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Fish in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
السمك في المنام
In Islam, dreaming of fresh, large and plentiful fish announces wealth and spoils. The Ibn Sirin collection also sees women in them: one or two fresh fish, one or two wives. Small fish are sorrows, and salted fish a worry, unless it is large. Fresh grilled fish is a good, recalling the table sent down to Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him).
السمك إذا كان طريا كبارا كثير العدد فهو أموال وغنيمة لمن أصابهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Fish, when it is fresh, large and plentiful, is wealth and spoils for the one who obtains it.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 35, vol. 1, p. 412
The collection speaks of fish in several places: with the animals of the sea, with foods, then in the last chapters. The meanings repeat from one passage to the next. They depend above all on the size and freshness of the fish, then on the way it is prepared.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases described in the Ibn Sirin collection, starting with the main passage in chapter 35.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| Fresh, large and plentiful fish | Wealth and spoils for the one who obtains them.vol. 1, p. 412 |
| You obtain one or two fresh fish | You marry one or two women. A living, fresh fish stands for a young virgin woman.vol. 1, pp. 412 and 413 |
| A pearl or fat in the belly of the fish | A pearl: a son born of this woman. Fat: money and a good coming from her.vol. 1, p. 412 |
| Small fish | Sorrows for the one who obtains them.vol. 1, p. 412 |
| Salted fish | A worry, because of the salt, sometimes coming from a servant. The collection notes that for some people, large salted fish announces money and a good instead.vol. 1, pp. 412 and 413; vol. 2, p. 367 |
| You eat fresh grilled fish | Spoils and a good, recalling the table sent down to Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him). According to another opinion: a need fulfilled, a prayer answered or ample provision if the dreamer is pious, and otherwise a punishment.vol. 1, p. 413 |
| Salted and grilled fish | A journey to seek knowledge or wisdom, recalling the fish of Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) in Surat al-Kahf.vol. 1, p. 413 |
| You roll small fish in flour and fry them | You make a useful asset grow, putting effort and honourable money into it, until it becomes a pleasant and noble good.vol. 1, p. 413 |
| You fish in clear water or in murky water | Clear water: provision, or the birth of a happy son. Murky water: a great worry.vol. 1, p. 413 |
| You catch a fish on dry land | A shameful act committed. According to another opinion, good news.vol. 1, p. 413 |
| You eat a living fish | You obtain a kingdom.vol. 1, p. 413 |
| A fish comes out of your mouth | A foolish word that you say about a woman.vol. 1, p. 413 |
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 fish in a dream good in Islam?
Often, yes. Fresh, large and plentiful fish are wealth and spoils, and fresh grilled fish is a good. Small fish and salted fish are rather worries, with an exception for large salted fish (vol. 1, pp. 412 and 413).
What does eating fish in a dream mean in Islam?
Eating fresh fish is spoils and a good, because fish comes from the catch (vol. 2, p. 367). Grilled and fresh, it recalls the table sent down to Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him). Salted and grilled, it announces a journey for knowledge. Eating a living fish announces a kingdom.
What does fried fish mean in a dream?
The collection describes small fish rolled in flour and then fried in oil: the dreamer makes a useful asset grow, with effort and honourable money, until it becomes a pleasant good (vol. 1, p. 413). It does not speak of other kinds of fried fish.
What does catching fish in a dream mean in Islam?
Fishing in clear water announces provision or the birth of a happy son. Fishing in murky water announces a great worry. Fishing on dry land is the sign of a shameful act, or of good news according to another opinion (vol. 1, p. 413).
Does the collection speak of dead fish in a dream?
No. The collection speaks neither of dead fish, nor of goldfish, nor of smoked fish. The closest case is salted fish: it announces a worry, unless it is large, in which case it can announce money.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 35, vol. 1, pp. 412 and 413; chapter 27, vol. 1, p. 229; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 367; chapter 59, vol. 2, pp. 408 and 409 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.