Tatir al-Anam fi Tabir al-Manam
- Author died
- 1143 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al Fikr
Ta‘tir al-Anam fi Ta‘bir al-Manam (Perfuming Humanity in the Interpretation of Dreams) is an alphabetical dictionary and manual of Islamic oneiromancy and dream interpretation (ta‘bir al-ru’ya) compiled by the Damascene scholar and mystic Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi (1050–1143 AH / 1641–1731 CE).
Purpose and Composition
In his introduction, al-Nabulsi identifies dream interpretation as an exalted science connected to prophetic revelation, remarking that after the cessation of prophecy, true dreams ( المبشرات ) remained as a continuing aspect of divine glad tidings. He observed that while earlier scholars had composed both extensive and abridged treatises, Ibrahim ibn Yahya ibn Ghannam had pioneered an alphabetical reference format in his treatise Ta‘bir al-Ru’ya, though keeping it overly concise. Al-Nabulsi aimed to produce a comprehensive yet accessible reference work organized systematically by the letters of the Arabic alphabet (huruf al-mu‘jam) to make consulting dream symbols straightforward for all readers.
Structure and Contents
The work consists of three primary components:
- Introduction (Muqaddima): A theoretical exposition outlining the theological foundations, virtues, and divisions of dreams. It analyzes the five categories of true dreams (ru'ya al-haqq), seven kinds of invalid or confused dreams (adghath), dreams caused by humoral imbalances (al-taba'i‘), demonic frights, and the role of the angel assigned to dreams, named Siddiqun.
- Main Dictionary Body: A compendium of dream symbols, objects, beings, and actions, arranged in strict alphabetical order from the letter alif to ya.
- Conclusion (Khatima): An epilogue containing practical rules and interpretive etiquettes omitted from the prologue, concluding with an explicit accounting of the author's reference texts.
Sources and Methodology
In the epilogue, al-Nabulsi details the classical treatises from which he compiled the dictionary's interpretations:
- Al-Qadiri, composed by Nasr ibn Abi Sa‘d al-Dinawari for the Abbasid caliph al-Qadir bi-llah.
- Al-Hikam wa-l-Ghayat fi Ta‘bir al-Manamat by Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr Mahmud ibn Ibrahim, known as Ibn al-Daqqaq al-Muqri’.
- Al-Muntakhab by Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Hasan al-Khalili al-Dari.
- Al-Ishara fi ‘Ilm al-‘Ibara by Jalal al-Din Abd Allah ibn Hazim al-Muzani al-Shafi‘i.
- Al-Ishara ila ‘Ilm al-‘Ibara by Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Umar al-Salimi.
- Al-Badr al-Munir fi ‘Ilm al-Ta‘bir by Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Maqdisi al-Hanbali (al-Shihab al-‘Abir).
- Al-Mu‘allim ‘ala Huruf al-Mu‘jam by Abu Tahir Burhan al-Din Ibrahim ibn Yahya ibn Ghannam al-Maqdisi al-Hanbali.
- Al-Muhkam fi Ikhtisas al-Mu‘allim, an abridgment and continuation by Muhibb al-Din Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Maqdisi al-Shafi‘i.
Al-Nabulsi maintained a strict editorial policy of gathering nearly all interpretive possibilities provided in these works while omitting only very rare and obscure nomenclature. He added only a small number of personal additions and clarifications, which he explicitly identified as his own.
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