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Rose in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الورد في المنام
In Islam, a rose seen in a dream has two readings in the Ibn Sirin collection. It first stands for a child or noble wealth. But the rose fades quickly, and other interpreters see in it a joy that passes, a trade that does not last or a separation. Picking roses announces joy, cutting a rose bush sorrow.
الورد ولد أو مال شريفIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The rose is a child or noble wealth.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 43, vol. 2, p. 223
The collection deals with the rose in the chapter on trees, fruit and gardens. It also plays on words: in Arabic, ward (the rose) is close to wurûd (arrival). Hence the opinion that sees in it the return of an absent person or the arrival of a letter. Above all, the text dwells on the short life of the rose: what is beautiful but does not last.
The meaning according to what you saw
The passage on the rose fills one page of the collection, followed by an opinion of other interpreters on fragrant plants. Rose water is dealt with elsewhere, with perfumes. Here are the cases described.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You see roses | A child or noble wealth.vol. 2, p. 223 |
| Roses, according to another opinion | The return of an absent person or the arrival of a letter. Further on, yet another opinion sees in them a good reputation. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 223 |
| Roses, according to a third opinion | A wife who leaves, a child who dies, a trade that does not last or a joy that passes, because the rose does not last long. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 223 |
| A young man gives you roses | An enemy makes you a promise that he will not keep for long.vol. 2, p. 223 |
| A crown on the head, in the passage on the rose | The man marries a woman from whom he will soon be separated. If a woman sees it, she will have a husband of that kind. The printed text says “a crown of leaves”: it may be a crown of roses.vol. 2, p. 223 |
| Roses in full bloom | The brilliance of this world, without strength or lasting.vol. 2, p. 223 |
| You cut a rose bush | Sorrow.vol. 2, p. 223 |
| You pick roses | Joy.vol. 2, p. 223 |
| A man gathers roses in his garden | White roses: the kiss of a chaste wife. Red roses: a wife given to amusement and merriment. Yellow roses: a woman who is often ill.vol. 2, p. 223 |
| You pick rosebuds that are still closed | A woman loses a child before term.vol. 2, p. 223 |
| A rose plucked or touched, according to a group of interpreters | Tears, worry and sorrow. A living rose in its place, whose scent is smelled without touching it, announces on the contrary a child or something similar.vol. 2, p. 224 |
| Rose water | Wealth, a good reputation and bodily health.vol. 1, p. 246 |
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 rose in a dream a good sign in Islam?
The Ibn Sirin collection gives opposing opinions. The first meaning is good: a child or noble wealth. Other interpreters recall that the rose fades quickly and see in it a joy that passes or a separation. Picking roses remains a joy, and rose water means wealth and health.
What does a red rose mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection speaks of the red rose in one case only: a man who gathers roses in his garden. It then stands for a wife given to amusement and merriment (vol. 2, p. 223). The text gives no other meaning to the colour red.
What does a white or yellow rose mean in a dream in Islam?
In the same case of roses gathered in the garden, the white rose stands for the kiss of a chaste wife and the yellow rose for a woman who is often ill. Outside this case, the collection does not distinguish colours, and it says nothing of black or pink roses.
What does receiving roses in a dream mean?
The collection speaks of a single case: a young man who gives you roses. He is an enemy who makes you a promise he will not keep for long. It does not speak of a bouquet given by a relative or a spouse.
Does the meaning change for a married woman, a single woman or a pregnant woman?
The collection has no separate chapter for these situations. It distinguishes the man and the woman for the crown on the head: a short marriage for the man, a husband of that kind for the woman. Rosebuds picked while still closed announce that a woman loses a child, without saying who. The colours concern the wife of the man who dreams.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 43, vol. 2, pp. 223 and 224 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 28, vol. 1, p. 246, for rose water.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.