Morality in the Guise of Dreams

This important Book of Dreams K. al-Manam by Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281/894), a compendium of 350 Muslim dream narratives in Arabic, is now critically edited for the first time. Although dream accounts are scattered throughout most genres of classical Arabic literature, K. al-Manam is the only extant treatise dedicated solely to this topic. With the aim to provide the pious Muslim with a code of behaviour, the book relates dreams that deliver clear messages, of the kind that can be followed with no need for interpretation. The scholarly introduction in English gives a survey of the contents of the Arabic text, emphasizing the unique features of the book, while concentrating on their contribution to practical ethics, and examines the role dreams play in various genres of classical Arabic literature.