Bird in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin

الطير في المنام

In Islam, a bird seen in a dream most often stands for a man who travels, because a bird goes from one place to another. The Ibn Sirin collection makes the meaning precise by species: large birds of prey are kings and notables, small birds are children, the dove is a pious woman. A bird on the head, the shoulder or the neck stands for your deeds.

وإن كان طائرا علمت أنه رجل ذو أسفار كحال الطيرIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “If it is a bird, you know that it is a man who travels, as a bird does.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, introduction, vol. 1, p. 24

This sentence comes from the introduction of the collection, which sets a general rule: trees, beasts of prey and birds most often stand for men. You then look at the species of the bird. The vulture (nasr) is a king, the crow a corrupt, treacherous and lying man. Chapter 35, on birds, adds other meanings: an unknown bird can announce the angel of death, and a bird resting on the neck stands for deeds, after the Qur’an. A typo in the Arabic text affects the sentence on small birds (فانهما for فإنها); it does not change the meaning.

The meaning according to what you saw

The Ibn Sirin collection gives birds chapter 35, one of its longest. It begins with general rules, then goes species by species. Here are the general cases and a few species, in the order of the text.

In your dream	Meaning in the collection
A bird catcher	A merchant who uses tricks and deceives people of standing.vol. 1, p. 310
An unknown bird carries off a leaf or a pebble from a house where someone is ill	It stands for the angel of death: the sick person dies.vol. 1, p. 385
A bird lands on you	It can stand for a traveller.vol. 1, p. 385
A bird on your head, your shoulder, your neck or in your arms	Your deeds, after the verse: “And [for] every person We have imposed his fate upon his neck” (Surah 17, verse 13). The Arabic word for “fate” here, ta’ir, also means “bird”: it refers to a person’s deeds.vol. 1, p. 385
A white bird, or a bird of murky colour	White: pure deeds. Murky and mottled: mixed deeds, which are not pure.vol. 1, p. 385
A pregnant woman sees a bird in her home	A male bird announces a boy, a female a girl.vol. 1, p. 386
Large birds, birds of prey	Kings, leaders, influential people, scholars and the rich.vol. 1, p. 386
Carrion birds: crow, vulture, kite	Corrupt people, thieves or people who do harm.vol. 1, p. 386
Small birds: sparrows, larks, nightingales	Young boys.vol. 1, p. 387
You own a flock of birds	Money, dinars and power, especially if you keep them, feed them or talk to them.vol. 1, p. 387
You see a dove	A pious and beloved woman, faithful to her husband. For someone in difficulty or waiting for an absent person, a dove that lands on him is good news, unless he is ill and it lands on his head: it then announces his death.vol. 1, p. 406
A bird dies in your hand, without your having killed it	A worry reaches you.vol. 2, p. 360

Ibn Sirin’s story about the sparrow

رأيت كأني عمدت إلى عصفورة فأردت أن أذبحها فكلمتني وقالت لا تذبحني فقال له استغفر الله فإنك قد أخذت صدقة ولا يحل لك أن تأخذهاIt is reported that a man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw that I took a sparrow to slaughter it. It spoke to me and said: do not slaughter me.” Ibn Sirin said to him: “Ask Allah for forgiveness. You have taken charity that you are not allowed to take.” The man protested. Ibn Sirin went on: “If you like, I will tell you how much: six dirhams.” The man admitted that this was true and asked how he knew. Ibn Sirin replied: “The sparrow has six limbs, and each limb is worth one dirham.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 35, vol. 1, pp. 402 and 403

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 bird in a dream good or bad in Islam?

Often good. A flock of birds that you own announces money and power, the dove a pious woman, and the white bird pure deeds. The collection also cites worrying cases: the unknown bird that carries something off from a sick person’s house, the dove that lands on a sick person’s head, or the bird that dies in your hand.

What does a bird landing on you mean in a dream?

According to the collection, a bird that lands on the dreamer can stand for a traveller. Resting on the head, the shoulder or the neck, it stands for his deeds. A dove that lands on someone waiting for an absent person is good news. But if the dreamer is ill and it lands on his head, it announces his death (vol. 1, pp. 385 and 406).

What does a dead bird mean in a dream in Islam?

The collection speaks of a bird that dies in the dreamer’s hand without his having killed or slaughtered it: it is a worry (vol. 2, p. 360). It does not speak of a bird found dead on the ground.

What does a white, black or colourful bird mean in a dream in Islam?

A white bird stands for pure deeds, a murky and mottled bird for mixed deeds (vol. 1, p. 385). For the dove, white ones are religion, green ones scrupulous piety and black ones people of standing. The collection gives no meaning to a blue or pink bird.

Does the meaning change for a married woman, a single woman or a pregnant woman?

The collection singles out one case only: the pregnant woman. A male bird in her home announces a boy, a female a girl (vol. 1, p. 386). It says nothing particular for the married woman or the single woman.

Sources

Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, introduction, vol. 1, p. 24; chapter 32, vol. 1, p. 310; chapter 35, vol. 1, pp. 385 to 407; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 360 (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.