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Ring in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الخاتم في المنام
In Islam, a ring in a dream points to what you own and what you have power over: authority, a house, a wife or a child. Receiving or buying a ring announces authority or property, for someone worthy of it. The Ibn Sirin collection specifies that these meanings apply to a silver ring. A gold ring has no good in it, and for a man it is a humiliation.
وأما الخاتم فدال على ما يملكه ويقدر عليهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “As for the ring, it points to what a person owns and what he has power over.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 144
The collection explains this meaning by two reasons: the kingdom of Sulayman (Solomon, peace be upon him) lay in his ring, and kings seal their letters with a ring. The ring can therefore mean authority, but also a house one lives in, whose stone is the door, or a wife.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection deals with the ring in the chapter on gold, silver and jewellery. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You are given a ring, you buy one or receive one as a gift | The dreamer obtains authority or a possession, if he is worthy of it.vol. 2, p. 144 |
| You receive a ring from Allah, from the Prophet ﷺ or from a scholar | For the ascetic who worships Allah, receiving a ring from Allah can be safety from evil at the end of his life. Receiving it from the Prophet ﷺ or from a scholar announces that he gains knowledge. The collection specifies: all this applies when the ring is silver.vol. 2, p. 144 |
| A gold ring | There is no good in it. For a man, it is a humiliation. Further on, the collection calls it an innovation and disliked in religion.vol. 2, pp. 144 to 146 |
| An iron ring | The collection first groups it with gold: there is no good in it, “because it is the adornment of the people of the Fire” (the printed text reads “new”, probably a misprint for “iron”). According to another opinion, a good obtained after effort. Further on, the collection sees in it a brave ruler, or a shrewd merchant, but without renown.vol. 2, pp. 144 to 146 |
| You find a ring | A good that comes to you from non-Arabs, the birth of a child, or a marriage.vol. 2, p. 145 |
| The stone of your ring moves or falls out | If it moves, the dreamer’s authority is close to being taken from him. If it falls out, a child of the dreamer dies or he loses part of his wealth.vol. 2, pp. 145 and 146 |
| Your ring is taken off | For a governor, his dismissal, the loss of his power or divorce from his wife. For a woman, the death of her husband or of the person closest to her.vol. 2, p. 146 |
| A ring that is too tight | Rest and relief.vol. 2, p. 146 |
| You borrow a ring | The dreamer will own something that will not last.vol. 2, p. 146 |
| A ring with a precious stone | Authority together with rank, splendour, great wealth, renown and honour. If the stone is a mere glass bead, a weak and despised authority.vol. 2, p. 147 |
| A woman receives a ring | She marries or she gives birth.vol. 2, p. 147 |
| You sell your ring | Separation from the wife. Sold for dirhams, flour or sesame, the separation happens with generosity or for a sum of money.vol. 2, pp. 147 and 148 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the broken ring
رأيت كأن خاتمي انكسر فقال إن صدقت رؤياك طلقت امرأتك فلم يلبث إلا ثلاثة أيام حتى طلقهاA man came to Ibn Sirin and said: “I saw in a dream that my ring broke.” He replied: “If your dream is true, you will divorce your wife.” Three days later, the man divorced her.
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 40, vol. 2, p. 147
Here Ibn Sirin takes the ring to mean the wife, one of the meanings the collection gives it. He also sets a condition: “if your dream is true”.
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 ring in a dream good or bad in Islam?
Often good, when the ring is silver. The Ibn Sirin collection says the ring points to what you own, and that receiving or buying it announces authority or a possession for someone worthy of it. The gold ring, the iron ring (in its first meaning), the ring taken off and the ring sold have negative meanings.
What does a gold ring mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection says there is no good in a gold ring and that, for a man, it is a humiliation (vol. 2, pp. 144 and 145). It adds that it is an innovation and disliked in religion.
What does a broken ring mean in a dream in Islam?
A man told Ibn Sirin that his ring broke. He answered: “If your dream is true, you will divorce your wife”, and the divorce took place three days later (vol. 2, p. 147).
What does receiving a ring in a dream mean?
Someone who is given a ring, or receives one as a gift, obtains authority or a possession, if worthy of it. For a woman, receiving a ring announces a marriage or a birth (vol. 2, pp. 144 and 147).
Does the collection speak of an engagement ring, a wedding ring or a lost ring?
No. The collection speaks of neither an engagement ring, nor a wedding ring, nor a lost ring. The closest cases are the woman who receives a ring, who marries or gives birth, and the ring taken off, a sign of separation or loss.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 40, vol. 2, pp. 144 to 148 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.