Dream as a Philosophical Vision: Autobiographical Records of the Crimean Sufi Ibrahim al-Kirimi

Abstract

This article examines dreams as a form of mystical and philosophical self-reflection in the works of the sixteenth-century Crimean Sufi Ibrahim al-Kirimi (c. 1520–1593). Drawing on the Arabic original of his magnum opus “The Gifts of the All-Merciful in Understanding the Degrees of Being”, as well as related manuscript materials, the study presents Ukrainian translations of selected dream narratives accompanied by historical and philosophical commentary. Dreams are approached not merely as religious or didactic motifs, but as a conceptual tool of Sufi visionarism, integrating psychology, anthropology, and the metaphysics of the “unity of being.” Particular attention is paid to the relationship between dream narratives and the doctrine of spiritual ascent and descent, as well as to their political symbolism within the context of the late sixteenth-century Ottoman–Safavid conflict. The article demonstrates that al-Kirimi’s dreams function as rationalized visions intended to validate both his personal spiritual authority and the broader Ottoman imperial ideology. By analyzing these dream records in their historical and philosophical context, the study offers insights into the author’s self-perception and intentional philosophical stance, revealing how autobiographical experience, metaphysical doctrine, and contemporary political realities intersect in Ottoman Sufi thought.