About the Book

The war in the Middle East is marked by a lack of cultural knowledge on the part of the western forces, and this book deals with another, widely ignored element of Islam—the role of dreams in everyday life. The practice of using night dreams to make important life decisions can be traced to Middle Eastern dream traditions and practices that preceded the emergence of Islam. In this study, the author explores some key aspects of Islamic dream theory and interpretation as well as the role and significance of night dreams for contemporary Muslims. In his analysis of the Islamic debates surrounding the role of “true” dreams in historical and contemporary Islamic prophecy, the author specifically addresses the significance of Al-Qaeda and Taliban dream practices and ideology. Dreams of “heaven,” for example, are often instrumental in determining Jihadist suicidal action, and “heavenly” dreams are also evidenced within other contemporary human conflicts such as Israel–Palestine and Kosovo–Serbia. By exploring patterns of dreams within this context, a cross-cultural, psychological, and experiential understanding of the role and significance of such contemporary critical political and personal imagery can be achieved.

Contents:

Chapter 1. context and history
Dreams as perceived metaphysical and divinatory knowledge in Islam
Dream Interpretation in Islam
The True dream across cultures
Promised land dreams in Palestine and Kosovo
Significance of night dreams to Muslims in general

Chapter 2. Methodology
Methodological issues in dream work
Methods Used in this Book: An Oversight
Sources studied: primary and secondary
Conclusion

Chapter 3. Istikhara: Islamic dream incubation
Case study from Sarajevo, Bosnia
Conclusion

Chapter 4. Sufism and dreams
Ethnographic study of dreaming in a UK Sufi centre
The sunday evening Zikr       
Shaykh Nazim in Northern Cyprus

Chapter 5. Militant jihadist dreaming in the Middle East and the UK
The patterns and threads running through Jihadist dream interpretation
Their understanding of dreams
Legitimating function
Connection to the Golden Age of Islam
Focus on manifest content of dreams
Dreams interpreted as world is interpreted
Dreams and events related
Dreams, politics and warfare
Dreams of al-Qaeda
Osama bin Laden
Zacarias Moussaoui
Richard Reid
Al-Zarqawi and other Iraqi Martyrs
Dreams of other Jihadists
Pakistani relations
Guantanamo Bay
A dream of a dead Mujahideen

Chapter 6. Dreams of Mullah Omar, Taliban Leader
Discussion and contextualisation
Conclusions to chapters three and four regarding jihadists’ Dream Reports

Chapter 7. Dream Interpretation Resources (dictionaries) in Islam
Features of dream interpretation
Range of sources studied

Chapter 8. A Comparison of Islamic Dream Theory and Western Psychological Theories of the Dream
Conclusion