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Goat in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
العنز في المنام
In Islam, the meaning of a goat seen in a dream depends on the animal. In the Ibn Sirin collection, goats (al-ma’z) stand for noble men. A single goat stands for a maidservant or a woman of bad conduct: rich if the goat is fat, poor if it is lean. The kid is the dreamer’s child, and a goat that speaks announces fertility and good.
والمعز أشراف الرجالIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Goats are the noble among men.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 33, vol. 1, p. 354
The collection gives this meaning to goats (al-ma’z), the name of the species, in the chapter on horses, beasts of burden and flocks. The single goat (al-‘anz), the she-goat (al-‘anza), the billy goat and the kid each have their own meaning. Most are favourable: wealth, fertility, a child.
The meaning according to what you saw
The Ibn Sirin collection speaks of the goat in the chapter on flocks, then in those on milk, animal cries and meat. Here are the cases it describes.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You see a goat | A maidservant, or a woman of bad conduct. If the goat is fat, this woman is rich. If it is lean, she is poor.vol. 1, pp. 354 and 355 |
| A goat speaks to you | Fertility and good.vol. 1, p. 355 |
| Goat hair | Money.vol. 1, p. 355 |
| A kid | The dreamer’s child.vol. 1, p. 355 |
| A billy goat | A man who commands respect by his appearance but disappoints when put to the test. Its meaning is close to that of the ram. Another passage makes it a man of great weight in his religion, above the ram.vol. 1, p. 360; vol. 2, p. 411 |
| A she-goat (al-‘anza) | A woman of low condition (or humiliated), or a maidservant who can no longer work. It also stands for an average year.vol. 1, p. 360 |
| The cry of a kid | Joy and fertility. The collection gives the same meaning to the cry of the ram.vol. 1, p. 195 |
| You drink goat’s milk | Lawful wealth, if the milk is fresh.vol. 1, p. 178 |
| You eat goat meat | A minor illness, then recovery.vol. 2, p. 411 |
| You slaughter a kid | If it is not for its meat, a child of the dreamer or of his family dies. If it is to eat it, a little money.vol. 2, p. 411 |
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 goat in a dream good or bad in Islam?
Most often good. The Ibn Sirin collection links goats to noble men, to money, to fertility and to children. Some cases are less good: the goat that stands for a woman of bad conduct, the billy goat that stands for a man who disappoints when put to the test, the she-goat that stands for a woman of low condition or a maidservant who can no longer work, and the kid slaughtered for something other than its meat, which announces the death of a child.
What does a white, black or brown goat mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection gives no meaning to the colour of the goat. It distinguishes the fat goat, a sign of wealth, from the lean goat, a sign of poverty. The meanings given to colours do not come from this text.
What does a baby goat (kid) mean in a dream in Islam?
The kid is the dreamer’s child, and its cry announces joy and fertility. Slaughtering it for something other than its meat announces the death of a child. Slaughtering it to eat it brings a little money (vol. 1, p. 355, and vol. 2, p. 411).
What does a dead, pregnant or attacking goat mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection speaks neither of a dead goat, nor of a pregnant goat or one giving birth, nor of a goat that attacks. The cases it describes are the goat, the she-goat, the billy goat, the kid, the hair, the milk, the meat and the cry.
Do goat’s milk and goat meat have a meaning in a dream?
Yes. Goat’s milk, if it is fresh, announces lawful wealth (vol. 1, p. 178). Eating goat meat announces a minor illness followed by recovery (vol. 2, p. 411). The page on milk covers the other kinds of milk.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 33, vol. 1, pp. 354 to 360 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 23 (vol. 1, p. 178), chapter 24 (vol. 1, p. 195) and chapter 59 (vol. 2, p. 411).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.