Istikhara: The Guidance and practice of Islamic dream incubation through ethnographic comparison

Edgar, I.; Henig, D.

doi:10.1080/02757206.2010.496781

Istikhara: The Guidance and practice of Islamic dream incubation through ethnographic comparison

Edgar, I.; Henig, D.

Authors

I. Edgar

D. Henig

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.

Citation

Edgar, I., & Henig, D. (2010). Istikhara: The Guidance and practice of Islamic dream incubation through ethnographic comparison. History and Anthropology, 21(3), 251-262. https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2010.496781

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Sep 1, 2010
Deposit Date	Jul 6, 2010
Publicly Available Date	May 10, 2011
Journal	History and Anthropology
Print ISSN	0275-7206
Electronic ISSN	1477-2612
Publisher	Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	21
Issue	3
Pages	251-262
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2010.496781
Keywords	Dreaming, Healing, Islam, Istikhara, Pakistan, Bosnia.