Argument in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin

الخصومة في المنام

In Islam, the collection attributed to Ibn Sirin does not treat an argument as a single symbol. It gives signs that announce a dispute or its outcome. Someone in a dispute who sees himself in the judge’s seat is not defeated. Someone who is insulted suffers a wrong, then wins. Stubbornness means running away from a matter.

ومن كان في خصومة فرأى كأنه قاعد في موضع الحكام أو انه الحاكم فإنه لا يغلبIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Whoever is in a dispute and sees himself seated in the place of the judges, or sees that he is the judge himself, is not defeated.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 30, vol. 1, p. 270

The collection gives the reason for this meaning: a judge rules against others and never against himself. The same logic runs through everything it says about disputes. A dream often shows which side is in the right, or who will win.

The meaning according to what you saw

The collection has no single passage on arguments. The cases are spread over several chapters: rulers, weapons, animals, the pilgrimage and opposites.

In your dream	Meaning in the collection
Someone insults you	He does you a wrong, then you get the better of him and triumph over him. According to another opinion, it is a right that the one who insults you owes you. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 183
In a dispute, you sit in the judge’s seat	You are not defeated, because a judge does not rule against himself.vol. 1, p. 270
In a dispute, you hold a drawn sword	Right is on your side.vol. 1, p. 276
In a dispute, you enter through a door	You win. The collection quotes the verse: “Enter upon them through the gate, for when you have entered it, you will be predominant” (Surah al-Ma’idah, verse 23).vol. 2, p. 95
You argue with the imam using words of wisdom	You get what you were asking for.vol. 1, p. 263
You fight a ram	You argue with an important man. Whichever of you wins in the dream is the winner.vol. 1, p. 358
You wrestle with a fox	You argue with a close relative.vol. 1, p. 380
You fight a duel	An argument with someone, or a split, a disagreement and a fight with another person.vol. 1, p. 285
You talk with an ox, or you see a few oxen	Talking with an ox announces an argument with a man. Ibn Sirin said that more than fourteen oxen announce a war, and fewer announce an argument.vol. 1, p. 346
You are obstinate and persist in stubbornness	Stubbornness is a flight: you run away from the matter you are in, whether a post, a trade, a craft or a lawsuit. It can also mean that people turn away from a preacher’s exhortation or from the respect owed to a scholar.vol. 2, p. 309
You offer a settlement to a creditor	Offering it without paying the debt means calling someone who has gone astray back to the right path. Settling with him on half the sum is good.vol. 2, p. 309
You see yourself on the day of Arafah	You restore ties with your relatives and make peace with whoever argued with you.vol. 1, p. 99

Ibn Sirin’s story about two sides in a dispute

رأيت صفين من الناس يرمي كل صف منهما الصف الآخر فكان أحد الصفين يرمون فيصيبون والآخرون يرمون فلا يصيبون قال هؤلاء فريقان بنهما خصومة والمصيبون يعملون بالحق والمخطئون يتكلمون بالباطلA man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw two rows of people. Each row was shooting at the other. One row shot and hit the target, the other shot and missed.” He replied: “These are two parties in a dispute. Those who hit the target act according to the truth, and those who miss speak falsehood.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 31, vol. 1, p. 286

A shot that hits the target shows the side that is right, and a shot that misses shows the side that defends falsehood.

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 it bad to dream of an argument in Islam?

Not necessarily. The collection looks mostly at the outcome. Someone who is insulted suffers a wrong, then wins. Someone in a dispute who sees himself as judge or enters through a door has the upper hand, and someone holding a drawn sword has right on his side.

What does arguing with your mother, husband or family in a dream mean in Islam?

The collection does not speak of an argument with the mother, the husband or any specific family member. The closest case is wrestling with a fox, which announces an argument with a close relative (vol. 1, p. 380).

Who wins the argument, according to the dream?

The collection gives several signs of victory: sitting in the judge’s seat, holding a drawn sword, entering through a door. When you fight a ram, whichever of you wins is the winner.

What does making peace after an argument mean in a dream?

Seeing yourself on the day of Arafah announces making peace with whoever argued with you. Offering a settlement to a creditor without paying means calling someone who has gone astray back to the right path (vol. 1, p. 99 and vol. 2, p. 309).

What does being insulted in a dream mean in Islam?

According to the collection, someone insulted in a dream suffers a wrong from the one who insults him, then gets the better of him and triumphs over him. Another opinion sees in it a right that the insulter owes him (vol. 1, p. 183).

Sources

Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 14 (vol. 1, p. 99), chapter 23 (vol. 1, p. 183), chapter 30 (vol. 1, pp. 263 and 270), chapter 31 (vol. 1, pp. 276, 285 and 286), chapter 33 (vol. 1, pp. 346 and 358), chapter 34 (vol. 1, p. 380), chapter 39 (vol. 2, p. 95) and chapter 53 (vol. 2, p. 309) (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.