Dreams and Islam

Abstract

Dreams and visions have been part of Islamic lore since the revelation of the Qurʾan. Referred to variously as ruʾya, manam, bushra, hulm, ahlam, and adhas, dreams are particularly associated with the prophets Abraham (37:102–105), Joseph (12), and Muhammad (17:60 and 48:27) in the Qur’an. The story of Joseph in Sura 12 is one of the most well-known stories regarding dreams and dream interpretation, parallel to the Bible. The Hadith literature, the collection of the sayings, deeds, and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632), plays a significant role in the understanding of dreams and their functions in the Muslim mind. Based on the Prophet’s words, Islamic dream lore classifies dreams by a set of prophetic traditions as either “true” and “veridical,” or “false” and “misleading.” While some dreams are seen as glad tidings (mubashshirat) from God that require interpretation, some dreams are frightening or baseless dreams influenced by the devil. The third type is confused dreams reflecting images and situations from the dreamer’s daily activities and encounters that may lead a pious Muslim astray. Although revelations ended with the end of prophethood, glad tidings will continue for pious Muslims through dream visions after the Prophet’s death, according to an explicit statement of the Prophet: “The believer’s dream is one of the forty-six parts of prophecy.” Because some dreams and visions were seen as being closely linked to prophecy, they have come to be highly valued in Muslim societies as indicators of divine approval, and thus they have maintained their significance up to the present time. As an example, a dream incubation technique called istikhara, which means “seeking goodnees” from God, has been practiced among Muslims to receive Divine guidance on a specific life affair, such as marriage. Dreams and oneiric encounters have been considered valuable in both Sunni and Shiʿa sects. The Shiʿa tradition, in particular the Twelver Shiʿism, holds in high regards the dreams and visions employing the 12th imam, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (b. 870), who is believed to have gone into occultation until his return as the awaited Mahdi (the rightly guided one). However, most of the recent dream studies have focused on Sunni literature. Dreams and visions experienced in the state of sleep and wakefulness, or between the state of sleep and waking, appear in various genres in the Islamic world, and numerous studies have been conducted about dreams and Islam. While scholarly studies on Islam and dreams first appeared in the mid-nineteenth century, the topic rarely received attention in Western academia before the second half of the twentieth century. These studies generally focused on the essence and place of dreams in Islam and their role in Sufism. More recent studies have addressed dream culture in different regions of the Islamic world, with particular attention to dream culture among Sufis. Although the number is not very large, the dreams of women have also begun to receive the attention of scholars. With modern technology, dream anecdotes are shared on TV, as well as on the Internet. Ethnographic perspectives and comparative methodologies on the role of dreams in the contemporary Muslim world are applied to the dream narratives of Muslim dreamers. Since the 1990s, dreams in various genres have been studied by scholars in the fields of religious studies, history, and literature. Recently, anthropologists have also taken an interest in the subject, especially regarding jihadi culture. There is little work on dreams and sexuality, a subject that is still waiting to be studied. In addition, a detailed referencing of the topic in Islamic sources can be found in encyclopedia entries: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Glossary and Index of Terms; The Oxford Dictionary of Islam; Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World; and Encyclopaedia Iranica.