Qur’an, prayer, the parts of the body, and the chapter on fire, where the lamp and the candle are covered.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A light appears after darkness | For people in general: if they are in a trial, they find the right path. If they suffer injustice, it goes away. If they are in drought, they receive rain. For the disbeliever, Islam. For the sinner, repentance. For the poor man, wealth. For the unmarried man, a wife. For the pregnant woman, a boy, unless she hides this light in a chest, in her garment or in her pocket: it will then be a girl, well protected and beautiful.vol. 2, p. 19 |
| The dream of Amina, mother of the Prophet ﷺ | The collection reports that Amina saw a light come out of her that lit up the palaces of al-Sham. Then she gave birth to the Prophet ﷺ.vol. 2, p. 22 |
| You take your hand out from under your armpit and it shines | Knowledge, if you are among those who seek it. A profit, if you are a merchant.vol. 1, p. 158 |
| You praise Allah (al-hamdu lillah) | You receive light or guidance in your religion.vol. 1, p. 90 |
| You recite Surah an-Nur (the Light) | Allah fills your heart and your grave with light.vol. 1, p. 69 |
| You take a flame from a lamp | Knowledge and elevation. The lamp also stands for the one who looks after the house.vol. 2, p. 194 |
| You blow out a lamp | You try to bring down a man who is in the right, but he will not be brought down. The collection quotes the verse: “They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light” (Surah as-Saff, 61:8).vol. 2, p. 194 |
| You walk with a lamp, by day or by night | By day: firm religion and an upright way of life. By night: the night prayer (tahajjud) if you are used to it. Otherwise you find the way out of a matter that troubled you, because darkness is confusion and light is guidance. It may also be repentance from a sin.vol. 2, p. 194 |
| Your lamp shines like the sun | You learn the Qur’an by heart and explain it. The lamp is more light in the heart, stronger religion and obtaining what one wishes for.vol. 2, p. 194 |
| You put out a lamp, a candle or a fire you hold in your hand | The ruler is dismissed, the merchant suffers a loss, the king loses his wealth.vol. 2, pp. 194 and 195 |
| A lamp goes out | The death of a sick person the lamp stands for: a scholar, the one who keeps the house, or a child. Or else its owner loses his sight, or he is struck in his religion.vol. 2, p. 196 |
| A lamp shines in your house | Your wife or your child will have a good reputation.vol. 2, p. 196 |
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 light in a dream mean in Islam?
According to the collection, light is guidance and darkness is going astray (vol. 2, p. 343). Light that comes after darkness announces the end of a trial or of injustice, the sinner’s repentance and the disbeliever’s Islam.
What does a white, green or divine light mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection does not distinguish the colour of light. It speaks of light in general, which is guidance, of light that follows darkness, and of the lamp. For a particular colour, the text gives no meaning of its own.
What does a light going out mean in a dream?
A lamp going out announces the death of a sick person it stands for, loss of sight, or harm to one’s religion (vol. 2, p. 196). If you put out the one you hold in your hand, the ruler is dismissed and the merchant loses.
Is a lit lamp in a dream a good sign?
Yes. Taking a flame from a lamp announces knowledge and elevation. A lamp shining in the house announces a good reputation for the wife or child. A lamp that shines like the sun shows that the dreamer learns the Qur’an and explains it.
What does reciting Surah an-Nur in a dream mean?
The collection says that whoever recites Surah an-Nur in a dream, Allah fills his heart and his grave with light (vol. 1, p. 69). In the same way, the collection gives a meaning to each surah recited in a dream.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 343; chapter 38, vol. 2, pp. 19 and 22; chapter 42, vol. 2, pp. 194 to 196; chapter 5, vol. 1, p. 69; chapter 10, vol. 1, p. 90; chapter 22, vol. 1, p. 158 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.