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Mud in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الوحل في المنام
In Islam, dreaming of mud is not a good sign. The Ibn Sirin collection says there is no good in any kind of mud. For a sick person, the illness lasts. For others, it is a trial, a misfortune, a worry, or even prison or the hand of the authorities. Whoever gets free of it, or whose clothes and body are spared, is kept safe.
وغير المريض إذا مشى فيه أو وحل فيه دخل في فتنة وبلاء وغم أو سجن ويد سلطانIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Someone who is not sick, if he walks in it or gets stuck in it, enters a trial, a misfortune and a worry, or prison and the hand of the ruler.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 38, vol. 2, p. 54
The collection deals with mud in chapter 38, with rain, floods and the rainbow. Under this word it includes silt and soaked earth. The more the mud sticks, and the deeper, blacker or fouler it is, the heavier the meaning. Working with clay, on the other hand, receives a good meaning in another chapter (vol. 1, p. 297).
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases the collection describes for mud and clay, starting with the main passage of chapter 38.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A sick person sees mud | His illness lasts, unless he sees himself getting out of it: getting out is his recovery.vol. 2, p. 54 |
| You walk in mud or get stuck in it | You enter a trial, a misfortune and a worry, or prison and the hand of the authorities.vol. 2, p. 54 |
| You get free of the mud, or your clothes and body are spared | You are kept safe from sin in your religion and from loss in this world. Otherwise, harm reaches you in proportion to what the mud touched.vol. 2, p. 54 |
| Sticky, deep, black or foul-smelling mud | The more it sticks or the deeper the bottom, the harder the trial. The worse the smell and the blacker the colour, the more it shows wrongdoing, many sins and bad intentions.vol. 2, pp. 54-55 |
| You knead clay and make bricks from it | There is no good in it: grief and a dispute, until the bricks dry or turn back into dust. They then become money obtained after effort, worry, dispute and trial.vol. 2, p. 55 |
| You enter a room sprinkled with water | A worry coming from a woman, in proportion to the wetness and the mud, then it goes away and things are set right.vol. 2, p. 86 |
| You go into the sea or a river, and the mud at the bottom reaches you | In the sea: a worry coming from the greatest king or the ruler of that place. In a river: a worry coming from a man whose rank is like that of the river.vol. 2, pp. 167 and 171 |
| Falling from a roof, you land in mud | You abandon a matter of your religion or of this world.vol. 2, p. 333 |
| You are covered with clay or plaster until you disappear under it | You die.vol. 2, p. 360 |
| You dye your hair or beard with clay or plaster | You seek something impossible, and your affair becomes public.vol. 1, p. 155 |
| You work with clay | You do a good deed. The collection adds that the clay worker is a man who covers people’s faults.vol. 1, p. 297 |
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 mud in a dream bad in Islam?
Yes, in most cases. The collection says there is no good in any mud, whether silt or soaked earth (vol. 2, p. 54). Two cases are exceptions: getting free of it, or keeping your clothes and body spared, and working with clay, which is a good deed (vol. 1, p. 297).
What does walking in mud in a dream mean in Islam?
For someone who is not sick, walking in mud or getting stuck in it announces a trial, a misfortune, a worry, or even prison or the hand of the authorities. For a sick person, it is an illness that lasts (vol. 2, p. 54).
What does falling into mud in a dream mean?
The collection speaks of someone who falls from a roof and lands in mud: he abandons a matter of his religion or of this world (vol. 2, p. 333). For other falls, see the page on falling in a dream.
What does getting out of mud in a dream mean?
It is the good case. A sick person who gets out of it recovers. Whoever gets free of it, or whose clothes and body are spared, is kept safe from sin in his religion and from loss in this world (vol. 2, p. 54).
What about mud on your shoes or in the house?
The collection does not speak of mud stuck to shoes. It only says that a boot that protects from animals, mud or thorns is then a protection for whoever wears it (vol. 2, p. 383). Entering a room sprinkled with water announces a passing worry coming from a woman (p. 86).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 38, vol. 2, pp. 54 and 55; chapters 39, 41 and 58, vol. 2, pp. 86 to 383; chapters 22 and 32, vol. 1, pp. 155 and 297 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.