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Writing in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
الكتابة في المنام
In Islam, writing in a dream points first to cunning. The Ibn Sirin collection says: “Writing, at its root, is cunning.” The meaning changes with what you write and how. Writing on a sheet announces an inheritance. According to one opinion quoted, finding a pen announces knowledge. Ibn Sirin, on the other hand, saw unlawful gain in writing one’s own book.
والكتابة في الأصل حيلة والكاتب محتالIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Writing, at its root, is cunning, and the one who writes is a cunning man.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 45, vol. 2, p. 252
The Arabic word hîla means cunning, but also skill. A little further on, the collection says that “the writer is a man of skill and of a fine craft” (vol. 2, p. 253). It also says that bad handwriting in a dream announces that the dreamer gives up his tricks against people.
The meaning according to what you saw
The Ibn Sirin collection speaks of writing in the chapter on the pen, the inkwell, ink, paper and writing. Here are the cases it describes, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| You find a pen and write with it | According to one opinion quoted, knowledge that matches what you were writing in the dream. According to another opinion, you stand surety for someone, based on the verse where pens are cast to decide who will take charge of Maryam. (another opinion quoted in the collection)vol. 2, p. 248 |
| A scribe sees himself holding a pen or an inkwell | His craft keeps him safe from poverty. If he is given all the tools of writing, he gains a leading position in this craft and rises above his peers.vol. 2, p. 248 |
| You write on a sheet | You will receive an inheritance, based on the verse that mentions “the scriptures of Abraham and Moses”.vol. 2, p. 249 |
| Ink | Leadership and a lasting rise in standing.vol. 2, p. 250 |
| You write your own book | Ibn Sirin said that the dreamer makes an unlawful gain, based on the verse: “Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.”vol. 2, pp. 251 and 252 |
| A verse of the Qur’an written on your shirt | He is a man who holds fast to the Qur’an.vol. 2, p. 252 |
| You write with your left hand | Something ugly and a going astray. The text adds other unfavourable meanings.vol. 2, p. 252 |
| Your handwriting is bad | The dreamer repents and gives up his tricks against people.vol. 2, p. 252 |
| A scribe sees himself unable to read or write | If he is rich, he becomes poor. If he is sensible, he loses his reason. If he is a sinner, he falls into unbelief. If he is skilled, he becomes incapable.vol. 2, p. 254 |
| Someone who cannot write sees himself writing well | He is in distress, and Allah will inspire him with a way out of it.vol. 2, pp. 254 and 255 |
Ibn Sirin’s story about the two pens
فقال هل لك غائب قال نعم قال فكأنك به قدم عليكA man said to Ibn Sirin: “I saw that I was sitting with a pen beside me. I took it and began to write. Then I saw another pen on my right. I took it and wrote with both at once.” Ibn Sirin asked: “Do you have someone who is away?” He said: “Yes.” Ibn Sirin said: “It is as if he has already come back to you.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 45, vol. 2, p. 248
The collection does not say how Ibn Sirin drew this meaning from the dream. It reports it as it is, just after the two opinions on the pen (knowledge, surety).
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 writing in a dream a good sign in Islam?
It depends on what you write. The collection says that writing is, at its root, cunning (vol. 2, p. 252). Writing on a sheet announces an inheritance. Ibn Sirin saw unlawful gain in writing one’s own book, and writing with the left hand is a going astray.
What does writing on paper or a sheet mean in a dream?
The collection says that writing on a sheet announces an inheritance (vol. 2, p. 249). It does not speak of writing your name on a piece of paper. The passage on writing on a qirtâs, another kind of paper, is corrupted in the edition, and we do not translate it.
What does writing the Qur’an or a verse mean in a dream?
The collection only says that a verse of the Qur’an written on the dreamer’s shirt shows a man who holds fast to the Qur’an (vol. 2, p. 252). The other dreams about the Qur’an are gathered on our page on the Qur’an.
What does writing with a pen mean in a dream?
The collection speaks of the reed pen (qalam), the writing tool of its time. According to one opinion quoted in the collection, finding a pen announces knowledge linked to what you were writing. According to another opinion, it announces that you stand surety for someone. For a scribe, holding his pen keeps him safe from poverty (vol. 2, p. 248).
Is bad handwriting or writing with the left hand in a dream serious?
Bad handwriting is not a bad sign in the collection: the dreamer repents and gives up his tricks against people. Writing with the left hand, however, is described as something ugly and a going astray (vol. 2, p. 252).
What does writing an exam mean in a dream in Islam?
The collection does not speak of exams. Its cases are finding or holding a pen, writing on a sheet, ink, writing your own book, a verse written on your shirt, writing with the left hand, bad handwriting, and a scribe or someone unable to write.
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 45, vol. 2, pp. 248 to 255 (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.