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Grass in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
العشب في المنام
In Islam, grass in a dream mostly points to the goods of this world. The collection attributed to Ibn Sirin says: “Grass is the livelihood of animals and herds. It is like the wealth of this world, from which each person receives what his Lord has allotted him.” Sweet grass points to what is lawful, sour or bitter grass to the unlawful and to worries.
والحشيش معايش للدواب والأنعام وهو كأموال الدنيا التي ينال منها كل إنسان ما قسم له ربهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Grass is the livelihood of animals and herds. It is like the wealth of this world, from which each person receives what his Lord has allotted him.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 44, vol. 2, p. 236
This sentence comes from the passage on the meadow, in the chapter on grains, crops and plants. The collection explains that grass feeds the animals, which then give milk, butter, wool and hair: it is therefore like the money that keeps people alive. For the green garden (rawda), which has another meaning, see the page on the garden.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases the collection describes. Most of them come from the passage on the meadow.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A meadow, with its grass and its flowers | This world, its finery, its wealth and its ornaments. The meadow can also stand for any place where one earns a living, such as the public treasury or the market.vol. 2, p. 236 |
| Grass and pasture | In another passage, the collection says: grass and pasture are religion.vol. 2, p. 227 |
| Sweet grass, or sour grass | What is sweet in the mouths of camels points to the lawful. What is sour points to the unlawful, and to everything obtained with worry, toil and bitterness.vol. 2, p. 236 |
| A plant used as a remedy | Sciences, wisdom and exhortations. It can also point to pure and lawful wealth. If it tastes sour, it is obtained with worry, dispute and fatigue.vol. 2, p. 236 |
| A poisonous plant | The unlawful taken by force, this world bought at the price of religion, the doors of usury, innovations and whims.vol. 2, pp. 236 and 237 |
| Bitter herbs, such as chicory or coriander | Worries, sorrows and unlawful money.vol. 2, p. 237 |
| You are in a meadow, you gather or eat grass | The poor man becomes rich, the rich man becomes richer. The ascetic returns to this world and lets himself be seduced by it. Moving from one meadow to another means travelling in search of the goods of this world, changing market or trade.vol. 2, pp. 237 and 238 |
| Vegetables and pot herbs (buqûl), in general | Opinions differ. For some, they are good. For others, they are all disliked, according to the verse: “Would you exchange what is better for what is less?” For others still, they are trade, a post, a child or wealth that do not last. If they point to sorrow, this sorrow does not last either.vol. 2, p. 241 |
| Dried vegetables and pot herbs (baql) | Wealth that is used to put one’s finances in order. The collection states that most interpreters see vegetables and pot herbs as a worry and a sorrow.vol. 2, p. 245 |
| Grass grows on your body | Good and a favour, as long as it does not cover the hearing, the sight, the tongue or a limb: otherwise, the dreamer perishes. Elsewhere, the collection says: wealth, but if it grows where it does harm, it is disliked, and for a sick person it announces his death.vol. 2, pp. 348 and 353 |
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 grass in a dream good or bad in Islam?
It depends on the grass. The meadow stands for the goods of this world, and sweet grass points to the lawful (vol. 2, p. 236). But sour grass points to the unlawful, bitter herbs to worries and unlawful money, and the poisonous plant to usury and innovations.
What does green grass mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection gives no meaning to the green colour of grass on its own. It speaks of the meadow, which stands for this world and its wealth. Whoever gathers or eats grass there becomes rich, except the ascetic, who returns to this world (vol. 2, pp. 237 and 238).
What does dry grass mean in a dream?
The collection does not speak of dry grass in the sense of meadow grass. It only says that dried vegetables and pot herbs (baql) are wealth used to put one’s finances in order (vol. 2, p. 245), and that most interpreters see vegetables and pot herbs as a worry and a sorrow.
What does cutting grass or mowing the lawn mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection speaks neither of cut grass nor of mowing. It speaks of gathering or eating the grass of a meadow, and of the taste of grass: sweet, sour or bitter.
What does eating grass mean in a dream?
In a meadow, eating or gathering grass makes the poor man rich and the rich man richer. For the ascetic, it is a return to this world and a seduction (vol. 2, pp. 237 and 238). Seeing bitter herbs, such as chicory or coriander, announces on the contrary worries, sorrows and unlawful money (vol. 2, p. 237).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 43 (vol. 2, p. 227), chapter 44 (vol. 2, pp. 236 to 245) and chapter 58 (vol. 2, pp. 348 and 353) (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.