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Book in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الكتاب في المنام
In Islam, a book seen in a dream generally announces strength. The Ibn Sirin collection says: “The book is strength”, based on the verse addressed to Yahya. An open book is good known to all, a closed book hidden good. The collection also gives unfavourable meanings: books folded in the hand, or a book received in the left hand.
والكتاب قوة فمن رأى بيده كتابا نال قوةIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The book is strength: whoever sees a book in his hand obtains strength.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 45, vol. 2, p. 250
The collection bases this meaning on the verse addressed to Yahya (John, peace be upon him): “O John, take the Scripture with determination” (Surah 19, verse 12). The Arabic word translated as “determination” is quwwa, strength. The passage is in the chapter on the pen, ink, paper and writing. The exact meaning depends on the state of the book, the hand that holds it and what the dreamer does. For the Qur’an seen in a dream, the collection has a separate chapter, covered on the page about the Qur’an.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases that the Ibn Sirin collection describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| An open book, or a closed and sealed book | Open: good known to all. Sealed: hidden good.vol. 2, p. 250 |
| A book in the hand of a boy, a girl or a woman | In a boy’s hand: good news. In a girl’s hand: good, with good news and relief. In a woman’s hand: waiting for a happy matter.vol. 2, p. 250 |
| Books folded in your hand | The dreamer will die soon, according to the verse: “The Day when We will fold the heaven like the folding of a [written] sheet for the records.”vol. 2, p. 250 |
| The imam hands you an open document | Authority, happiness and a blessing, if the dreamer can bear them. Otherwise, servitude is feared for him.vol. 2, p. 250 |
| You send a sealed letter and it is sent back to you | For a leader against whom an army is marching: that army will be defeated. For a merchant: a loss. For a man asking for a woman’s hand in marriage: she is not given to him.vol. 2, pp. 250 and 251 |
| You hold your book in your right hand | Good. In a dispute or in doubt, clarity comes. In hardship, relief. Those in difficulty, the worried and the absent see their affairs made easy and return home happy. Taking the book in the right hand is good in everything.vol. 2, p. 251 |
| Your book is handed to you in your left hand | You will regret something you have done.vol. 2, p. 251 |
| You take a book from someone with your right hand | The dreamer takes what is most precious to him.vol. 2, p. 251 |
| You look at a sheet without reading it | An inheritance that reaches you.vol. 2, p. 251 |
| You tear up a book | According to a quoted opinion, worries go away, trials are lifted and good arrives. Further on, the collection says it without reservation: tearing up the book means the departure of sadness and grief.vol. 2, pp. 251 and 255 |
| You receive a sealed letter | The dreamer submits to a king. The collection recalls that Bilqis submitted to Sulayman (Solomon, peace be upon him) after receiving a sealed letter from him.vol. 2, p. 251 |
| You read a book | Reading the front of a sheet: an inheritance. The back: debts pile up. Reading a book with ease: a position of responsibility if the dreamer is worthy of it, or trade if he is a merchant, in proportion to his ease. Reading your own book: you repent to Allah of your sins.vol. 2, p. 252 |
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 book in a dream good in Islam?
Most often, yes: the collection says that the book is strength (vol. 2, p. 250). It also gives unfavourable meanings: books folded in the hand announce a death that is near, a book received in the left hand announces regret, and reading the back of a sheet announces debts.
What does reading a book in a dream mean in Islam?
Reading a book with ease announces a position of responsibility for whoever is worthy of it, or trade for a merchant. Reading your own book announces repentance. Reading the front of a sheet announces an inheritance, and the back debts (vol. 2, p. 252).
What does receiving a book in a dream mean in Islam?
It depends on who gives it and on the hand that receives it. An open document handed over by the imam announces authority if the dreamer can bear it; otherwise, servitude is feared for him. A sealed letter received announces that he submits to a king. Taking a book with the right hand is good, and receiving it in the left hand is regret.
What is the difference between an open and a closed book in a dream?
The collection says that an open book is good known to all, and a sealed book hidden good (vol. 2, p. 250). It also says that books folded in the hand announce that the dreamer will die soon.
Is seeing the Qur’an in a dream the same as seeing a book?
No. The collection gives the Qur’an a separate chapter, with its own interpretations. They are gathered on the page about the Qur’an seen in a dream.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 45, vol. 2, pp. 250 to 255 (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.