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Lemon in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الأترج في المنام
In Islam, the Ibn Sirin collection reads the lemon through the citron (utrujj), the large fragrant lemon, and a citron seen in a dream is generally a good sign. The collection does not name the ordinary lemon. One citron announces a child, many a good reputation. A green citron that is picked announces a fertile year and good health. A yellow citron announces a fertile year with an illness, and a sour citron a mild illness.
الأترج الواحدة ولد وكثيره ثناء طيبIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The citron: one is a child; many are a good reputation.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 43, vol. 2, p. 213
Right after this, the collection quotes a saying reported from the Prophet ﷺ, which compares the believer who recites the Qur’an to the citron, whose smell and taste are good. The collection generally praises it, and some interpreters are wary of it, because its peel does not resemble its inside. The ordinary lemon (laymûn) is not named in the collection: the meanings given here are those of the citron.
The meaning according to what you saw
The Ibn Sirin collection deals with the citron in chapter 43, on fruit trees and their fruits. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| One citron, or many citrons | A single citron is a child. Many citrons are a good reputation.vol. 2, p. 213 |
| The citron, according to those who dislike it | Some interpreters dislike it and explain it by its meaning: it points to hypocrisy, because its outside does not resemble its inside. The collection already gives this example in its introduction. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 213; vol. 1, p. 16 |
| A sweet citron or a sour citron | According to some, the citron and the bitter orange are both praiseworthy. Sweet, they point to gathered wealth. Sour, a mild illness and a child who causes the dreamer worry and sadness. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 214 |
| A green citron | A fertile year and good health for the dreamer, if he picks it.vol. 2, p. 214 |
| A yellow citron | A fertile year, with an illness.vol. 2, p. 214 |
| You cut a citron in two | According to one opinion, the citron is a noble and wealthy non-Arab woman. Whoever cuts it in two will have from her a daughter and a son who are often ill. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 214 |
| A woman wears a crown of citron branches | She marries a man of good reputation and sound religion. This case and the next two come, in the same passage, right after the opinion about the noble and wealthy woman.vol. 2, p. 214 |
| A woman sees a citron placed on her lap | She gives birth to a blessed son.vol. 2, p. 214 |
| A woman gives a citron to a man | A son is born to him.vol. 2, p. 214 |
| You throw a citron to someone | A request for an alliance through marriage.vol. 2, p. 214 |
| A bitter orange (nâranj) | It is less praised than the citron, and more disliked than it by those who dislike it. Most interpreters dislike it, because its name contains the word “fire” (nâr).vol. 2, p. 214 |
| You find or eat citrons | The citron resembles the believer in its taste, its smell, the nobility of its tree and its substance, and its yellow colour does not harm it. One, two or three citrons are children. Many are good, lawful wealth with a good name. Green is better than yellow. A single citron may also be power. Eating it sweet is gathered wealth; sour, a mild illness.vol. 2, p. 215 |
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 lemon in a dream good in Islam?
The Ibn Sirin collection speaks of the citron, the large fragrant lemon, and it mostly considers it favourable: a child, a good reputation, a fertile year (vol. 2, pp. 213 to 215). It also quotes those who see hypocrisy in it, and the meaning of a mild illness when it is sour.
What does a yellow lemon mean in a dream in Islam?
The yellow citron announces a fertile year, with an illness (vol. 2, p. 214). Another passage says that its yellow colour does not harm it, but that green is better than yellow (p. 215).
What does a green lemon mean in a dream in Islam?
The green citron announces a fertile year and good health for the dreamer, if he picks it (vol. 2, p. 214). The collection adds that the green citron is better than the yellow one.
What does eating a lemon in a dream mean in Islam?
Eating a sweet citron means obtaining gathered wealth. If it is sour, it is a mild illness (vol. 2, p. 215). According to another opinion, the sour citron also announces a child who causes worry (p. 214).
Does the Ibn Sirin collection speak of the lemon?
Not under that name. It does not mention the ordinary lemon (laymûn). It mentions the citron (utrujj), a close and larger citrus fruit. It also mentions the bitter orange, which most interpreters dislike because of its name.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 43, vol. 2, pp. 213 to 215, and introduction, vol. 1, p. 16 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.