Dream narratives of Muslims' martyrdom: Constant and changing roles past and present.

Abstract

Islamic literature is replete with many thousands of accounts of dreams, testifying to the great importance that Muslim societies have attached to dreaming throughout their history. Dreams are contained in the Qur’an and Hadith (the records of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings and actions). They are also frequently present in biographies and histories, travel writing, and popular storytelling, among other genres. Medieval guides to dream images have survived in a large number of manuscripts and a more limited range of printed books. Today, there is evidence of a continuing strong belief among many Muslims worldwide that their dreams really matter, that they can show them the way to a prosperous future, warn them of impending dangers, and enable their moral and spiritual development. However, not all dreams are thought to have equal value, and this is reflected in the Arabic terminology for different types of dream. A dream may be designated hulm (pl. ahlam) when it is thought to be a product of the human brain or sent by the devil to cause distress and confusion, or it may be used as a general term for a dream. It is distinguished from the ru’ya (pl. ru’an), derived from the Arabic ra’a, “to see,” meaning a vision seen in either a dream or waking life. The ru’ya is the much-esteemed veridical dream sent by God. It is this true dreaming that is highly valued across Muslim regions, subcultures, and social strata. It is reflected, for example, in a survey of academics at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, who reported their belief in God-given true dreams and the influence that they had on their lives (Amanullah, 2009, pp. 106 –107). Further examples are provided in