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Lion in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الأسد في المنام
In Islam, a lion seen in a dream first stands for a powerful and tyrannical ruler. The Ibn Sirin collection also sees in it an enemy who holds power, a thief or a man of war, and sometimes death or a trial. Running from a lion that does not chase you announces safety. A lion cub stands for a child.
الأسد سلطان قاهر جبار لعظم خطره وشدة جسارته وفظاعة خلقته وقوة غضبهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The lion is a domineering and tyrannical ruler, because of the danger it poses, its great boldness, its frightening appearance and the force of its anger.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 34, vol. 1, p. 368
The lion comes in the chapter on wild animals and beasts of prey. The collection adds that it can announce death or a trial, because whoever looks at it turns pale, his heart races and he may faint. The same chapter states that the leopard is read like the lion.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases described in the Ibn Sirin collection, in the order of the passage on the lion.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A lion enters a house | If someone in it is ill, he dies. Otherwise, a trial coming from a ruler strikes the house.vol. 1, p. 368 |
| A lion enters the town | Plague, a trial, or a ruler, a tyrant or an enemy who attacks the people of the town.vol. 1, pp. 368 and 369 |
| A lion enters the mosque and climbs the minbar | A ruler who is unjust to the people and brings them trials and fear.vol. 1, p. 369 |
| You ride a lion | You take on a great and risky affair. If the lion is docile, you gain the upper hand over an unjust ruler. If you are afraid of it, a trial reaches you.vol. 1, pp. 369 and 370 |
| You fight a lion | You face an enemy or a ruler.vol. 1, p. 369 |
| A lion is near you without touching you | A fright caused by a ruler, without harm.vol. 1, p. 369 |
| You run from a lion that does not chase you | You escape what you feared.vol. 1, p. 369 |
| You eat lion meat | Wealth coming from a ruler, and victory over your enemy.vol. 1, p. 369 |
| A lion knocks you down | Fever takes hold of you, because the lion, the text says, is a feverish animal.vol. 1, p. 370 |
| A lion cub | A child.vol. 1, p. 370 |
| You kill a lion | You are freed from all your sorrows. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 370 |
| A lion roars | Fear coming from an unjust ruler.vol. 1, p. 195 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the lion cub
رأيت كأن في يدي جرو أسد وأنا أحتضنهA man came to Muhammad ibn Sirin and said: “I saw that I was holding a lion cub and hugging it.” Seeing how poor the man looked, Ibn Sirin did not think such a dream concerned him. He asked him: “What have you to do with the children of emirs?” Then he said: “Perhaps your wife is nursing the child of an emir.” The man replied: “Yes, by Allah.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 34, vol. 1, pp. 370 and 371
Another man told him that he had taken a lion cub and brought it into his house. Ibn Sirin replied: “You will side with a king.” The same dream thus receives a different meaning according to the dreamer’s situation.
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 lion in a dream good or bad in Islam?
The lion mostly announces a powerful ruler or an enemy who holds power. The meaning depends on what happens: running from a lion that does not chase you, eating its meat or seeing it without being touched are good cases, while a lion entering a house announces a trial.
What does a lion in the house mean in a dream in Islam?
According to the collection, if someone in the house is ill, he dies. Otherwise, a trial coming from a ruler strikes the house (vol. 1, p. 368).
What does a lion attacking you in a dream mean in Islam?
Being knocked down by a lion announces fever (vol. 1, p. 370). Fighting a lion means facing an enemy or a ruler. If you kill it, another opinion cited in the collection sees in it release from all your sorrows.
What does a lion cub mean in a dream?
A lion cub stands for a child (vol. 1, p. 370). Ibn Sirin’s story shows that it can also be the child of a powerful man, nursed by the dreamer’s wife.
Does the collection speak of a white lion, a black lion or a dead lion?
No. The Ibn Sirin collection gives no meaning to the colour of the lion and does not speak of a dead lion. The closest case is a lion that you kill, cited as another opinion.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 34, vol. 1, pp. 368 to 371 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 24, vol. 1, p. 195, for the roar.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.