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Road in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الطريق في المنام
In Islam, a road seen in a dream stands for religion. The collection attributed to Ibn Sirin says that the road is the straight path, and that the straight path is religion and uprightness. Walking straight on a road means being on the truth. Losing your way means being confused in your affairs and your religion. Finding your road again after going astray announces good and success.
الطريق هو الصراط المستقيم والصراط هو الدين والاستقامةIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The road is the straight path, and the path is religion and uprightness.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 39, vol. 2, p. 117
The collection deals with roads in chapter 39, the chapter on the earth, towns and paths, then comes back to them in other chapters. The state of the road and the way you walk on it give the meaning.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases the collection describes for the road and the path, first in chapter 39, then in other chapters.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You follow a road | You are on the straight path, the way of religion and the laws of Islam, and you hold to the firmest handhold of the truth.vol. 2, pp. 117-118 |
| You lose your way | You are confused about your own affairs and about your religion.vol. 2, p. 118 |
| You walk straight on the road | You are on the truth. For a man focused on this world, he is guided to a profitable trade.vol. 2, p. 118 |
| A road that leads astray | Going astray for the one who follows it. If he asks the way and finds it, he returns to the truth.vol. 2, p. 118 |
| A hidden road | Delusion and innovation in religion.vol. 2, p. 118 |
| A winding road | It concerns the beliefs and the deeds of the dreamer.vol. 2, p. 118 |
| You go astray, then find the way again | Straying from the road means wading into falsehood. Finding the way again after going astray means obtaining good and success.vol. 2, p. 307 |
| A dark road | Going astray and turning off the path. Light is right guidance and darkness is going astray.vol. 2, p. 343 |
| Robbers stop you on the road and take your belongings | You are struck by the loss of someone dear to you.vol. 2, p. 345 |
| A valley stands between you and the road | If you are travelling, a thief or a lion cuts off your road, or rain, a ruler or a tax collector holds you back. If you are at home, sorrow and a trial reach you.vol. 2, p. 171 |
| You light a fire on a busy road, or so that people can find their way by it | If you find this fire at the moment you need it, it is knowledge and right guidance that you receive or spread, if you are worthy of it. Otherwise, authority, companionship and benefit, which people share with you.vol. 2, p. 187 |
| You measure a street, like a surveyor | You travel a distance matching the road you measured. If it goes in the direction of the pilgrimage, you perform the hajj.vol. 1, pp. 314-315 |
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 road in a dream a good sign in Islam?
A straight road that you follow is a good sign: the Ibn Sirin collection sees in it the straight path, religion and uprightness. A road that leads astray, a hidden road or a dark road announces the opposite: going astray, delusion or innovation in religion.
What does losing your way or looking for the road in a dream mean?
Losing your way means being confused about your affairs and your religion. On a road that leads astray, the one who asks the way and finds it returns to the truth. Finding the way again after going astray announces good and success (vol. 2, pp. 118 and 307).
What does a dark road mean in a dream in Islam?
According to the collection, a dark road is going astray and turning off the path, because light is right guidance and darkness is going astray (vol. 2, p. 343).
What about a blocked road or road construction in a dream?
The collection does not speak of paved roads, muddy roads or roads under construction. The case closest to a blocked road is a valley that stands between the dreamer and the road: for the traveller, an obstacle on his journey, for the one at home, sorrow.
What does being attacked on the road mean in a dream?
According to the collection, the one who is stopped by robbers on the road and loses money or belongings is struck by the loss of someone dear to him (vol. 2, p. 345).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 39, vol. 2, pp. 117 and 118, and vol. 2, pp. 171, 187, 307, 343 and 345, and vol. 1, pp. 314 and 315 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.