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Fingers in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الأصابع في المنام
In Islam, fingers seen in a dream point first to close family: the Ibn Sirin collection links them to the children of one’s brother, and according to another opinion the fingers of the right hand are the five prayers. Harm to the fingers announces a trial affecting the children. For someone with no child, it signals neglected prayers. The precise meaning depends on the finger affected.
والآفة في الأصابع دليل على محنة الولد فإن لم يكن له ولد فهو دليل على إضاعة الصلواتIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Harm to the fingers points to a trial affecting the children. If the dreamer has no child, it points to neglected prayers.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 25, vol. 1, p. 208
This sentence brings together the two main meanings of the fingers in the collection. In the chapter on the limbs of the body, the hand is a brother and the fingers are the brother’s children. According to another opinion, the fingers of the right hand are the five prayers: the thumb for Fajr (dawn), the index finger for Dhuhr (midday), the middle finger for Asr (afternoon), the ring finger for Maghrib (sunset) and the little finger for Isha (night). The collection then applies these two keys to each case.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection speaks of the fingers in the chapter on the limbs of the body, then in the chapter on illnesses and infirmities. Here are the cases it describes.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You see your fingers | Your brother’s children, since the hand stands for the brother. The fingers of the left hand stand for the children of the brother and of the sister.vol. 1, pp. 160 and 161 |
| The fingers of the right hand, short or long | According to another opinion, they are the five prayers. Short fingers show laziness in prayer, long fingers constancy. Losing a finger announces giving up the prayer that matches it. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 160 |
| One finger is in the place of another | You perform one prayer at the time of another.vol. 1, p. 160 |
| You interlace your fingers without doing anything with your hands | Financial hardship, because of the worries of your household and of your brothers’ children. If they are all threatened by the same matter, they stay united and support one another.vol. 1, p. 160; vol. 2, p. 358 |
| You crack your fingers | Ugly words between your relatives.vol. 1, p. 160 |
| You bite someone’s fingertips | The person bitten lacks good manners, and the one who bites insists on correcting him.vol. 1, p. 160 |
| Fingers dyed with henna | For a man, much glorification of Allah (tasbih). For a woman, her husband’s kindness towards her. If the henna does not take, the husband does not show his love.vol. 1, p. 161 |
| A finger withers | The thumb: the death of the father. The index finger: the death of a sister. The middle finger: that of a brother. The ring finger: a trial affecting a daughter. The little finger: a trial affecting the mother and the family.vol. 1, pp. 207 and 208 |
| A cut finger | According to the opinions reported: the little finger cut off, an undutiful child; the ring finger, the birth of a child; the middle finger, the death of the scholar or the judge of the town. Cutting off someone’s finger means striking him in his wealth. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 208 |
| You lose your fingers, or you chew them | According to another opinion, losing one’s fingers means losing one’s servants. Chewing them: the loss of one’s wealth. Fingers that curl up show that one keeps away from what is forbidden. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, pp. 208 and 209 |
| A wound on the thumb of the right hand | A debt weighs on the dreamer.vol. 1, p. 287 |
| A lamp shines at the tips of your fingers | An obscure matter becomes clear to you, with clear proof.vol. 2, p. 194 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the thumb
وقد سئل ابن سيرين عن رجل رأى على إبهامه سراجا فقال هذا رجل يعمى ويقوده بعض ولدهIbn Sirin was asked about a man who had seen a lamp on his thumb. He replied: “This man will go blind, and one of his children will lead him.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 42, vol. 2, pp. 189 and 190
Light shining at the fingertips is therefore read in two ways: in general, a matter that becomes clear; here, placed on the thumb, the loss of sight and the need for a guide among one’s children.
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
What does a cut finger mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection treats each finger separately. A little finger cut off announces an undutiful child, the ring finger the birth of a child, the middle finger the death of the scholar or the judge of the town (vol. 1, p. 208). These are opinions reported with “it has been said”. Cutting off someone’s finger means striking him in his wealth.
Is an injured or bleeding finger in a dream bad in Islam?
The collection sees harm to the fingers as a trial affecting the children, or as neglected prayers if one has no child (vol. 1, p. 208). For a wounded right thumb, it speaks of a debt weighing on the dreamer (vol. 1, p. 287).
Do the fingers really stand for the five prayers?
It is one opinion reported in the collection: the thumb for Fajr, the index finger for Dhuhr, the middle finger for Asr, the ring finger for Maghrib, the little finger for Isha. Long fingers show constancy, short fingers laziness, and a lost finger a prayer given up.
Does the meaning change for a married, single or pregnant woman?
The collection gives no meaning specific to a married, single or pregnant woman for the fingers. It only distinguishes men and women for henna: for a man, the glorification of Allah; for a woman, her husband’s kindness.
Does the collection speak of extra fingers, such as six fingers, or of a ring on the finger?
Extra fingers are only interpreted for the imam or the ruler: his greed and his injustice increase (vol. 1, p. 160). For a ring on the finger, see our page on the ring. Honey flowing from the fingers is covered on our page on honey.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 22, vol. 1, pp. 160 and 161, and chapter 25, vol. 1, pp. 207 to 209 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 31, vol. 1, p. 287; chapter 42, vol. 2, pp. 189 to 194; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 358.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.