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Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn al-Baṣrī, Abū Bakr

A short biography and the method of Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn al-Baṣrī, Abū Bakr in interpreting dreams, with the list of symbols he treats in his primary work.

Era and place

33 AH / 654 CE — 110 AH / 728 CE, Basra

A noble tābiʿī and reliable scholar among the imams of Basra. He was raised in the household of Anas ibn Mālik, the Prophet's ﷺ servant, and took knowledge from a number of the Companions. Renowned for his scrupulousness and command of hadith, he became the reference point for dream interpretation in the Islamic tradition.

Primary work

Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (Taʿṭīr al-Anām is also attributed to him)

Method of dream interpretation

Ibn Sirin's method links symbols first to the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the Arabic language; then to proverbs and poetry; then to the dreamer's state. He delivers brief, source-anchored readings and insists that a dream varies from one person to another according to circumstance and time.

Symbols this scholar interpreted (80)

Dream symbols this scholar treats on the site, with direct links to each symbol's full interpretation page.