Islamic dream interpretation

تفسير الأحلام لابن سيرين

What you saw last night, explained from the collection of Ibn Sirin, the great dream interpreter of Basra. Every meaning comes with its source.

الرُّؤْيَا الصَّالِحَةُ مِنَ اللَّهِ، وَالْحُلْمُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ

“A good dream that comes true is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan.”

Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6986, narrated by Abu Qatada

Why we follow Ibn Sirin

Muhammad ibn Sirin died in Basra in the year 110 of the Hijra. He was a scholar of the generation of the Tabi’in, and his name became the name of dream interpretation itself. His method rests on one idea: the same symbol can carry more than one meaning. It depends on who sees the dream and on the details of what was seen.

This is why every entry on the site separates the cases: drinking camel’s milk is read differently from drinking cow’s milk.

Our interpretations come from the Muntakhab al-Kalam fi Tafsir al-Ahlam, the collection passed down under his name. When a passage names Ibn Sirin, we write “Ibn Sirin said”. Elsewhere in the collection, we write “in the collection of Ibn Sirin”. Who was Ibn Sirin.

One dream, two meanings

A man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw in a dream that I was making the call to prayer.” He told him: “You will perform Hajj.” Another man came and told him the same dream. He told him: “Your hands will be cut off.” He was asked how he could tell them apart. He explained:

“In the first man I saw a good appearance, and I thought of this verse:

وَأَذِّن فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ

And proclaim to the people the Hajj.”

Surah al-Hajj, 22:27

“In the second I saw a bad appearance, and I thought of:

ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ أَيَّتُهَا الْعِيرُ إِنَّكُمْ لَسَارِقُونَ

Then an announcer called out: O caravan, indeed you are thieves.”

Surah Yusuf, 12:70

Source: Muntakhab al-Kalam, chapter 9 (the call to prayer), volume 1, pages 84 and 85. Translation of the verses: Sahih International.

The three types of dreams in Islam

Before looking for the meaning of a dream, you need to know what kind of dream it is. The Prophet ﷺ named three kinds, in a hadith that Muhammad ibn Sirin himself narrated from Abu Hurayra.

  • The good vision الرؤيا الصالحة

    Good news from Allah. This is the dream that is interpreted.

  • The dream that brings sadness رؤيا تحزين

    It comes from Satan. You do not tell it to anyone, and you follow the steps taught further down.

  • What a person tells himself حديث النفس

    The worries and thoughts of the day, coming back during sleep.

Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, chain of narration: Muhammad ibn Sirin, from Abu Hurayra. The three kinds of dreams in detail

Islamic dream dictionary

The most searched symbols, with their name in Arabic. Each entry is written from the Arabic text of the collection, with its references.

How to read an entry

Every entry follows the same order. First, what the collection of Ibn Sirin says. Then the cases that change the meaning. Last, the exact reference, with the chapter and the page.

You get the answer in a few seconds, and you can check each sentence against the Arabic text.

Dreaming of milkاللبن في المنام

Ibn Sirin said: “Milk is the fitra”, the sound nature in which Allah created mankind.Chapter 23, volume 1, page 180

You drink camel’s milkThe fitra in religion: you pray, you fast and you pay zakat. For the one who drinks it, lawful wealth, knowledge and wisdom.
You drink cow’s milkA year of plenty, lawful wealth and the fitra.
You drink sheep’s or goat’s milkLawful wealth, if the milk is fresh.
You milk a she-camel and drink her milkAnother view in the collection: marriage to a pious woman.

Source: Muntakhab al-Kalam, chapter 23, volume 1, pages 178 and 180. Milk in a dream: all the cases

After a bad dream

What the Prophet ﷺ taught us to do on waking up. According to the hadith, a bad dream does not harm the one who does this.

  1. Spit lightly three times to your left

    Sahih Muslim, no. 2262; Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6995

  2. Seek refuge in Allah three times from Satan and from the evil of the dream

    Sahih Muslim, no. 2261 and 2262

  3. Turn over onto your other side

    Sahih Muslim, no. 2262

  4. Tell no one about it

    Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7044

  5. Get up and pray

    Sahih Muslim, no. 2263

And after a good dream? Praise Allah for it (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6985), and tell it only to people you love (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7044).

What to do after a bad dream: the hadiths in detail