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Iron in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الحديد في المنام
In Islam, iron seen in a dream mostly points to strength. The Ibn Sirin collection says that iron is wealth, strength and power, and that it is also victory. A house or a leg of iron announces a long life. But eyes of iron announce a great worry, and Ibn Sirin told a man who rode a horse with iron legs to expect death.
والحديد مال وقوة وعزIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Iron is wealth, strength and power.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 158
The collection opens its passage on iron with the verse: “And We sent down iron, wherein is great military might and benefits for the people” (Surah al-Hadid, 57:25). The passage sits in the chapter on metals. Other chapters say that a house, a leg or a limb of iron announces a long life.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases the collection describes, first for iron itself, then for objects and parts of the body made of iron.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You see or own iron | Wealth, strength and power. The collection adds that iron is victory.vol. 2, p. 158 |
| You eat or chew iron | Eating iron with bread: you treat people with tact and bear hardship to earn your living. Chewing iron: backbiting.vol. 2, p. 158 |
| You are a blacksmith and shape iron as you wish | You gain a great kingdom, after the story of David (Dawud), peace be upon him, for whom Allah made iron soft. The blacksmith can also stand for the commander of an army, or for a bad man who does the deeds of the people of the Fire.vol. 1, p. 298 |
| Your house is made of iron | A long life for its owner, and lasting prosperity. Elsewhere, the collection says that a house, a garment, a leg or a limb of iron points to a long life and to growth.vol. 2, pp. 82 and 343 |
| Your leg is made of iron | Your life is long and your wealth remains. A leg of glass, on the other hand, announces a near death and the loss of wealth.vol. 1, p. 175 |
| Your eyes are made of iron | A great worry strikes you, and it leads to your disgrace.vol. 1, p. 145 |
| You wear an iron ring | The collection first says that such a ring brings no good, because it is the adornment of the people of the Fire (the printed text reads “jadid”, most likely for “hadid”, iron). According to another opinion, it announces a good obtained after hardship. Further on, the iron ring is a brave ruler or a shrewd merchant, but one who is little known.vol. 2, pp. 144, 145 and 146 |
| You close an iron door | Closing a door means marrying a woman. If the door is made of iron, it is even better and happier.vol. 2, p. 356 |
| You see an iron key | A man of great strength.vol. 2, p. 298 |
| The sky is made of iron | Rain becomes scarce.vol. 2, p. 15 |
| You swallow iron nails | If you feel how hard they are as they pass down your throat, you swallow an anger as hard as they were, and you bear it as much as you bore it in the dream.vol. 2, p. 364 |
| You are wounded by an iron object | According to one opinion, if you are wounded by a knife or another iron object, your faults and your sins come to light, and there is no good in this dream. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 288 |
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 iron in a dream good or bad in Islam?
Most of the time it is good. The collection says that iron is wealth, strength, power and victory (vol. 2, p. 158). It also gives unfavourable cases: the iron ring would be the adornment of the people of the Fire (the printed text reads “jadid”, most likely for “hadid”) (vol. 2, p. 144), eyes of iron announce a great worry, and Ibn Sirin answered “Expect death” to a man who rode a horse with iron legs (vol. 1, p. 328), a story told in full on the horse page.
What does seeing iron nails in a dream mean in Islam?
The collection speaks of swallowing iron nails. If the dreamer feels how hard they are as they pass down his throat, he swallows an anger as hard as they were, and he bears it as much as he bore it in the dream (vol. 2, p. 364).
What does an iron door mean in a dream?
The collection says that closing a door means marrying a woman, and that if the door is made of iron, it is even better and happier (vol. 2, p. 356).
What does it mean to dream of being a blacksmith?
Whoever sees himself as a blacksmith shaping iron as he wishes gains a great kingdom, after the story of the Prophet David, peace be upon him (vol. 1, p. 298). The collection also says that the blacksmith can stand for the commander of an army, or for a bad man who does the deeds of the people of the Fire.
Is having a limb or a body of iron in a dream good?
It depends on the limb. A house, a garment, a leg or a limb of iron announces a long life (vol. 1, p. 175; vol. 2, p. 343). But eyes of iron announce a great worry, and the collection says elsewhere that whoever sees his body turn into iron or stone dies (vol. 1, p. 163).
What does an iron bar or a clothes iron mean in a dream?
The collection speaks of neither an iron bar nor a clothes iron. No precise meaning for these two dreams should therefore be attributed to Ibn Sirin. One can only recall the general meaning of iron: wealth, strength and power.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin: chapter 40, vol. 2, pp. 144, 145, 146 and 158; chapter 32, vol. 1, p. 298; chapter 39, vol. 2, p. 82; chapter 22, vol. 1, pp. 145, 163 and 175; chapter 31, vol. 1, p. 288; chapter 33, vol. 1, p. 328; chapter 38, vol. 2, p. 15; chapter 49, vol. 2, p. 298; chapter 58, vol. 2, pp. 343, 356 and 364 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- The Qur’an, Surah al-Hadid (57), verse 25 (Sahih International translation).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.