Home › Dream dictionary › Prayer
Praying in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الصلاة في المنام
In Islam, praying in a dream is a good sign. The Ibn Sirin collection sets this rule: prayer seen in a dream “is praiseworthy for religion and for this world”. It announces a position obtained, a debt settled, a trust returned or a duty fulfilled. The meaning becomes more precise with the prayer, the time, the direction and the way of praying.
الأصل في رؤيا الصلاة أنها محمودة دينا ودنياIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The principle, for prayer seen in a dream, is that it is praiseworthy for religion and for this world.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 10, vol. 1, p. 85
The collection then separates three kinds of prayer. The obligatory prayer also announces the pilgrimage and staying away from indecency, according to the verse “Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing”. The sunnah prayer points to purity, patience and a good reputation. The voluntary prayer points to nobility of character and the end of worries.
A dream that led to the night prayer
Abdullah ibn Umar, still young and unmarried, used to sleep in the mosque. He saw in a dream two angels taking him away. Another angel met them and said to him: “Don’t be afraid.” They took him towards the Fire, then took him to the right side. His sister Hafsa told this dream to the Prophet ﷺ, who replied:
إن عبد الله رجل صالح لو كان يكثر الصلاة من الليل“‘Abdullah is a righteous man if he only prays more at night.”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7031, narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar
Al-Zuhri, who narrates the hadith, adds that after that, Abdullah used to pray more at night.
The meaning according to what you saw
Chapter 10 of the collection is entirely about prayer and its pillars. Here are its main cases, completed by two sentences from the chapters on the mosque and on death.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You pray Dhuhr | On a clear day, you act as a go-between in a matter that gives you prestige. On a cloudy day, you carry worries.vol. 1, p. 86 |
| You pray sitting without an excuse, or lying on your side | Sitting without an excuse: your deed is not accepted. On your side: an illness.vol. 1, p. 86 |
| You have missed an obligatory prayer and cannot find where to make it up | You do not obtain what you are seeking.vol. 1, pp. 86-87 |
| You pray in congregation, in straight rows | These people glorify Allah a great deal.vol. 1, p. 87 |
| You prostrate | Victory, repentance from a sin, a good obtained, a long life and safety from dangers.vol. 1, p. 87 |
| You end the prayer with the final salam | You come out of your worries. The salam to the right only: part of your affairs is set right. To the left only: part of them is troubled.vol. 1, p. 87 |
| You pray towards the Kaaba, or in another direction | Towards the Kaaba: an upright religion. Towards the west: a bad path and boldness in sins. Towards the east: innovation. With your back to the qibla: you throw Islam behind you by committing major sins.vol. 1, pp. 87-88 |
| You cannot find the direction of prayer | You are lost in your affair.vol. 1, p. 88 |
| You lead people in prayer | If you are worthy of it, an honourable position and the obedience of others. A complete prayer towards the qibla: you are just in this position.vol. 1, p. 88 |
| You pray the Friday prayer on a Friday | Your scattered affairs come together and ease comes after hardship. According to another opinion, you believe in a good that is not one.vol. 1, p. 90 |
| You pray in the mihrab | Good news. For a woman, the birth of a son.vol. 1, p. 92 |
| You perform the funeral prayer over a dead person | Many supplications and requests for forgiveness for him. Behind the imam, you attend a gathering where people pray for the dead.vol. 1, p. 109 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about prayer
وأما الساجد فهي الصلاة إليها منتهى الأمةA man came and told Ibn Sirin that he had seen three strangers. One was raised to the sky, the second stayed hanging between the sky and the earth, the third fell face to the ground, prostrating. Ibn Sirin replied: “The one who was raised is trust, taken away from among the people. The one who stayed hanging is trust that breaks. As for the one prostrating, it is prayer: it is where the community comes to its end.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 38, vol. 2, p. 16
Here Ibn Sirin reads prayer as the last thing left to the believers, after trust is lost.
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 praying in a dream a good sign in Islam?
Yes. The collection sets as a principle that prayer seen in a dream is praiseworthy for religion and for this world (vol. 1, p. 85). It announces a debt settled, a trust returned or a duty fulfilled.
What does praying in congregation in a dream mean?
Praying in congregation, in straight rows, points according to the collection to people who glorify Allah a great deal (vol. 1, p. 87). Leading the prayer yourself announces an honourable position, if the dreamer is worthy of it.
Is praying in the wrong direction in a dream bad in Islam?
The collection reads the direction as the state of religion: towards the Kaaba, an upright religion; towards the west or the east, sins or innovation; not finding the qibla, being lost in one’s affair (vol. 1, pp. 87 and 88). It gives one exception: praying away from the qibla in white clothes, reciting the Qur’an correctly, announces the pilgrimage.
What does a badly performed or interrupted prayer in a dream mean?
Praying sitting without an excuse points to a deed that is not accepted (vol. 1, p. 86). If one of the two prayers of Dhuhr and Asr is cut short, the dreamer settles half of a debt or of a dowry. For the one who leads the prayer, an interrupted prayer announces the end of his authority (p. 89).
What does the funeral prayer in a dream mean in Islam?
Performing the funeral prayer over a dead person points to many supplications and requests for forgiveness for him (vol. 1, p. 109). Praying behind the imam in this prayer announces a gathering where people call on Allah for the dead.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 10 (prayer and its pillars), vol. 1, pp. 85 to 90 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Same collection, chapter 11 (the mosque), vol. 1, p. 92; chapter 16, vol. 1, p. 109; chapter 38, vol. 2, p. 16.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Interpretation of Dreams, no. 7031 (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.