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Money in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
المال في المنام
In Islam, money in a dream has more than one meaning. The Ibn Sirin collection speaks of the coins of its time. Good silver dirhams stand for religion, knowledge, a need fulfilled or prayer. Receiving many dirhams announces great good, with joy. Counterfeit coins, on the other hand, stand for deceit and lying.
الدراهم الجياد دين وعلم وقضاء حاجة أو صلاةIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Good dirhams are religion, knowledge, a need fulfilled or a prayer.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 138
The collection explains this religious meaning by what was engraved on the dirhams: “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”. Gold dinars have another meaning, because gold is disliked in interpretation. It is reported that Ibn Sirin used to say: “Dinars are letters that arrive, or written documents that one receives.” The metal silver itself is “wealth gathered”. The collection does not speak of banknotes, which did not exist in its time.
The meaning according to what you saw
The Ibn Sirin collection deals with money in chapter 40, on gold, silver and jewellery. It separates silver dirhams, gold dinars and small copper coins.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You find or receive many dirhams | Much good, with joy and happiness.vol. 2, p. 138 |
| You take money, or you give it | Taking dirhams is better than giving them, because giving is a worry.vol. 2, p. 139 |
| Ten dirhams become five | Your wealth decreases. If five dirhams become ten, your wealth doubles.vol. 2, p. 139 |
| You are handed dirhams in a purse or a bag | A secret is entrusted to you.vol. 2, p. 139 |
| Counterfeit or debased coins | Deceit, lying, betrayal in the way one earns a living, and boldness towards major sins.vol. 2, p. 139 |
| You lose a dinar | The death of a child, or an obligatory prayer neglected.vol. 2, p. 137 |
| You lose a good dirham | You advise an ignorant person who does not listen to you.vol. 2, p. 138 |
| You bring loads of dinars home | Wealth that comes to you, based on the verse: “And those [clouds] carrying a load [of water]” (51:2).vol. 2, p. 137 |
| A single dinar | A child with a handsome face. The collection also says that a single dirham can be a child.vol. 2, pp. 137 and 139 |
| Small copper coins | Left uncovered, an evil word and uproar. Stored in a container, a need fulfilled.vol. 2, p. 159 |
| You count dirhams bearing the name of Allah | You glorify Allah. If they are dinars bearing His name, you learn a knowledge.vol. 2, p. 338 |
| You find a treasure | Much money, knowledge for the scholar, profit for the merchant. According to some, finding a treasure full of money announces a trial.vol. 2, p. 141 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the two dinars
رأيت كأن في كمي دينارين فسقطا فكنت أطلبهما فقال أنظر قد فقدت من كتبك شيئاA man came and said to Ibn Sirin: “I saw two dinars in my sleeve. They fell, and I was looking for them.” Ibn Sirin said to him: “Look, you have lost some of your writings.” The man checked: he had lost two written documents.
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 139
Right after this, the collection reports two other consultations. To a man who had found a Persian dirham, Ibn Sirin announced a good thing, which he received before the evening. To another, who had found an Arab dirham, he announced blows, and the man received a hundred lashes. Ibn Sirin explained: the Persian dirham bears a king and a crown, the Arab dirham bears the inscription “this dirham was struck” (vol. 2, pp. 139 and 140).
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 money in a dream good in Islam?
Often yes, if the coins are good. The Ibn Sirin collection sees in good dirhams religion, knowledge or prayer, and in many dirhams received a great good (vol. 2, p. 138). It also quotes another opinion, for which dirhams in a dream are a sign of evil.
What does finding money in a dream mean in Islam?
Finding or receiving many dirhams announces great good, with joy. The collection adds that some people later find, while awake, the coins seen in the dream, in the same form or the same number (vol. 2, pp. 138, 385 and 386).
What does the collection say about dreaming of banknotes?
Nothing, because banknotes did not exist in its time. The collection only speaks of coins: silver dirhams, gold dinars and small copper coins. Applying these meanings to today’s notes would be a personal interpretation, which the collection does not make.
Is losing money in a dream bad in Islam?
The collection says that losing a dinar announces the death of a child, or an obligatory prayer neglected (vol. 2, p. 137). Losing a good dirham means that you advise an ignorant person who does not listen. Seeing ten dirhams become five announces a fall in wealth.
What is the difference between giving and receiving money in a dream?
According to the collection, taking dirhams is better than giving them, because giving is a worry (vol. 2, p. 139). Receiving dirhams in a purse announces that a secret is entrusted to you.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 40, vol. 2, pp. 137 to 141 and p. 159 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 58, vol. 2, pp. 338, 385 and 386.
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.