Ibn Ghannam, Ibrahim
- Died
- 779 AH
- Born in
- Harran
Ibrahim ibn Yahya ibn Ghannam (c. 600–674 AH / c. 1204–1275 CE) was a Hanbali jurist and oneiric scholar from Harran who settled in Cairo, best known for his alphabetical treatise on dream interpretation, al-Mu'allim 'ala huruf al-mu'jam (The Instructor According to the Letters of the Alphabet).
Identity and background
His full lineage is Ibrahim ibn Yahya ibn Ghannam ibn Ali ibn Ghannam ibn Ali al-Numayri al-Harrani. He was given the honorific Burhan al-Din (al-Burhan) and carried the kunya Abu Ishaq, although later biographical compilations also record his kunya as Abu Tahir. In addition to his regional affiliation to Harran, sources mention nisbas to Jerusalem (al-Maqdisi) and Baghdad (al-Baghdadi), and he was also known by the sobriquet al-Manakhili. He was born in Harran around the year 600 AH (c. 1204 CE).
Scholarly career and standing
Ibn Ghannam adhered to the Hanbali legal school and distinguished himself in the field of dream interpretation. He moved to Egypt and lived in Cairo, where he was recognized as a foremost authority in oneiromancy. He composed instructional poetry on dream analysis, including a poem rhyming in the letter lam and an urjuzah, and he versified the dream interpretation manual Durrat al-ahlam (The Pearl of Dreams). A portion of his verse was recorded and transcribed from him during his lifetime.
Death
Ibn Ghannam died in Cairo on 4 Jumada al-Ula 674 AH (October 1275 CE) and was buried the same day in the cemetery of Bab al-Nasr. Other biographical notices record divergent dates for his death, giving 664 AH, 693 AH, or around 779 AH (c. 1377 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Ta‘bir al-Ru’ya (The Interpretation of Dreams) is an alphabetical Arabic reference work on oneiric interpretation. Designed to help readers distinguish between false dreams and genuine glad tidings, it allows users to easily locate interpretations corresponding to the words and symbols appearing in visions.