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Enemy in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
العدو في المنام
In Islam, seeing your enemy in a dream is often read as the opposite of what you see. The Ibn Sirin collection sets a rule: an enemy seen in a bad state announces the good state of the dreamer, and an enemy in a good state announces that the dreamer’s state will worsen. What the enemy does to the dreamer is also read by its opposite. Shaking his hand ends the hostility.
فإن كل من رأى عدوه في منامه سئ الحال كان تأويل رؤياه صلاح حاله هو وكل من رأى عدوه حسن الحال كان تأويله فساد حالهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Whoever sees his enemy in a bad state in his dream, his dream is interpreted as the good state of the dreamer himself. And whoever sees his enemy in a good state, its interpretation is the ruin of his own state.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 46, vol. 2, p. 257
The collection presents this sentence as “a constant rule in dreams”. It gives a second one further on: “all the acts of an enemy towards his enemy are interpreted by their opposite” (vol. 2, p. 342). A promise of good from the enemy therefore announces something unpleasant, and a threat announces good. The collection adds that a young man, in interpretation, represents the dreamer’s enemy.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection has no chapter on the enemy. It speaks of him in several chapters: greetings, people, quarrels, war and miscellaneous subjects. Here are the cases it describes.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| Your enemy is in a bad state, or in a good state | In a bad state: your own state becomes good. In a good state: your state worsens. The collection makes this a constant rule.vol. 2, p. 257 |
| You shake hands with an enemy or embrace him | The hostility between you disappears and affection is born.vol. 1, p. 78 |
| You greet someone with whom you are at odds | The text is ambiguous: depending on how it is read, either you or the person you greet gets the upper hand over the other and is safe from his harm.vol. 1, p. 78 |
| Your enemy greets you | The word in the text is corrupted in the edition. The most likely reading is that he asks you for reconciliation.vol. 1, p. 78 |
| You are a man’s enemy | Affection appears between the two of you. The collection quotes the verse: “Perhaps Allah will put, between you and those to whom you have been enemies among them, affection.”vol. 2, p. 331 |
| Your enemy promises you good, or harm | If he promises you good, something unpleasant reaches you from him or from someone else. If he promises you harm, good comes to you from him or from someone else.vol. 2, p. 341 |
| Your enemy gives you advice | The advice of an enemy is deception, like the advice of Iblis to Adam (peace be upon him): “O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity…?” All the acts of an enemy towards his enemy are interpreted by their opposite.vol. 2, pp. 341 and 342 |
| You see your enemy’s back | You are safe from his harm.vol. 1, p. 162 |
| You hide from your enemy | You get the better of him. If he finds you, a misfortune reaches you from him.vol. 1, p. 294 |
| You run away from your enemy | Safety and reaching what you want, according to the verse where Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) says: “So I fled from you when I feared you. Then my Lord granted me wisdom.” (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 294 |
| A young man follows you, or an unknown young man you dislike | In interpretation, the young man is the dreamer’s enemy. If he follows you, it is an enemy who shows himself. An unknown young man you dislike announces an enemy whom people dislike. If you like him, it is an enemy who is liked.vol. 1, pp. 130 and 131 |
| You go into partnership with an unknown young man | You obtain fair treatment from your enemy, while fearing from him a misfortune, injustice and harm.vol. 2, p. 327 |
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 it bad to see your enemy in a dream in Islam?
Not necessarily. The collection gives a rule: an enemy in a bad state announces the good state of the dreamer, and an enemy in a good state announces that his state will worsen (vol. 2, p. 257). What the enemy does to you is also read by its opposite.
What does hugging your enemy or making peace with him mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection says that shaking hands with an enemy or embracing him makes hostility disappear and affection grow (vol. 1, p. 78). Seeing yourself as a man’s enemy also announces affection between the two of you (vol. 2, p. 331).
What does it mean to see your enemy sick or crying in a dream in Islam?
The collection does not deal with the enemy’s illness or tears separately. The closest rule is a general one: seeing your enemy in a bad state announces the good state of the dreamer, and seeing him in a good state announces the opposite.
What does an enemy making a promise or giving advice mean in a dream?
His promise of good announces something unpleasant, and his promise of harm announces good. His advice is deception, like that of Iblis to Adam. The collection concludes that all the acts of an enemy towards his enemy are interpreted by their opposite (vol. 2, pp. 341 and 342).
What does running away or hiding from your enemy mean in a dream?
Hiding from your enemy announces that you get the better of him. If he finds you, a misfortune comes from him. Another opinion quoted in the collection sees in running away from the enemy safety and reaching your goal (vol. 1, p. 294).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin: chapter 7, vol. 1, p. 78; chapter 21, vol. 1, pp. 130 and 131; chapter 22, vol. 1, p. 162; chapter 31, vol. 1, p. 294; chapter 46, vol. 2, p. 257; chapters 56 to 58, vol. 2, pp. 327 to 342 (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.