Gemstones in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin

الجوهر في المنام

In Islam, seeing gemstones in a dream is most often a good sign. The collection attributed to Ibn Sirin says: “A necklace of precious stones points to faith, knowledge and the Qur’an.” Each stone then has its own meaning: ruby, joy; emerald, virtuous relatives and lawful wealth; turquoise, victory. A stone without lustre, on the other hand, is a warning.

والقلادة من جوهر تدل على الإيمان والعلم والقرآنIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “A necklace of precious stones points to faith, knowledge and the Qur’an.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 149

This sentence comes from the chapter on gold, silver, jewellery and precious stones (al-jawhar). There the collection gives its own meaning to the ruby, the emerald, the turquoise and the agate. For pearls, the ring set with a precious stone and the belt adorned with stones, see the pages on pearls, the ring and the belt.

The meaning according to what you saw

Here are the cases the collection describes, in the order of the text.

In your dream	Meaning in the collection
You wear a necklace of gold, pearls and rubies	You are given a post among the affairs of the Muslims, or something is entrusted to you. The stones of the necklace show the worth of this post and how far it reaches.vol. 2, p. 148
Precious stones strung on several threads	The precious stones are the Qur’an, the pearls the sunna, and the other stones wisdom, words of piety and fiqh. A necklace of precious stones points to faith, knowledge and the Qur’an.vol. 2, p. 149
You open a strongbox with a key and take precious stones out of it	You ask a scholar about some questions, because the scholar is a strongbox and the question is its key.vol. 2, p. 154
Ruby, or a ruby signet ring	The ruby is joy and amusement. Sealing with a ruby: religion and a good name.vol. 2, p. 156
You take a ruby stone	If you are expecting a child, a daughter. If you wish to marry, a beautiful and pious woman, according to the verse: “As if they were rubies and coral.”vol. 2, p. 156
You bring up many rubies from the bottom of the sea or of a river	A great deal of money from a ruler. Many rubies are knowledge for the scholar, a post for the governor, trade for the merchant. According to another opinion, the ruby is a friend.vol. 2, p. 156
You look at a precious stone or a pearl without lustre	Beware of choking and distress, because the soul in the body is like light in glass. Or you lose your mind. If the ruby stands for a friend, this friend is hard-hearted.vol. 2, p. 156
A crown of rubies and coral	Honour and strength that come from a beautiful woman.vol. 2, p. 156
Emerald or chrysolite (zabarjad)	Well-mannered brothers and children, pure and lawful wealth, sincere words of knowledge and piety. It is also a friend who is religious, scrupulous and of good family.vol. 2, pp. 156 and 157
Turquoise	A conquest, a victory, things opening up before you and a long life.vol. 2, p. 157
You wear an agate ring	Agate is blessed. You own something blessed and receive a favour that grows.vol. 2, p. 157

Ibn Sirin’s story about the red ruby

وحكي أن رجلا أتى ابن سيرين فقال رأيت في يدي خاتما فصه من ياقوتة حمراء فقال تحبك امرأة جميلة فيها قسوة شديدةA man came and said to Ibn Sirin: “I saw on my hand a ring whose stone was a red ruby.” Ibn Sirin replied: “A beautiful woman will love you, and there is great harshness in her.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 157

This story follows the passage where the collection says that the ruby can stand for a beautiful woman and that, if it stands for a friend, this friend is hard-hearted.

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 gemstones in a dream good or bad in Islam?

Most often it is good. A necklace of precious stones points to faith, knowledge and the Qur’an (vol. 2, p. 149), and turquoise to victory and a long life. The collection mentions one exception: a precious stone without lustre, which warns of choking and distress.

What does finding precious stones in a dream mean in Islam?

The collection does not speak of stones found by chance. It gives two close cases: bringing up many rubies from the bottom of the sea, which announces a great deal of money from a ruler, and taking precious stones out of a strongbox with a key, which means asking a scholar (vol. 2, pp. 154 and 156).

What does a green gemstone mean in a dream?

The collection speaks of emerald and chrysolite: well-mannered brothers and children, lawful wealth and sincere words (vol. 2, pp. 156 and 157). For the stone of a ring, it also says that a green ruby announces a son who is a believer, learned and intelligent (vol. 2, p. 147).

And a blue gemstone?

The collection gives no meaning to a blue stone. It speaks of turquoise without stating its colour: a conquest, a victory and a long life (vol. 2, p. 157).

What does a red ruby mean in a dream in Islam?

The ruby is joy and amusement, and sealing with a ruby, religion and a good name (vol. 2, p. 156). To a man who had seen a ring with a red ruby, Ibn Sirin replied that a beautiful woman would love him, with great harshness in her.

Sources

Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 40, vol. 2, pp. 147 to 157 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.