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The Sea in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
البحر في المنام
In Islam, the sea seen in a dream most often stands for a powerful and feared ruler: a king, a governor, a judge, a scholar or anyone with authority over others. It can also stand for this world and its dangers. The Ibn Sirin collection says that a calm sea is better than a rough one, and that waves announce a trial.
البحر في التأويل سلطان مهيب قوي كما أن البحر أعظم الأنهارIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “In interpretation, the sea is a feared and powerful ruler, just as the sea is the greatest of rivers.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 41, vol. 2, p. 160
The collection develops this meaning further on. The sea stands for anyone with authority over people, kings, governors, judges, scholars and even husbands, because of its strength, of what it takes and of what it gives. Its water is then the wealth or the knowledge of that person, and its fish are those who depend on them. The sea can also stand for this world, which makes one man rich and ruins another.
The sea in a dream of the Prophet ﷺ
The Prophet ﷺ fell asleep at the house of Umm Haram bint Milhan, then woke up smiling. She asked him why, and he answered:
ناس من أمتي عرضوا علي غزاة في سبيل الله يركبون ثبج هذا البحر ملوكا على الأسرة أو مثل الملوك على الأسرة“Some of my followers were presented before me in my dream as fighters in Allah’s Cause, sailing in the middle of the seas like kings on the thrones or like kings sitting on their thrones.”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7002, narrated by Anas ibn Malik
Umm Haram asked him to invoke Allah that she be among them, and he did. The hadith reports that she later sailed over the sea, in the time of Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan.
The meaning according to what you saw
The Ibn Sirin collection gives chapter 41 to the sea, with ships, drowning, rivers and wells. Here are the cases it describes.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| The sea is calm | Seeing the sea calm is better than seeing it with rough waves.vol. 2, p. 168 |
| The sea is rough, with high waves | Waves are the severity of a punishment. The collection quotes: “And when waves come over them like canopies” (Surat Luqman, verse 32).vol. 2, p. 168 |
| You see the sea from afar | You will see something frightening. According to another opinion, something you hope for is coming closer to you.vol. 2, p. 168 |
| You go into the sea or swim in it in calm weather, in summer | If you are not ill: you will be close to a ruler, you will advance in knowledge with the scholars, or your trade will grow, according to how easily you move in the water. For a sick person, the illness gets worse.vol. 2, p. 166 |
| You go into the sea in winter, or when it is rough | A trial coming from those in power, such as prison or punishment, or an illness.vol. 2, p. 167 |
| You drown in the sea | If you do not die and do not suffer, you are immersed in what you do: wealth, knowledge or closeness to a ruler. If you die by drowning, your religion is spoiled. For a non-believer, drowning announces that he will believe, after the verse about Pharaoh (Surat Yunus, 10:90).vol. 2, pp. 166, 167 and 169 |
| You sink and then come back up, struggling | You obtain wealth and power. If you come out of it without drowning, you return to your religion.vol. 2, p. 169 |
| You swim with ease in the open sea | You enter a great affair or a high office, and you obtain honour and strength. A scholar who swims in the sea reaches his goal in knowledge.vol. 2, pp. 169 and 170 |
| You cross the sea to the other shore | You leave behind a worry, a fright or a fear, and you come out of it safe and sound.vol. 2, p. 167 |
| You drink sea water | You receive money from a king. If the water is murky, a worry coming from the king.vol. 2, pp. 164 and 167 |
| You wash in the sea | Your sins are wiped away and your worry goes, thanks to the king.vol. 2, p. 168 |
| The sea rises and enters the houses | A great trial (fitna) in that place.vol. 2, pp. 168 and 169 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the black ship
رأيت كأني في سفينة سوداء لم يبق منها إلا الحبال قال أنت رجل لم يبق من دينك إلا الإخلاصA man came and told Ibn Sirin: “I saw myself in a black ship of which nothing was left but the ropes.” Ibn Sirin replied: “You are a man of whose religion nothing is left but sincerity.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 41, vol. 2, p. 185
The collection explains that the ropes of a ship stand for the people of religion, and that holding on to a ship’s rope announces upright religion and the company of pious people.
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 sea in a dream good or bad in Islam?
It depends on the state of the sea and on what you do in it. The sea mostly stands for a powerful ruler, or for this world. A calm sea is better than a rough one, and waves announce a trial (vol. 2, p. 168).
What do sea waves or a rough sea mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection says that waves are the severity of a punishment, quoting Surat Luqman. Going into the sea when it is rough, or in winter, announces a trial coming from those in power, such as prison, or an illness (vol. 2, pp. 167 and 168).
What does swimming in the sea mean in a dream?
Swimming in a calm sea announces, depending on the case, closeness to a ruler, progress in knowledge or a larger trade. Whoever swims with ease in the open sea obtains a high office (vol. 2, pp. 166, 169 and 170).
What does drowning in the sea mean in a dream in Islam?
Drowning without dying or suffering means you are immersed in what you do: wealth, knowledge or the service of a ruler. Dying by drowning announces a religion that is spoiled. For a non-believer, drowning announces that he will believe, after the verse about Pharaoh (vol. 2, pp. 166, 167 and 169).
Does the collection speak of the colour of the sea?
No. The collection does not speak of a blue, green or turquoise sea. It separates a calm sea from a rough one, and clear water from murky water: drinking murky sea water announces a worry coming from the king (vol. 2, p. 164).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 41, vol. 2, pp. 160 to 170 and p. 185 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Interpretation of Dreams, no. 7002 (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.