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Dog in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الكلب في المنام
In Islam, a dog seen in a dream most often points to a man of little worth. The Ibn Sirin collection reports several opinions: a slave or a servant, an insolent man who slanders when he barks, a weak enemy. Being bitten announces harm from him. The puppy is the exception: it stands for a beloved child.
الكلب قد اختلف في تأويله فمنهم من قال هو عبد وقيل هو رجل طاغ سفيه مشنع إذا نبحIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The dog: there is disagreement about its interpretation. Some say it is a slave. According to another opinion, it is an insolent and foolish man, who slanders when he barks.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 34, vol. 1, p. 377
The dog appears in the chapter on wild animals and beasts of prey. The collection also links it to the guard, to the man of innovation (bid’a) and to the unjust enemy. An opinion reported in the same passage goes further: dogs announce harm, misery and illness, except the dog kept for play.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases described in the Ibn Sirin collection, in the order of the passage on the dog, with two mentions taken from other chapters.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A dog bites you | Harm from him, in proportion to the bite and its pain. If you keep company with a man of innovation, he leads you astray. If you have an enemy, he insults you or gets the better of you. If you have a servant or a guard, he betrays you.vol. 1, p. 377 |
| A dog tears your clothes | A base man attacks your honour.vol. 1, p. 377 |
| A female dog | A base woman, from bad people.vol. 1, p. 377 |
| You eat dog meat | You overcome an enemy and take some of his wealth.vol. 1, p. 377 |
| You drink the milk of a female dog | Fear. The chapter on liquids speaks of intense fear.vol. 1, pp. 178 and 377 |
| You rest your head on a dog to sleep | The dog is then a friend you rely on to defend you.vol. 1, p. 377 |
| A puppy | A beloved child. A black puppy announces that the child will have authority over his family, a white puppy announces his faith.vol. 1, pp. 377 and 378 |
| A sheepdog | Wealth you receive from a leader.vol. 1, p. 378 |
| A trained dog | It helps its master against his enemies, but it is a base man, without honour.vol. 1, p. 378 |
| A dog kept for play | A life of pleasure and joy. For this opinion, it is the only exception to the negative meaning of dogs. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 378 |
| You turn into a dog | Allah gives you great knowledge and then takes it away from you, according to the verse: “And recite to them, [O Muhammad], the news of him to whom we gave [knowledge of] Our signs, but he detached himself from them” (Surah 7, verse 175).vol. 1, p. 379 |
| A dog barks | Regret after an injustice.vol. 1, p. 196 |
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 dog in a dream a bad sign in Islam?
Most often, yes: the Ibn Sirin collection sees in the dog a base or foolish man, or a weak enemy. There are exceptions: the puppy stands for a beloved child, the sheepdog for wealth received from a leader, and the dog you rest your head on for a friend.
What does a dog attacking or biting you in a dream mean in Islam?
The bite announces harm from the person the dog stands for, in proportion to the pain (vol. 1, p. 377). Depending on your situation, it is a man of innovation who leads you astray, an enemy who insults you, or a servant who betrays you.
What does a black, white or brown dog mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection gives a meaning to colours for the puppy only: black, authority over his family; white, faith. For the grown dog, our edition has a very short sentence on the black dog whose reading is uncertain, and we do not translate it. Brown is not mentioned.
What does a puppy mean in a dream in Islam?
The puppy stands for a beloved child (vol. 1, p. 377). The collection also cites another, less favourable opinion, but the first meaning is that of the child.
What does a friendly dog or a dead dog mean in a dream?
The collection does not speak of a dead dog. For a friendly dog, the closest case is the dog you rest your head on to sleep: it stands for a friend you rely on (vol. 1, p. 377).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 34, vol. 1, pp. 377 to 379 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 23 (vol. 1, p. 178) and chapter 24 (vol. 1, p. 196).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.