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Mirror in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
المرآة في المنام
In Islam, a mirror seen in a dream points, according to the Ibn Sirin collection, to what resembles you: a spouse, a child, a successor. According to one opinion, the unmarried man who looks into it marries, and the pregnant woman will have a daughter who looks like her. The mirror can also be the heart, and its rust sin. For a ruler, looking into it announces his removal from office.
وقد تدل مرآته على قلبه فما رأى عليها من صدأ كان ذلك إثما وغشاوة قلبهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The dreamer’s mirror can point to his heart. The rust he sees on it is a sin and a veil over his heart.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 49, vol. 2, p. 282
The collection starts from a simple idea: in a mirror, one sees a face like one’s own. So the mirror often announces someone who resembles you or who takes your place: a child, a new spouse, a successor. The passage opens with a sentence that is damaged in the Arabic edition, which we do not translate. What follows is clear and gives the cases below.
The meaning according to what you saw
The passage on the mirror is in the chapter on the furniture and objects of the house, over two pages. Two other chapters mention it briefly. Here are the cases it describes.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| An unmarried man looks at himself in a mirror | He marries. If his wife is away, he is reunited with her. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 283 |
| You look at yourself in a mirror and a baby is expected | A child who looks like you. According to one opinion, the pregnant woman gives birth to a daughter who looks like her, or her daughter gives birth to a girl; if neither is the case, her husband marries another woman who resembles her. The man whose wife is pregnant has a son who looks like him. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, pp. 282 and 283 |
| A child looks at himself in a mirror while his parents are expecting a baby | He will have a brother who looks like him. A girl will have a sister. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 283 |
| A husband and wife and the mirror | It can announce their separation, to the point that another face than one’s own is seen in the house.vol. 2, p. 282 |
| A traveller looks at himself in a mirror | His departure: he will see his face in another land.vol. 2, p. 282 |
| Rust on the mirror | The mirror is the heart: the rust is a sin and a veil over the heart.vol. 2, p. 282 |
| A ruler looks at himself in a mirror | He is removed from office and sees someone like him take his place, unless he is expecting a child: he will then have a boy.vol. 2, p. 282; vol. 1, p. 266 |
| The size of the mirror and the face seen in it | The mirror is a man’s dignity and rank, according to its size. If the face looks handsome in it, his dignity improves. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 282 |
| You see in the mirror your beard black, with a handsome face | If this is not how you really look, people honour you and your standing in this world improves. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 282 |
| You look at yourself in a silver mirror | The dreamer’s standing falls.vol. 2, pp. 282 and 283 |
| A polished mirror, a rusty mirror, or you polish a mirror | A polished mirror clears away worries, a rusty mirror announces a bad state. Polishing a mirror: you are in a worry and seeking a way out. If the rust prevents you, you find no way out. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 283 |
| You see your face in clear water, as in a mirror | Great good. If your face looks handsome in it, you do good to the people of your house.vol. 2, p. 164 |
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 mirror in a dream good or bad in Islam?
It depends on what one sees in it. The Ibn Sirin collection often sees in it a marriage, a child who looks like the dreamer or, according to one opinion, a handsome face that announces greater dignity. But rust on the mirror is a sin, and for a ruler, looking into a mirror announces his removal from office.
What does a broken mirror mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection does not speak of a broken or shattered mirror. It speaks of a rusty mirror, a sign of sin or of a bad state, and of a mirror one cannot manage to polish, a sign of a worry with no way out. The meanings given to a broken mirror do not come from this text.
What does seeing yourself in a mirror in a dream mean in Islam?
For the unmarried man, it is a marriage, according to an opinion the collection quotes. For the traveller, a departure. For someone expecting a child, a child who looks like him. For a ruler, the loss of his post. According to one opinion, if the face looks handsome in it, the dreamer’s dignity improves.
Is the meaning different for a married woman, a single woman or a pregnant woman?
Here the collection really does distinguish, according to an opinion it reports. The pregnant woman who looks into a mirror gives birth to a daughter who looks like her, or her daughter gives birth to a girl (vol. 2, p. 283). If neither happens, her husband marries another woman who resembles her. According to the same opinion, the unmarried man marries.
What about cleaning a mirror, or putting on make-up in front of it?
Polishing a mirror means being in a worry and seeking a way out. If the rust prevents you from polishing it, you find no way out. The collection also speaks of someone who looks into it to tidy his face or put on kohl, but that sentence is damaged in the Arabic edition: we do not translate it.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 49, vol. 2, pp. 282 and 283 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 30 (vol. 1, p. 266) and chapter 41 (vol. 2, p. 164).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.