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Crying in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
البكاء في المنام
In Islam, crying in a dream is generally a good sign. Ibn Sirin said: “Weeping in a dream is a coolness of the eye”, an Arabic way of saying joy. The collection interprets weeping by its opposite: it announces joy. Everything changes if the weeping comes with cries, screams or wailing: it then announces a misfortune.
البكاء في المنام قرة عينIbn Sirin said: “Weeping in a dream is a coolness of the eye.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 16, vol. 1, p. 106. Reading “قرة عين” from the JK edition; the Shamela edition has “قوة عين”, a misprint.
In Arabic, “the coolness of the eye” (qurrat al-‘ayn) means joy and comfort. The collection also ranks weeping among the symbols that are read by their opposite, like laughter, which announces sadness. The limit is set by the noise: silent tears are a good thing, weeping with cries is not.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection speaks of weeping in several chapters: the introduction, death and funerals, the liquids that come out of the body, and the general rules at the end. Here are its cases.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You cry without a sound | Joy. The collection gives this example to explain interpretation by the opposite.vol. 1, p. 18; vol. 2, p. 342 |
| You cry with cries, screams or moaning | A misfortune and a hardship.vol. 1, p. 19; vol. 2, p. 351 |
| The weeping and wailing come with dancing | It is not a good sign.vol. 1, p. 106 |
| Someone you know dies and you weep for him, lamenting out loud | A misfortune or a serious worry touches this person or his descendants.vol. 1, p. 106 |
| A place where people lament over a dead person | A harmful plan is being prepared in this place, which scatters the companions of the one who lives there.vol. 1, p. 106 |
| People weep without cries behind a governor’s procession | They will receive joy from him. If they lament, tear their clothes and throw dust on their heads, this governor will be unjust.vol. 1, p. 106 |
| A pregnant woman sees herself dead, and people weep for her without cries or wailing | She gives birth to a son who brings her joy.vol. 1, p. 106 |
| People weep behind your own funeral procession | The outcome of your affair will be praiseworthy. If people blame you without weeping for you, it will not be.vol. 1, pp. 108-109 |
| Cold or warm tears | Cold tears are joy, warm tears are grief.vol. 1, p. 182 |
| Tears on the face without crying | Your lineage is attacked, and the rumour spreads at once.vol. 1, p. 182 |
| Tears fill your eyes without flowing | You set aside lawful wealth for a religious cause, without wanting to show it. If they flow down the face, you spend it gladly.vol. 1, p. 182 |
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 crying in a dream a good sign in Islam?
Yes, when the weeping is silent. Ibn Sirin says it is a coolness of the eye (vol. 1, p. 106), and the collection adds that weeping is better than laughing, except when one smiles (vol. 2, p. 348).
What does crying loudly or sobbing in a dream mean?
The collection says that weeping with screams, cries or moaning announces a misfortune and a hardship (vol. 2, p. 351). It is the noise that changes the meaning.
What does crying over the death of a relative in a dream mean in Islam?
If a relative dies in your dream and you weep for him, lamenting out loud, the collection announces a misfortune or a serious worry for him or his descendants (vol. 1, p. 106). When people weep for a dead person without cries, the chapter sees in it, on the contrary, a good thing: a marriage, a birth or a joy (pp. 105 and 106).
What does it mean to have tears in a dream without crying?
Tears that fill the eyes without flowing show lawful wealth kept discreetly for the religion. Tears on the face without crying announce that your lineage is attacked (vol. 1, p. 182).
What does crying blood in a dream mean in Islam?
The Ibn Sirin collection used for this page does not speak of tears of blood. We prefer not to give a meaning that is not found in it.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 16, vol. 1, pp. 105 to 109 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, introduction, vol. 1, pp. 18 and 19; chapter 23, vol. 1, p. 182; chapter 58, vol. 2, pp. 342, 348 and 351.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.