Home › Dream dictionary › Seeds
Seeds in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
البذر في المنام
In Islam, dreaming of seeds sown in the earth announces first of all a child. This is what the Ibn Sirin collection says, adding: if the seed takes, the dreamer gains honour; if not, a worry strikes him. Seeds that one keeps or eats have other meanings according to their kind: sesame is money that grows, lentils and broad beans, cooked or not, a worry.
بذر البذر في الأرض يدل في التأويل على الولدIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Sowing seeds in the earth stands, in interpretation, for a child.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 44, vol. 2, p. 227
This is the sentence that opens the chapter on grains, crops and plants. The collection comes back to it further on: every seed cast into the earth is a child, linked to the kind of seed. Seeds used as remedies have a meaning of their own, linked to books of piety.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases the Ibn Sirin collection describes for seeds, in the chapter on grains and crops. For the cultivated field and the harvest, see the page on the field.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You sow seeds in the earth | A child.vol. 2, p. 227 |
| The sown seed takes, or does not take | If it takes, he gains honour. If it does not take, a worry strikes him.vol. 2, p. 227 |
| You sow in season | He does a good deed. The governor gains power, the merchant a profit, the man of the market a living, the ascetic scrupulous piety. If what he sowed grows, his deed is accepted. If he harvests it, he has received his reward.vol. 2, p. 229 |
| Any kind of seed cast into the earth | A child, linked to the kind of that seed.vol. 2, p. 246 |
| Seeds used as remedies | Deep books, in which one finds renunciation of the world and scrupulous piety.vol. 2, p. 246 |
| Sesame | Money that grows and keeps increasing, because of its oil. Dry sesame is stronger than fresh.vol. 2, p. 231 |
| Sorghum or millet | A lot of money, but of little use and without renown.vol. 2, p. 231 |
| Broad beans, lentils, chickpeas or similar seeds | Cooked or roasted, fresh or dry, these seeds, like mung beans and those that resemble them, are a worry and a sadness for whoever eats or obtains them. In large quantity, they are money. According to another opinion, green broad beans are a worry and dry ones money with joy. According to yet another opinion, lentils are money of no value.vol. 2, p. 231 |
| You eat mustard | Mustard is a poison: whoever eats it is given poison or something bitter to drink, or falls into a bad worry. According to another opinion, he obtains on the contrary noble money, with hardship.vol. 2, p. 233 |
| Cumin or caraway | Money that makes other wealth good.vol. 2, p. 241 |
| You eat dry or cooked grains of wheat | Something unpleasant happens to him. If his belly, his skin or his mouth is filled with these grains, it is the end of his life. If not, what remains to be filled shows what remains of his life.vol. 2, p. 229 |
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 seeds in a dream good or bad in Islam?
For sown seeds, most often good: the collection sees in them a child, and honour if the seed takes (vol. 2, p. 227). For seeds that one eats, it depends on the kind: sesame and cumin are money; broad beans, lentils and chickpeas, cooked or roasted, fresh or dry, are a worry; mustard is a poison.
What does planting seeds in a dream mean in Islam?
Sowing seeds in the earth stands for a child. Sowing in season is a good deed, which brings each person something according to his state: power to the governor, profit to the merchant, piety to the ascetic (vol. 2, pp. 227 and 229).
What does a seed sprouting in a dream mean?
The collection says that if the sown seed takes, the dreamer gains honour, and that if it does not take, a worry strikes him. If what was sown in season grows, the dreamer’s deed is accepted (vol. 2, pp. 227 and 229).
What do sesame seeds mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection says that sesame is money that grows and keeps increasing, because of its oil, and that dry sesame is stronger than fresh (vol. 2, p. 231).
Does the collection speak of peanut, sunflower or pomegranate seeds?
No. The collection does not speak of peanut, sunflower or pomegranate seeds, nor of black seeds. For date stones, it says they are an intention to travel (vol. 2, p. 368). It names sesame, sorghum, millet, broad beans, lentils, chickpeas, mustard, cumin and caraway.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 44, vol. 2, pp. 227 to 246 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.