Islamic Dream Meanings
Al-Nabulsi Interpretations
Abdul Ghani al-Nabulsi (1641-1731) was an important scholar who lived during the Ottoman period. He produced works in dream interpretation, Sufism, and literature. His work Ta'tir al-Anam fi Ta'bir al-Manam is one of the most comprehensive sources of the Islamic dream interpretation tradition.
Al-Nabulsi's Life and Works
Born in Damascus, Al-Nabulsi turned to Sufism at a young age and joined several orders. In addition to dream interpretation, he also produced works in tafsir, fiqh, and poetry. Ta'tir al-Anam contains interpretations of thousands of dream symbols.
Al-Nabulsi's interpretations reflect the language and culture of his era while continuing the Ibn Sirin tradition. You can find interpretations from Al-Nabulsi sources on our dream meanings page.
Ta'tir al-Anam and Its Method
Ta'tir al-Anam is a massive dream interpretation book organized alphabetically and by topic. It offers interpretations compiled from different narrations for each symbol. Al-Nabulsi emphasizes that the dreamer's spiritual state affects the interpretation.
This work is one of the foundational references for contemporary dream interpretation studies. You can explore the previous link in the tradition in our article on who is Ibn Sirin, and Al-Nabulsi's contribution in this article.
Al-Nabulsi and Contemporary Interpretations
Al-Nabulsi's interpretations offer a more balanced reading when used together with Diyanet and other modern sources. Rather than relying solely on Al-Nabulsi, evaluating the Ibn Sirin-Al-Nabulsi-Diyanet triad together is a more appropriate approach to the tradition.
You can find explanations of terms used in dream interpretations in our glossary section and search for symbols on our dream meanings page.