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City in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
المدينة في المنام
In Islam, a city seen in a dream stands first for its people. The Ibn Sirin collection also sees in it gathering, safety and protection. A known city can stand for this world, an unknown city for the Hereafter, and a beautiful unknown city for Paradise. The meaning depends on the city, its state and the way you move through it.
والمدينة تدل على أهلها وساكنيها وتدل على الاجتماع والسواد الأعظم والأمان والتحصينIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The city shows its people and those who live in it. It also shows gathering, the great majority, safety and protection.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 39, vol. 2, p. 71
The collection bases this meaning on the story of Musa (peace be upon him): when he reached Madyan, he heard Shu’ayb tell him “Fear not. You have escaped” (28:25). It also reads the city in contrast with the village: depending on the case, one stands for this world or the Hereafter, the other for the graveyard or a place of injustice.
The city the Prophet ﷺ saw in a dream
The Prophet ﷺ saw the city of his emigration in a dream before he reached it. Abu Musa reports that he said:
رأيت في المنام أني أهاجر من مكة إلى أرض بها نخل، فذهب وهلي إلى أنها اليمامة أو هجر، فإذا هي المدينة يثرب“I saw in a dream that I was migrating from Mecca to a land where there were date palm trees. I thought that it might be the land of Al-Yamama or Hajar, but behold, it turned out to be Yathrib (i.e. Medina).”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7035, narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash’ari
The hadith goes on with other images from the same dream, which the Prophet ﷺ links to the battle of Uhud, and to the good and the reward of sincerity that Allah gave after the battle of Badr.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection deals with the city in chapter 39, on the earth and inhabited places. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A known city, or an unknown city | A known city can stand for this world, and an unknown city for the Hereafter. A beautiful unknown city can stand for Paradise, and a dark, unpleasant village for Hell.vol. 2, pp. 71-72 |
| You go from an unknown village to an unknown city | The unbeliever embraces Islam, the sinner repents, the pious believer who is poor and despised becomes rich and gains honour, and the pious one who is afraid finds safety. The pious one who is sick, however, dies. For a dead person seen this way, moving from an ugly dwelling to a beautiful one means being saved from Hell and entering Paradise, if Allah wills.vol. 2, p. 72 |
| You leave a city for a village, both unknown | The reverse of the previous case.vol. 2, p. 72 |
| You go from one known city to another | Look at the name and nature of the two cities. Whoever enters Egypt (Misr) escapes an injustice, gets what he asks for and feels safe, after the verse: “Enter Egypt, Allah willing, safe [and secure]” (12:99).vol. 2, p. 72 |
| The gates and houses of a known city | The gates are its governors, its judges and those who guard it. Its houses are its notables.vol. 2, p. 73 |
| You see a city from afar, you enter it or you leave it | According to some, a city seen from afar is a scholar. According to another opinion, the city is religion. Leaving it means fear, after the verse: “So he left it, fearful and anticipating [apprehension]” (28:21). Entering it means making peace with people, who call you to the truth. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 73 |
| An old ruined city is rebuilt, stronger than before | A scholar or an imam appears or is born in that place, and brings piety and devotion to life there.vol. 2, p. 73 |
| A ruined city, without walls, buildings or traces | If there are scholars in that place at that time, they die and disappear, and none of them or of their descendants remains. If you see it being rebuilt, a child is born from the descendants of the remaining scholars and revives their way.vol. 2, p. 73 |
| A city without a ruler, or a fertile city | Without a ruler: food prices rise. Fertile, with fine crops: its people are in a good state.vol. 2, p. 73 |
| Your own city | A man’s city stands for his forefathers. A man saw his city fall in an earthquake, and the interpreter announced that his father would be killed.vol. 2, p. 74 |
| The city walls | They stand for its ruler and its governor. A destroyed wall: the governor dies or loses his post. An unknown wall with a breach through which thieves or a lion come in: Islam or knowledge weakens in that place.vol. 2, pp. 122-123 |
| You are in a city, a citadel or a fortress | You receive uprightness, a good name and devotion in your religion.vol. 2, p. 124 |
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 an unknown city mean in a dream in Islam?
According to the collection, an unknown city can stand for the Hereafter, and a beautiful unknown city for Paradise (vol. 2, pp. 71 and 72). Going from an unknown village to an unknown city announces Islam for the unbeliever, repentance for the sinner and ease for the poor pious believer, but death for the pious one who is sick.
What does moving to another city mean in a dream?
The collection looks at where you leave from and where you arrive. From village to city, the meaning is mostly good (Islam, repentance, ease, safety), except for the pious one who is sick, who dies. From city to village, it is the reverse. Between two known cities, the name and nature of each are interpreted, like Egypt, linked to safety by the Qur’an (vol. 2, p. 72).
What does dreaming of your hometown mean in Islam?
The collection says that a man’s city stands for his forefathers. It cites a man who saw his city fall in an earthquake: the interpreter announced that his father would be killed (vol. 2, p. 74).
What does a ruined or destroyed city mean in a dream?
A ruined city, without walls or traces, announces that the scholars of that place, if there are any at that time, die and disappear. An old ruined city rebuilt stronger announces the coming of a scholar or an imam (vol. 2, p. 73). A destroyed city wall announces the death or removal of the governor (p. 123).
What about a flooded city, or a city on fire?
For floodwater entering a city, see the page on floods in a dream. The collection does not speak of a city on fire. It only says that a known village that is destroyed, burned or carried away by a flood is oppressed by a ruler, or struck by calamities (vol. 2, pp. 74 and 75).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 39, vol. 2, pp. 71 to 75 and 122 to 124 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih al-Bukhari, book of dream interpretation, no. 7035.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.