Horse in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin

الفرس في المنام

In Islam, a horse seen in a dream mostly announces honour, authority and success. According to the Ibn Sirin collection, riding a docile, well-harnessed horse brings glory, power and wealth, in proportion to the horse. A horse that bolts, on the other hand, announces a sin or a fright. The colour of the horse also changes the meaning.

فمن رأى أنه على فرس ذلول يسير رويدا وأداة الفرس تامة أصاب عزا وسلطانا وشرفا وثروة بقدر ذلك الفرس لهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Whoever sees himself on a docile horse, moving gently, with its harness complete, gains glory, authority, honour and wealth in proportion to that horse.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 33, vol. 1, pp. 326 and 327

The horse opens the chapter on mounts and livestock. The collection explains that whatever is missing from the harness is missing from honour and authority, and that each part of the horse matches a share of this power. The tail, for example, stands for the dreamer’s followers: if it is long, they are many, and if it is cut, they are few.

The meaning according to what you saw

Here are the cases described by the Ibn Sirin collection in the chapter on mounts, with two passages from other chapters.

In your dream	Meaning in the collection
You ride a saddled horse	Honour, glory and authority, because it is the mount of kings. Riding without a bridle brings no good.vol. 1, p. 337
A horse bolts under you	You commit an act of disobedience, or a fright strikes you, in proportion to how unruly the horse is. The horse can then stand for your desires.vol. 1, p. 327
You gallop until the horse is dripping with sweat	A desire that overpowers you and an act of disobedience on which you spend your money.vol. 1, p. 329
A black, piebald or chestnut horse	Black horses: wealth, leadership and honour while travelling. A piebald horse: fame. A chestnut horse, with a reddish coat: sadness, or according to another meaning victory, because the horses of the angels were chestnut.vol. 1, p. 328
A horse with a white blaze and white legs, or a bay horse	Whoever rides a horse with a white forehead and white legs, with all its gear and dressed as a horseman, gains authority, a good name, a pleasant life and safety from enemies. The bay horse, with a brown coat, is the strongest in battle.vol. 1, p. 329
You see a horse from afar	Glad tidings and good.vol. 1, p. 329
You lead a horse by the bridle	You seek to serve a noble man.vol. 1, p. 329
You ride a winged horse	A great kingdom if you are worthy of it. Otherwise, you reach what you want.vol. 1, p. 329
Your horse resists you	According to another opinion, for a man of power, his servant rebels against him. For a merchant, his partner turns against him. For others, the rebellion (nushûz) of their wife. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 330
An unknown horse enters your house	If it is saddled, a woman comes into your home through marriage, a visit or an invitation. If it is bare, a man comes into your home through a marriage alliance.vol. 1, pp. 337 and 338
A horse dies in your house or in your hands	According to another opinion, the dreamer’s death. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 328
You hear a horse neigh	You gain prestige through a noble man.vol. 1, p. 195

Ibn Sirin’s story about the horse with iron legs

رأيت كأني على فرس قوائمه من حديد فقال توقع الموتIt is reported that a man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw that I was on a horse whose legs were made of iron.” Ibn Sirin replied: “Expect death.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 33, vol. 1, p. 328

The horse is usually a sign of honour. Here, one unusual detail, legs of iron, is enough to change its meaning completely.

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 a horse in a dream good in Islam?

Yes, most often. The Ibn Sirin collection links the horse to honour, authority and wealth, and says that seeing it from afar is good news. The exceptions are a horse that bolts, galloping until the horse sweats, and a horse ridden without a bridle.

What does a white horse mean in a dream in Islam?

The collection gives no meaning for an all-white horse. It speaks of a horse with a white forehead and white legs, which announces authority, a good name and safety. For a grey or white mare, it mentions a pious woman (vol. 1, p. 326).

What does a black, brown or red horse mean in a dream in Islam?

Black horses announce wealth, leadership and honour while travelling. The bay horse, with a brown coat, is the strongest in battle. The chestnut horse, reddish in colour, announces sadness, or victory according to another meaning (vol. 1, pp. 328 and 329).

What does an aggressive horse or a dead horse mean in a dream?

A horse that bolts announces a sin or a fright. A horse that resists its rider announces, according to another opinion, the rebellion of a servant or a partner, or the rebellion (nushûz) of the wife. A horse that dies in the house announces, according to another opinion, the dreamer’s death.

Does the meaning change for a married, single or pregnant woman?

The Ibn Sirin collection makes no such distinction for the horse. It distinguishes the man of power, the merchant and others for the horse that resists, and the person worthy of power for the winged horse.

Sources

Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 33, vol. 1, pp. 326 to 330 and 337 to 338 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
Same collection, chapter 24, vol. 1, p. 195, for the neighing.
Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.