Pain in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin

الوجع في المنام

In Islam, dreaming of pain most often points to regret, a fault or a loss. The Ibn Sirin collection says that pain is regret over a sin. The precise meaning depends on the part of the body that hurts: the back points to the death of a brother, the heart to bad conduct in religion. One exception: pain in the leg announces a lot of money.

والوجع ندامة من ذنبIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Pain is regret over a sin.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 52, vol. 2, p. 306

This sentence is in the chapter on trials, where the collection places pain alongside despair, fear and loss. The chapter on illnesses then details pain for each part of the body. The principle is the same everywhere: the limb that hurts stands for the person or the matter it represents in interpretation.

The meaning according to where the pain is

Here are the cases the Ibn Sirin collection describes, mostly in the chapter on illnesses and pains. For toothache and headache, see the pages on teeth and on illness.

In your dream	Meaning in the collection
Pain in general	Regret over a sin.vol. 2, p. 306
Unbearable pain in a limb	You hear ugly things from the relative linked to that limb in interpretation.vol. 1, p. 211
Neck pain	The dreamer has behaved badly towards others, to the point that a complaint has come of it. This dream can also show that he betrayed a trust and did not return it, and that a punishment from Allah has struck him.vol. 1, p. 206
Shoulder pain	He does wrong in his work and in what he earns with his hands.vol. 1, p. 206
Chest pain	He spends his money excessively, outside obedience to Allah, and he has been punished for it.vol. 1, p. 209
Colic, or stomach pain	Whoever has colic has been stingy with food towards his children and his family, and punishment has struck him. According to another opinion, stomach pain points to the good health of relatives and of the people of the house.vol. 1, p. 209
Heart pain	Bad conduct in matters of religion.vol. 1, p. 209
Liver pain	A wrong done to the child.vol. 1, p. 209
Spleen pain	He squanders a great fortune that kept him, his family and his children alive, and he comes close to perishing with them. If the pain grows so bad that his life is feared for: the loss of religion.vol. 1, pp. 209-210
Back pain	The death of a brother, because it is said that the death of a brother breaks the back. According to another opinion, it concerns the one a man leans on: a child, a leader or a friend.vol. 1, p. 210
Thigh pain	He wrongs his clan.vol. 1, p. 210
Pain in the leg or foot	A lot of money.vol. 1, p. 210

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 feeling pain in a dream bad in Islam?

Most often, yes. The collection says that pain is regret over a sin (vol. 2, p. 306), and most of the pains it describes point to a fault or a loss. It gives two exceptions: pain in the leg, which announces a lot of money, and another opinion on stomach pain, a sign of good health for relatives.

What does stomach pain in a dream mean in Islam?

The collection says that whoever has colic has been stingy with food towards his children and his family, and that punishment has struck him. It also reports another opinion: stomach pain points to the good health of relatives and of the people of the house (vol. 1, p. 209).

What does back pain in a dream mean in Islam?

Back pain announces the death of a brother, because it is said that the death of a brother breaks the back. According to another opinion, it concerns the one the dreamer leans on: a child, a leader or a friend (vol. 1, p. 210).

What does chest pain in a dream mean in Islam?

The collection says that whoever has chest pain spends his money excessively, outside obedience to Allah, and that he has been punished for it (vol. 1, p. 209).

What about tooth pain or a headache?

The collection speaks of them, but these cases are covered on the pages on teeth and on illness. For toothache, it says that the dreamer hears ugly things from the relative the tooth stands for (vol. 1, p. 205).

Does the collection speak of pain in the arm, the knee or the eyes?

For the arm, the collection says that a forearm that hurts announces sadness, a halt to the work one does with the hands and a lack of servants (vol. 1, p. 159). For the knee, it reports one opinion that, for a sick person, pain in the knee announces his death, and another that sees in it heaviness at work (vol. 1, p. 175). For inflamed eyes, it speaks of turning away from the truth and of corruption in religion, and also reports an opinion that sees in it wealth close at hand (vol. 1, p. 201).

Sources

Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 22, vol. 1, pp. 159 and 175; chapter 25, vol. 1, pp. 201 and 205 to 211; chapter 52, vol. 2, p. 306 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.