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Stars in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
النجوم في المنام
In Islam, stars seen in a dream stand first of all for people: the large stars are the nobles, the small ones the common people, and the guiding stars are the Companions, the scholars and the jurists. The Ibn Sirin collection then separates the cases: falling stars announce deaths, and bright stars in the house announce joy.
وأما النجوم فإنها تدل على عالم الناسIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “As for the stars, they point to the world of people.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 38, vol. 2, p. 35
The Qur’an tells of the dream of Yusuf (peace be upon him): “O my father, indeed I have seen [in a dream] eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me” (Surah Yusuf, verse 4). The collection explains that the stars were his brothers, the moon his father and the sun his mother. In its chapter on the stars, the collection says that they point to people: men or women, nobles or common people.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection deals with the stars in the chapter on the sky, the sun, the moon and the heavenly bodies. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| Stars in general | Masculine stars are men, feminine stars are women. The large ones are the nobles, the small ones the common people, children or slaves. The guiding stars are the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, the scholars and the jurists.vol. 2, p. 35 |
| Stars fall on the earth or into the sea | If they fall, burn in fire or are picked up by birds: deaths or killings among the people, in greater or smaller number.vol. 2, p. 36 |
| Stars fall on you or on your head | If you are ill, death. If you have debts payable in instalments, they fall due and you are asked for what you owe.vol. 2, p. 37 |
| A star falls on someone waiting for an absent person, or on a pregnant woman | The absent person comes back. The pregnant woman gives birth to a noble boy who will be spoken of, unless the star is a feminine one: then it will be a girl. This dream can also announce the death of the pregnant woman, if another sign in the dream points to it.vol. 2, p. 37 |
| Stars in broad daylight | Scandals and a bad reputation, great events, misfortunes and ruin, according to the extent of the dream and the number of stars.vol. 2, p. 37 |
| Stars gathered in your house | If they have light and brightness: joy, and noble people gather at your home. Without light: a misfortune that brings the nobles together.vol. 2, p. 38 |
| You guide yourself by the stars | You follow the way of the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions, and you are on the truth.vol. 2, p. 38 |
| You become a star | Honour and a rise in rank.vol. 2, p. 38 |
| You take a star | A noble and great son. If you stretch your hand to the sky and take the stars: power and honour.vol. 2, p. 38 |
| The stars disappear from the sky | The rich person loses his wealth, the poor person dies. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 38 |
| You eat stars | You live off people and take their wealth. If you suck them, you learn knowledge from the scholars.vol. 2, p. 39 |
| The stars scatter and fall from the sky | The death of kings, or a war in which a troop of soldiers perishes.vol. 2, p. 40 |
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 stars in a dream good or bad in Islam?
It depends on their state. Bright stars gathered in the house announce joy, and guiding yourself by the stars shows that you follow the way of the Prophet ﷺ. But stars that fall or appear in broad daylight announce deaths, scandals or misfortunes.
What do shooting stars or falling stars mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection mentions the shooting star (shihab) only once: seeing it chase a devil shows that the dreamer’s religion is sound (vol. 1, p. 128). It speaks mostly of falling stars. On the earth or into the sea, they are deaths or killings among the people. Scattered and falling from the sky, they are the death of kings or a war (vol. 2, pp. 36 and 40).
What does a sky full of shining stars mean in a dream?
The collection says that stars that gather and shine announce good coming from a journey, and the traveller returns to his family happy (vol. 2, p. 38). Bright stars in the house announce joy.
What does taking or touching a star in a dream mean?
Taking a star announces a noble and great son. Stretching your hand to the sky and taking the stars announces power and honour. Becoming a star yourself is honour and a rise in rank.
What do the eleven stars in the dream of Yusuf stand for?
According to the collection, the eleven stars were the brothers of Yusuf (peace be upon him), the moon his father and the sun his mother (vol. 1, pp. 36 and 37). The Qur’an tells this dream in Surah Yusuf.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 38, vol. 2, pp. 35 to 40; chapter 20, vol. 1, p. 128; introduction of the collection, vol. 1, pp. 36 and 37, for the dream of Yusuf (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- The Qur’an, Surah Yusuf, verse 4 (Sahih International translation).
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.