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Stomach in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
البطن في المنام
In Islam, the stomach or belly seen in a dream stands first for the dreamer’s wealth, his children, his relatives and the home that shelters his family. According to the Ibn Sirin collection, a big belly announces that this wealth and these relatives are many, a small belly that they are few. A belly cut open, the bowels and stomach pain each have a precise meaning.
والبطن من ظاهر ومن باطن مال الرجل وولده أو قرابة من عشيرته أو خزانته ومأوى عيالهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The belly, outside and inside, is the man’s wealth and his children, or relatives from his clan, or his strongbox and the shelter of his family.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 22, vol. 1, p. 165
This sentence opens the passage on the belly, in the chapter on the parts of the body. Elsewhere, explaining the dream of a woman who had seen a cat enter her husband’s belly, Ibn Sirin himself says: “The belly is the strongbox” (see our page on the cat). Everything that happens to the belly in the dream is therefore read in the wealth and the family of the dreamer.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases described in the Ibn Sirin collection. The first come from the chapter on the parts of the body, the others from nearby chapters (illnesses, crawling creatures, the sky).
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A big belly or a small belly | A big belly shows that wealth, children and relatives are many. A small belly, when one is not hungry, announces little wealth.vol. 1, p. 165 |
| A very big belly, or walking on the belly | According to another opinion, a huge belly means consuming usury (riba). Walking on the belly means relying on one’s wealth. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 165 |
| The bowels come into view | Wealth that was put aside comes out into the open, or a member of the family, or the dreamer himself, becomes a leader. Eating one’s own bowels means consuming one’s own wealth.vol. 1, p. 166 |
| The bowels come out and the belly is washed, whether they are put back or not | The dreamer will die with Allah pleased with him. According to another opinion, what comes out of the belly announces that the veil will be torn: private matters exposed in public, a disgrace.vol. 1, p. 167 |
| The belly opens and the bowels stay in place | A praiseworthy dream for someone who has no child, because a child will be born to him, and for the poor, who will become rich.vol. 1, p. 167 |
| The belly opens and it is empty | The ruin of the house, its desolation and the loss of the children. For a sick person, death.vol. 1, p. 167 |
| The belly opens and the sun appears in it | The dreamer is going to die.vol. 2, p. 27 |
| Stomach pain | Someone who sees himself suffering from his stomach has spent his wealth in disobedience, regrets it and wants to repent. According to another opinion, stomach pain shows the good health of the relatives and the household.vol. 1, p. 209 |
| Snakes in the belly | They are the relatives. If they come out of the belly, a misfortune strikes one of the dreamer’s relatives.vol. 2, p. 4 |
| Scorpions in the belly | Enemies among his own relatives.vol. 2, p. 5 |
| Worms in the belly | The people the dreamer supports.vol. 2, p. 6 |
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 the stomach in a dream a good sign in Islam?
The belly stands for wealth, children and family. The meaning follows the state of the belly: big, it announces plenty; small, a lack. A belly cut open with the bowels in place is praiseworthy for someone who has no child and for the poor, while a belly cut open and empty announces ruin.
What does a big belly or a swollen belly mean in a dream in Islam?
According to the collection, a big belly shows that the dreamer’s wealth and relatives are many (vol. 1, p. 165). Another opinion sees in a huge belly the consumption of usury. The collection does not speak of a belly swollen by illness.
What about dreaming of a flat stomach?
The collection does not speak of a flat stomach in the sense of slimness. It only says that a small belly, when one is not hungry, announces little wealth (vol. 1, p. 165).
What does a belly cut open mean in a dream in Islam?
It depends on what the belly contains. Bowels in place: a child for someone who has none, wealth for the poor. Empty belly: the ruin of the house, and death for a sick person. If the sun appears in the opened belly, the collection announces the death of the dreamer.
What does stomach pain mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection says that someone who sees himself suffering from his stomach has spent his wealth in disobedience, regrets it and wants to repent. According to another opinion, the pain shows the good health of his relatives and household (vol. 1, p. 209).
Does the meaning change for a married, single or pregnant woman?
The Ibn Sirin collection makes no such distinction for the belly. Its only distinctions concern someone who has no child, the poor and the sick. For a baby in the belly, see our page on pregnancy.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 22, vol. 1, pp. 165 to 167 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 25, vol. 1, p. 209 (stomach pain); chapter 37, vol. 2, pp. 4 to 6 (snakes, scorpions, worms); chapter 38, vol. 2, p. 27 (the sun).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.