Home › Dream dictionary › Walking
Walking in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
المشي في المنام
In Islam, walking with a steady step in a dream is a good sign. The Ibn Sirin collection says that whoever sees himself walking straight is seeking the laws of Islam and receives good. The meaning changes with the way and the place: walking barefoot, backwards, on water or in mud does not announce the same thing.
ومن رأى كأنه يمشي مستويا فإنه يطلب شرائع الإسلام ويرزق خيراIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Whoever sees that he is walking with a straight step is seeking the laws of Islam and receives good.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 55, vol. 2, p. 323
The collection deals with walking in the chapter on travel, jumping and running. There it explains walking by its manner: straight, hurried or measured. Other chapters add the place where one walks, such as the road, water, mud or sand.
The meaning according to what you saw
Here are the cases the collection describes, with the volume and page of each.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You walk straight along a road | The road is the straight path and the religion. Walking straight along it: you are on the truth, and for someone whose aim is this world, a profitable trade. Losing the road: you are confused about yourself and your religion. A road that leads astray is going astray, unless you find the right way again.vol. 2, p. 118 |
| You walk in the market | You hold a will in your hands. If you are worthy of it, you obtain it.vol. 2, p. 323 |
| You walk barefoot | Your religion is good and your worry goes away. According to another opinion, a misfortune touches your wife, leading to divorce. Elsewhere, the collection says that walking barefoot points to fatigue and hardship. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 323; vol. 1, p. 175 |
| You walk fast, or with a measured step | Walking with a hurried step, wherever it is: victory over the enemy. Walking with a measured step: humility before Allah, according to the verse: “And be moderate in your pace.”vol. 2, p. 323 |
| You walk backwards | You go back on a matter you had started and carried out.vol. 2, p. 357 |
| You walk on water | On the sea or a river: a good religion and a firm faith. According to another opinion, you gain certainty about something you doubted, or you set out on a risky journey, relying on Allah. Elsewhere, walking on water is a risk: if you come out of it, your needs are met. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, pp. 170 and 164 |
| You walk in mud | There is no good in mud. For a sick person, the illness lasts, unless he gets out of it. For others, a trial, a misfortune, a worry, or prison and the hand of the ruler. If you get out of it and your clothes and body stay clean, you escape sin and harm.vol. 2, p. 54 |
| You walk in sand | You are caught up in an absorbing occupation, in proportion to the amount of sand.vol. 2, p. 70 |
| You walk with a lamp | By day: a firm religion and an upright conduct, according to the verse: “And make for you a light by which you will walk.” By night: the night prayer for someone who practises it; otherwise, you find the right way in a matter that troubled you.vol. 2, p. 194 |
| You walk on your hands | In your affairs, you rely on some of your relatives.vol. 1, p. 159 |
| You limp, or your legs no longer carry you | Your ability to obtain what you seek grows weaker, and the relative represented by that limb abandons you. According to another opinion, limping points to a good religion and understanding of the religion. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 1, p. 213 |
| You follow a dead person | If you follow in his footsteps as he goes in and out, you imitate his deeds, good or bad. If you go with him into an unknown house and do not come out, you die. If you do not go in, or if you come back out, you come close to death and are then saved.vol. 1, pp. 114 and 115 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the man who walked with a sword
وقال هشام لابن سيرين رأيت كأن في يدي سيفا مسلولا وأنا أمشي قد وضعت طرفه في الأرض كما يضع الرجل العصا فقال ابن سيرين هل بالمرأة حبل قال نعم قال تلد غلاما إن شاء اللهHisham said to Ibn Sirin: “I saw that I had a drawn sword in my hand, and I was walking with its tip on the ground, the way a man leans on a stick.” Ibn Sirin asked: “Is your wife pregnant?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “She will give birth to a boy, if Allah wills.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 31, vol. 1, p. 278
The collection quotes this story in the passage on the sword. Ibn Sirin first asked a question about the dreamer’s situation before answering.
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 walking barefoot in a dream mean in Islam?
The collection gives two readings. On one side, a good religion and a worry that goes away. On the other, according to another opinion, a misfortune touching the wife, leading to divorce. Elsewhere, it says that walking barefoot points to fatigue and hardship (vol. 2, p. 323; vol. 1, p. 175).
Is walking on water in a dream a good sign in Islam?
The collection sees in it a good religion and a firm faith, when one walks on the sea or a river. It also quotes other opinions: certainty gained, or a risky journey made while relying on Allah. Elsewhere, it describes it as a risk, with needs met if one comes out of it (vol. 2, pp. 164 and 170).
What does walking in mud mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection says there is no good in mud. It announces a trial, a worry, or even prison. But if the dreamer gets out of it with his clothes and body clean, he escapes sin and harm (vol. 2, p. 54).
What does walking with a dead person in a dream mean?
The collection speaks of following a dead person. If the dreamer follows in his footsteps, he imitates his deeds. If he goes with him into an unknown house and does not come out, he dies. If he does not go in, or comes back out, he comes close to death and is then saved (vol. 1, pp. 114 and 115).
What does it mean to have difficulty walking in a dream?
The collection says that whoever sees himself limping, or that his legs no longer carry him, finds his ability to reach his goal growing weaker (vol. 1, p. 213). Walking in sandals or with a single sandal belongs to the meaning of shoes, which this page does not cover.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 55, vol. 2, p. 323; chapter 39, vol. 2, pp. 70 and 118; chapter 38, vol. 2, p. 54; chapter 41, vol. 2, pp. 164 and 170; chapter 42, vol. 2, p. 194; chapter 58, vol. 2, p. 357; chapters 16, 22, 25 and 31, vol. 1, pp. 114, 115, 159, 175, 213 and 278 (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.