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River in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
النهر في المنام
In Islam, a river seen in a dream stands for a powerful man or an authority. The collection attributed to Ibn Sirin says that drinking from a river brings good from a man whose rank matches that of the river. Crossing it is getting past a worry or a fear. A river that dries up announces the end of a power, and a river that carries you away announces a loss.
والنهر الكبير الغالب رجل منيع ذو سلطان ودخوله بلده دخول السلطان اليها وصفاء الماء عدل السلطانIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The great, overpowering river is a mighty man who holds authority. Its entering a town is the ruler’s entering it, and the clearness of the water is the justice of the ruler.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 41, vol. 2, p. 171
The collection deals with rivers together with the sea, wells and waters. The rule is the same for all of them: the river is a man, and its importance among rivers shows his rank among men. The Tigris, the Euphrates and the Nile each receive a meaning of their own.
The rivers in the dream of the Prophet ﷺ
According to Samura ibn Jundab, the Prophet ﷺ told one morning that two persons had come to him in the night and taken him with them. Among what he saw were two rivers:
فأتينا على نهر حسبت أنه كان يقول أحمر مثل الدم، وإذا في النهر رجل سابح يسبح، وإذا على شط النهر رجل قد جمع عنده حجارة كثيرة، وإذا ذلك السابح يسبح ما يسبح، ثم يأتي ذلك الذي قد جمع عنده الحجارة فيفغر له فاه فيلقمه حجرا … وإذا نهر معترض يجري كأن ماءه المحض في البياض، فذهبوا فوقعوا فيه، ثم رجعوا إلينا قد ذهب ذلك السوء عنهم، فصاروا في أحسن صورة … وأما الرجل الذي أتيت عليه يسبح في النهر ويلقم الحجر، فإنه آكل الربا … وأما القوم الذين كانوا شطر منهم حسنا وشطر منهم قبيحا، فإنهم قوم خلطوا عملا صالحا وآخر سيئا، تجاوز الله عنهم“And so we proceeded and came across a river.” I think he said, “… red like blood.” The Prophet ﷺ added, “And behold, in the river there was a man swimming, and on the bank there was a man who had collected many stones. Behold, while the other man was swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter (on the bank) threw a stone into his mouth … Behold, there was a river flowing across (the city), and its water was like milk in whiteness. Those men went and threw themselves in it and then returned to us after the ugliness (of their bodies) had disappeared and they became in the best shape. … And the man whom you saw swimming in the river and given a stone to swallow, is the eater of usury (Riba). … The men you saw half handsome and half ugly were those persons who had mixed an act that was good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave them.”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7047, narrated by Samura ibn Jundab
These people, “half handsome and half ugly”, are the ones whom the two companions had sent to throw themselves into the white river. This hadith tells a dream of the Prophet ﷺ, explained within the hadith itself. It does not give a rule for interpreting the rivers in our own dreams.
The meaning according to what you saw
These cases come from the chapter on the sea, rivers and waters, with two passages from the chapter on thirst and the chapter on Paradise. Here is what the collection describes.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You draw water from a river and drink | Good that comes to you from an important man, in proportion to that river.vol. 2, p. 171 |
| You go into a river and its silt or mud reaches you | A worry that comes to you from a man whose rank among men is that of this river among rivers.vol. 2, p. 171 |
| You cross a river to the other bank | You get past a worry, a fright or a fear, and you come out of it safe and sound.vol. 2, p. 167 |
| You jump from the river onto the bank | You are saved from the harm of a ruler and you overcome your enemies. The collection quotes the verse about Talut (Saul): “Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him”.vol. 2, p. 172 |
| You walk on the water of a river | A sound religion and a firm faith. According to other opinions, you reach certainty about a matter you doubted, or you set out on a risky journey, putting your trust in Allah.vol. 2, p. 170 |
| A river dries up | The end of a power linked to that river. If the water comes back, the power comes back.vol. 2, p. 170 |
| The river carries you away, or carries away your animals or your goods | Harm and loss.vol. 2, p. 172 |
| You make a river of clear water flow to your house | Ease and wealth. According to another opinion, for a rich man: an illness that strikes him, and a benefit for the people of his house.vol. 2, p. 172-173 |
| You drink from the Tigris, the Euphrates or the Nile | The Tigris: the vizierate if you are worthy of it, and the vizier’s wealth. The Euphrates: blessing, profit and a favour. If the Euphrates dries up: the caliph dies or loses his wealth. The Nile: gold, in proportion to what you drank.vol. 2, p. 172 |
| You are thirsty, you want to drink from a river and you do not drink | Thirst, in interpretation, is a defect in religion. But wanting to drink from a river without drinking is coming out of grief, according to the story of Talut (Saul): “Allah will be testing you with a river”. According to another opinion, you do not obtain what you seek.vol. 2, p. 302 |
| You drink from al-Kawthar | Command, and victory over the enemy. The collection quotes Surah al-Kawthar.vol. 1, p. 126 |
| A great river enters a town | A ruler enters that town. If the water is clear, it is the justice of that ruler.vol. 2, p. 171 |
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 river in a dream good in Islam?
It depends on what you do. Drinking from a river, crossing it or making clear water flow to your house are good signs. But a river that carries you away announces a loss, and its mud announces a worry coming from a powerful man.
What does a clear, flowing river mean in a dream in Islam?
Making a river of clear water flow to your house announces ease and wealth (vol. 2, p. 172). The clearness of the water of a great river is the justice of the ruler.
What does crossing a river in a dream mean in Islam?
According to the collection, crossing a sea or a river to the other bank is getting past a worry, a fright or a fear, and coming out of it safe and sound. Jumping from the river onto the bank announces safety from a ruler and victory over one’s enemies.
Is a muddy river or a river that carries you away bad in a dream?
Yes. Going into a river and being reached by its mud is a worry coming from a powerful man. A river that carries you away, or carries away your animals or your goods, announces harm and loss (vol. 2, pp. 171 and 172).
What does seeing a dry river in a dream mean in Islam?
The collection says that any sea, river or valley that dries up announces the end of a power linked to it. If the water comes back, the power comes back (vol. 2, p. 170). For the Euphrates drying up, it speaks of the death of the caliph or the loss of his wealth.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 41, vol. 2, pp. 167 to 173; chapter 51, vol. 2, p. 302; chapter 19, vol. 1, p. 126 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Interpretation of Dreams, no. 7047 (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.