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Killing Someone in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
القتل في المنام
In Islam, dreaming of killing someone announces, according to the Ibn Sirin collection, that the dreamer will commit something grave. Another opinion sees in it, on the contrary, relief from distress, based on a verse about Moses (peace be upon him). Being killed in a dream announces a long life. The meaning changes if you slaughter, if you know the killer or if you kill yourself.
فمن رأى أنه قتل إنسانا فإنه يرتكب أمرا عظيماIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Whoever sees that he has killed a human being will commit something grave.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 31, vol. 1, p. 288
The collection deals with killing in the chapter on war, weapons and putting to death. It immediately quotes another opinion, based on the verse addressed to Moses (peace be upon him): “And you killed someone, but We saved you from retaliation” (Qur’an 20:40). The Arabic word rendered here as “retaliation”, ghamm, literally means distress, hence this reading. For killing a snake or a lion in a dream, see the pages on those animals.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases described in the Ibn Sirin collection, in the order of the passage on killing and putting to death.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You kill someone | You will commit something grave. According to another opinion, you will be relieved of a distress.vol. 1, p. 288 |
| You kill yourself | The collection sees in it good and sincere repentance, according to the verse: “So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves” (Qur’an 2:54).vol. 1, p. 288 |
| You are killed | Your life will be long.vol. 1, p. 288 |
| You kill someone without slaughtering him | The person killed receives some good.vol. 1, p. 288 |
| You slaughter someone | You wrong him in his religion and push him into disobedience.vol. 1, p. 288 |
| You are killed and you know your killer | Good, wealth and authority, which may come from the killer himself. If you do not know him, the collection sees a man who denies: either disbelief in religion, or ingratitude for blessings.vol. 1, pp. 288 and 289 |
| You see a slaughtered person without knowing who did it | A man who has brought an innovation into the religion, or who has taken on a false testimony or a judgement.vol. 1, p. 289 |
| Your head is cut off while you are in difficulty | The sick person recovers, the debtor pays his debt, the one who has never made the pilgrimage makes it, the one who is afraid or suffering finds relief.vol. 1, p. 290 |
| Your head is cut off while all is well | The well-being you enjoy comes to an end, your authority disappears and your situation changes in every way.vol. 1, p. 291 |
| A king or a governor cuts off your head | Here the governor stands for Allah, who saves you from your worries and helps you in your affairs.vol. 1, p. 291 |
| You flee from death or from being killed | Your appointed time is near. According to another opinion, fleeing from an enemy means finding safety and reaching what you want.vol. 1, p. 294 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about a woman who had killed her husband
فقال لها إنك حملت زوجك على إثم فاتقي الله عز وجل قالت صدقتA woman came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw that I had killed my husband.” He replied: “You have pushed your husband into committing a sin. Fear Allah.” She said: “You have spoken the truth.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 31, vol. 1, p. 290
Here Ibn Sirin reads killing as a wrong done to the other person’s religion, as in the case of someone who slaughters another. After “my husband”, the Arabic text has two unclear words, which we do not translate.
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 dreaming of killing someone bad in Islam?
The collection first sees in it something grave that the dreamer will commit. It also quotes another, more favourable opinion, for which it is relief from distress. The meaning therefore depends on the dreamer’s state and on the details of the dream.
What does being killed in a dream mean in Islam?
According to the collection, whoever sees himself killed will have a long life (vol. 1, p. 288). If he knows his killer, he obtains good, wealth and authority. If he does not know him, the collection sees in it denial: disbelief or ingratitude for blessings.
What does killing yourself in a dream mean?
The collection sees in it good and sincere repentance, based on verse 54 of Surat al-Baqarah.
Does the collection speak of killing by accident, in self-defence or with a knife?
No. The collection does not distinguish accident, self-defence or the weapon used. It only distinguishes killing, slaughtering and cutting off the head. For a slaughtered person seen in a dream without knowing who did it, it speaks of innovation or false testimony.
Does the meaning change for a married woman, a single woman or a pregnant woman?
The collection makes no such distinction for killing. It singles out the sick person, the debtor and the one who lives in fear, for whom having the head cut off is a relief. The only case specific to a woman is the story of the woman who had killed her husband in a dream.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 31, vol. 1, pp. 288 to 291 and 294 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Qur’an, Surah 2, verse 54, and Surah 20, verse 40, quoted by the collection (English: Sahih International).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.