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Rope in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الحبل في المنام
In Islam, a rope seen in a dream stands for a bond and a commitment. The Ibn Sirin collection says that the rope is a means, and that if it comes from the sky, it is the Qur’an and the religion, the rope of Allah to which we must hold. Around the neck, it is a pact or a debt. Twisted, it announces a journey.
الحبل سبب من الأسباب فإن كان من السماء فهو القرآن والدين وحبل الله المتين الذي أمرنا أن نعتصم به جميعاIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “The rope is one means among others. If it comes from the sky, it is the Qur’an, the religion and the firm rope of Allah, to which we have been commanded to hold firmly all together.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 49, vol. 2, p. 280
This sentence is by al-Qayrawani, an interpreter quoted in the collection. It refers to the verse: “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together” (Surah Al Imran, 3:103). The collection speaks of the rope in the chapter on household objects, spinning and ropes, and in several other places.
The rope linking the earth to the sky in the hadith
A man told the Prophet ﷺ about a dream. Abu Bakr asked to interpret it, and the Prophet ﷺ allowed him. Here is the part of the dream about the rope, and what Abu Bakr said of it:
وإذا سبب واصل من الأرض إلى السماء، فأراك أخذت به فعلوت، ثم أخذ به رجل آخر فعلا به، ثم أخذ به رجل آخر فعلا به ثم أخذ به رجل آخر فانقطع ثم وصل … وأما السبب الواصل من السماء إلى الأرض فالحق الذي أنت عليه تأخذ به فيعليك الله، ثم يأخذ به رجل من بعدك فيعلو به، ثم يأخذ رجل آخر فيعلو به، ثم يأخذه رجل آخر فينقطع به ثم يوصل له فيعلو به“And behold, there was a rope extending from the earth to the sky, and I saw that you (the Prophet) held it and went up, and then another man held it and went up and (after that) another (third) held it and went up, and then after another (fourth) man held it, but it broke and then got connected again.” … Abu Bakr said: “The rope which is extended from the sky to the earth is the Truth which you (the Prophet) are following. You follow it and Allah will raise you high with it, and then another man will follow it and will rise up with it and another person will follow it and then another man will follow it but it will break and then it will be connected for him and he will rise up with it.”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7046, narrated by Ibn Abbas
At the end, the Prophet ﷺ told Abu Bakr: “You are right in some of it and wrong in some.” Abu Bakr insisted, swearing by Allah, to know where his mistake was, and the Prophet ﷺ replied: “Do not swear.”
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases the collection describes. Most come from al-Qayrawani’s passage in chapter 49, the others from different chapters.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A rope comes down from the sky and you take hold of it | Whoever holds on to it establishes the truth, in a position of authority or in knowledge. If he is raised up by it, he dies upon this truth.vol. 2, p. 280 |
| The rope breaks or slips from your hand | If it breaks and nothing of it is left, or if it slips away from you, you leave the state you were in. If a piece of it stays in your hand, your authority goes but your commitment, your sincerity and your right remain. If it is tied together again and stays so, you regain your authority. If you are raised up after it has been tied together again, you are betrayed and you die upon the truth.vol. 2, p. 280 |
| A rope around your neck, on your shoulder, on your back or around your waist | A commitment you take upon yourself: a marriage, a contract, a vow, a debt, a partnership or a trust.vol. 2, p. 280 |
| A rope tied to a stick | A corrupt pact, a bad deed and sorcery, after the verse: “So they threw their ropes and their staffs.”vol. 2, p. 280 |
| You twist, measure or wind a rope | You travel. Twisting a rope can also point to concluding business, a partnership or a marriage.vol. 2, p. 280 |
| You hang from a rope between the sky and the earth | You gain authority in proportion to your height above the ground. If the rope breaks, this authority leaves you.vol. 2, p. 348 |
| You take a rope from a man you know | A commitment.vol. 1, p. 130 |
| You are bound with a rope | Firmness in religion, after the verse: “Hold firmly to the rope of Allah.”vol. 1, p. 294 |
| You tie a knot in a rope | A sound religion.vol. 2, p. 338 |
| You draw water with a pulley for your ablutions | You ask for help from a believer who holds to the religion of Allah, because the rope is the religion. If you complete your ablutions, you are freed from every worry, every sadness and every debt.vol. 2, p. 179 |
| You climb down from a roof with a rope | You are scrupulous in all your affairs, to the point of giving up what you ask for out of piety.vol. 2, p. 333 |
| You swing on a rope swing | Your belief is corrupt: you are playing with your religion.vol. 2, p. 287 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the rope and the jar
الحبل ميثاق والجرة امرأة والماء فتنة والركية مكرIbn Sirin was asked about a man who had tied a rope to a jar and lowered it into a well. When the jar was full, the rope came undone and the jar fell. Ibn Sirin said: “The rope is a pact, the jar is a woman, the water is a trial and the well is a trick. This is a man whose friend sent him to ask for a woman’s hand on his behalf; he tricked him and married her himself.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 41, vol. 2, p. 178
In this story, each element of the dream receives a meaning, and the rope is a pact.
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 rope in a dream good or bad in Islam?
It is often good. When it comes from the sky, the rope is the Qur’an and the religion, and whoever holds on to it establishes the truth (vol. 2, p. 280). But a rope tied to a stick is a corrupt pact and sorcery, and a rope swing is a corrupt belief.
What does a rope around the neck mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection says that a rope around the neck, on the shoulder, on the back or around the waist is a commitment: a marriage, a contract, a vow, a debt, a partnership or a trust (vol. 2, p. 280).
What does climbing a rope up to the sky mean in a dream?
In the hadith reported by al-Bukhari (7046), Abu Bakr interpreted the rope linking the earth to the sky as the truth, by which Allah raises up whoever holds it. The Prophet ﷺ told him he was right in some of it. The collection also says that whoever hangs from a rope between the sky and the earth gains authority in proportion to his height.
Is a rope breaking in a dream bad?
It is a loss. If the rope breaks or slips from the hand, the dreamer leaves the state he was in. If he keeps a piece of it, his authority goes but his commitment and his right remain. If it is tied together again, he regains his place (vol. 2, pp. 280 and 348).
What does the collection say about a skipping rope or a washing line?
The collection speaks of neither a skipping rope nor a washing line. No meaning for these two dreams should therefore be attributed to Ibn Sirin. The closest case it describes is the rope swing, a sign of corrupt belief.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin: chapter 49, vol. 2, pp. 280 and 287; chapter 58, vol. 2, pp. 333, 338 and 348; chapter 41, vol. 2, pp. 178 and 179; chapter 21, vol. 1, p. 130; chapter 31, vol. 1, p. 294 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Interpretation of Dreams, no. 7046 (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan).
- The Qur’an, Surah Al Imran (3), verse 103 (Sahih International translation).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.