Dreams and Visions as Diagnosis in Medieval Sufism
Journal of Sufi Studies February 28, 2020 DOI: 10.1163/22105956-12341313 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Vision Exposition narrative Sufism Scholarship Islam Relevance law Politics Period music Relation database Epistemology Aesthetics Literature Theology Anthropology |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that the systematization of Kubrawī oneirology in the 12th and 13th centuries forged a close relation between Sufi theory and communal and institutional structures, enabling adaptation to changing socio-political circumstances. |
Abstract
Abstract In recent scholarship the notion that dreams and visions in Islamic societies are phenomena with no relevance to historic events or societal concerns has been challenged and overturned. However, the theoretical underpinnings of Sufi oneirology in the medieval period have yet to receive a full exposition. Furthermore, the relevance of such seemingly abstract texts to Sufi organisational and institutional structures has not been realised. This article argues that understanding the development of Kubrawī oneirology offers important insights into Islamic thought and society. Focusing on the first generation of Kubrawī Sufi thinkers, this article accounts for the emergence of diagnostic oneirology in the sixth/twelfth and seventh/thirteenth centuries in two steps. Firstly, by detailing the systematisation of oneiric theory which occurs in early Kubrawī thought. And secondly, by demonstrating that this systematisation crafted a close relation between Sufi theory and the communal and institutional bonds that allowed the Sufi community to adapt to changing socio-political circumstances.