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Thread in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الخيط في المنام
In Islam, dreaming of thread first points to a proof. The Ibn Sirin collection says that thread is clear proof, and bases this on the verse on fasting that speaks of the white thread and the black thread. Sewing with a needle and thread announces that the dreamer’s scattered affairs come together. Knotted threads, for their part, point to sorcery.
والخيط بينةIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Thread is clear proof.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 49, vol. 2, p. 278
The collection explains this meaning through the verse on fasting: “until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]”. In the same passage, the needle and sewing point to what is gathered and mended, because in Arabic thread is also called nisâh, from the same root as sincere advice.
The meaning according to what you saw
The collection speaks of thread mostly in the chapter on household objects, next to the needle and spinning, and says a few words about it elsewhere. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A thread comes out of your mouth | If a thread or a hair comes out of the dreamer’s mouth, his life will be long.vol. 1, p. 185 |
| You pull a thread out of your throat | If the thread does not break and does not come out entirely, the dreamer will have a long dispute with his superior. If he is a merchant, his trade will do well.vol. 1, p. 205 |
| You sew other people’s clothes | The dreamer advises them or works to reconcile them, because in Arabic thread is also called nisâh, from the same root as sincere advice.vol. 2, p. 277 |
| You sew your own clothes | The poor person becomes rich, the one whose affairs are scattered brings them together, the one whose state is bad sees it improve.vol. 2, p. 277 |
| You mend a garment | If the mending is well done, the dreamer repents of backbiting or asks forgiveness for a sin. If not, he excuses himself with lies and repents of a wrong without having obtained the forgiveness of the person he wronged.vol. 2, p. 277 |
| A needle with thread, or a broken needle | Finding a needle with thread, or sewing, announces that the dreamer’s affairs come together and are put in order. If the needle breaks or is chipped, one of his affairs falls apart. Lost or stolen, the affair comes close to falling apart, then comes together.vol. 2, p. 278 |
| You take a thread | The dreamer seeks a proof in a matter that concerns him.vol. 2, pp. 278 and 279 |
| You put a thread around someone’s neck and pull it | The dreamer leads that person towards corruption.vol. 2, p. 279 |
| Knotted threads | Sorcery.vol. 2, p. 279 |
| You twist a thread or wind it | A journey, in every case.vol. 2, p. 279 |
| A tailor, or you sew without knowing how | The tailor is a man who brings people together in good, whose blessing reaches the noble and the humble alike, and who settles scattered affairs. Sewing without knowing how means wanting to gather what is scattered without managing to. Sewing your wife’s garment announces a trial.vol. 1, p. 303 |
| You tie a knot in a thread | The conclusion of a matter: an office, a marriage or a trade. If the knot holds, what you seek becomes easy. If it does not hold, the goal becomes hard to reach.vol. 2, p. 338 |
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
What does seeing thread in a dream mean in Islam?
According to the Ibn Sirin collection, thread is clear proof: the one who takes a thread seeks a proof in a matter that concerns him (vol. 2, pp. 278 and 279). The collection bases this on the verse of the white thread and the black thread.
What does sewing in a dream mean in Islam?
Sewing your own clothes announces that the poor person becomes rich and that scattered affairs come together. Sewing other people’s clothes means advising them or reconciling them. Sewing your wife’s garment, on the other hand, announces a trial (vol. 2, p. 277; vol. 1, p. 303).
What does black or white thread mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection gives no separate meaning according to the colour of the thread. It only quotes the verse on the white thread and the black thread, to say that thread is clear proof.
What does thread coming out of the mouth or throat mean in a dream?
A thread coming out of the mouth announces a long life (vol. 1, p. 185). A thread pulled from the throat without breaking or coming out entirely announces a long dispute with one’s superior, and for a merchant a trade that does well (vol. 1, p. 205).
Is dreaming of needle and thread a good sign in Islam?
Yes, when the needle carries thread or when you sew with it: the dreamer’s affairs come together and are put in order. A broken needle, on the other hand, announces that one of his affairs falls apart (vol. 2, p. 278).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 49, vol. 2, pp. 277 to 279; chapters 23 and 25, vol. 1, pp. 185 and 205; chapter 32, vol. 1, p. 303; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 338 (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.