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Wood in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الخشب في المنام
In Islam, wood seen in a dream mostly has a negative meaning. Ibn Sirin said: “Wood in a dream is hypocrisy in religion”, after the verse that compares the hypocrites to pieces of wood propped up. Firewood stands for slander and quarrels. A few cases are more favourable, such as the stick, which points to a noble and strong man.
والخشب في المنام نفاق في الدينIbn Sirin said: “Wood, in a dream, is hypocrisy in religion.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, introduction, vol. 1, p. 28
Ibn Sirin said this while interpreting a woman’s dream, told further down. He relied on the verse of the Qur’an that describes the hypocrites “as if they were pieces of wood propped up” (Surah 63, verse 4). The collection takes up this meaning in several chapters: wood stands for men whose religion is mixed with hypocrisy.
The meaning according to what you saw
Wood has no chapter of its own in the collection. Its meanings are spread across the chapters on trees, fire, trades and houses. Here are the cases described, with the page of each one.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| Dry wood | Hypocrisy, after the verse “as if they were pieces of wood propped up”. Wood stands for men whose religion is mixed with hypocrisy.vol. 2, p. 247 |
| Wood, or fresh or dry firewood | Wood is hypocrisy in religion. Firewood, fresh or dry, is words of slander and quarrel.vol. 2, p. 226 |
| You gather firewood from the ground | You talk too much and spread slander, after the verse about the woman who is “the carrier of firewood”, which the collection explains as slander.vol. 2, p. 335 |
| Firewood put on the fire | Firewood is slander. Lighting it means denouncing someone to the ruler.vol. 2, p. 192 |
| Charcoal | A man of importance. According to another opinion, unlawful wealth. According to yet another, provision that comes from the ruler.vol. 2, p. 192 |
| A stick | A noble and high-ranking man, in proportion to the material and the strength of the stick. A strong and well-protected man.vol. 2, p. 226 |
| You break a branch from a tree that bears no fruit to make a stick | You get joy from it.vol. 2, p. 216 |
| A carpenter, a wood merchant, a woodcutter | The carpenter educates men and sets their worldly affairs right, because wood is men whose religion is corrupt. The wood merchant leads hypocrites. The woodcutter is a slanderer and a troublemaker.vol. 1, p. 298 |
| A wooden roof or wooden beams | A wooden roof is a deceitful man. The wood and beams of a building are a hypocritical man who carries people’s affairs. If the beam breaks, such a man dies.vol. 2, p. 87 |
| You are tied to a piece of wood | You are held back in the affair of a hypocritical man.vol. 1, p. 295 |
| A wooden bowl | Wealth obtained on a journey. An earthenware bowl is wealth obtained at home.vol. 1, p. 224 |
| A door made of pine wood | For the ruler, a doorkeeper who is ill-tempered and unjust. For the merchant, an unjust guard who steals.vol. 2, p. 225 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about wood
لأن الساجور من خشب والخشب في المنام نفاق في الدينA woman told Ibn Sirin that she had seen in a dream a man wearing shackles and a collar. He said to her: “That cannot be, because shackles are steadfastness in religion and faith, the collar is betrayal and disbelief, and the believer cannot be a disbeliever.” She swore that she had truly seen this dream, and that the collar was held to his neck by a sajur, a neck ring. On hearing this word, Ibn Sirin said: “Now I understand. The sajur is made of wood, and wood in a dream is hypocrisy in religion, as Allah said of the hypocrites.” The sajur and the collar together mean hypocrisy, betrayal and disbelief, and they weigh more than the shackles alone. He concluded: “This is a man who claims descent from a father other than his own, or from a people other than his own.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, introduction, vol. 1, pp. 28 and 29
The collection gives this story as an example of method: one detail of the dream, here the wood of the neck ring, can strengthen or overturn the meaning of another element.
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 wood in a dream a bad sign in Islam?
Most of the time, yes. Ibn Sirin said that wood in a dream is hypocrisy in religion, and the collection gives firewood the meaning of slander and quarrel. A few cases are favourable: the stick, a noble and strong man, or the wooden bowl, wealth earned on a journey.
What does dry wood mean in a dream in Islam?
According to the collection, dry wood is hypocrisy, after the verse that compares the hypocrites to pieces of wood propped up. Wood stands for men whose religion is mixed with hypocrisy (vol. 2, p. 247).
What does gathering or cutting wood mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection speaks of gathering firewood from the ground: the dreamer becomes someone who talks too much and spreads slander. The woodcutter, likewise, is a slanderer and a troublemaker (vol. 2, p. 335, and vol. 1, p. 298). It gives no separate meaning for cutting wood.
What about wooden furniture, a wooden door or a wooden table?
The collection does not speak of a wooden table. It mentions the pine wood door, an unjust doorkeeper for the ruler, the wooden roof, a deceitful man, and the wooden bowl, wealth earned on a journey. A wooden chair is strength in hypocrisy (vol. 2, p. 293). For the bed, see the page on the bed.
What do charcoal or a stick mean in a dream?
Charcoal is a man of importance, or, according to other opinions, unlawful wealth or provision from the ruler. The stick is a noble, high-ranking and strong man, and breaking a branch from a tree without fruit to make a stick brings joy.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, introduction, vol. 1, pp. 28 and 29, vol. 1, pp. 224, 295 and 298, vol. 2, pp. 87, 192, 216, 225, 226, 247, 293 and 335 (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.