Istikhara : The Guidance and Practice of Islamic Dream Incubation Through Ethnographic Comparison
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: This paper introduces and contextualizes Istikhara, Islamic dream incubation practice, as a way to approach the dynamics of Muslims’ inner and outer worlds as an interrelated process of embodied well‐being. We introduce an anthropologically informed debate on healing dreaming in Islam and Islamic healing dreaming practices. Based on our research, we discuss ethnographic examples of Istikhara as practised by British Pakistanis, Pakistanis and last but not least a case study from a corner of the Muslim world, Muslim Bosnia. We explore a shared propensity to dream, though a culturally informed one, and situate the practice into a general economy of Muslim well‐being.
Source: History and Anthropology
Authors: Iain Edgar, David Henig
Institution: Durham University
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2064607001