Beirut: The American University of Beirut (AUB) Press has announced the latest release under its Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Series for Arabic and Islamic Texts: Tu?fat al-Muluk fi al-Ta?bir by Abu A?mad Khalaf bin A?mad al-Sijistani, who passed in 399/1009. This publication aligns with AUB Press's mission to revive and promote Arab and Islamic heritage through critical editions and rigorous academic scholarship.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, Tu?fat al-Muluk is among the earliest known Arabic works on dream interpretation, attributed to the Emir of Sistan, Abu A?mad Khalaf bin A?mad, also known as Khalaf al-?affar. Published for the first time, the text significantly contributes to the Arab and Islamic intellectual tradition, addressing a long-standing gap in heritage texts that explore the connections between culture, knowledge, and politics.
The work is unique due to its authorship by a political ruler instead of a religious scholar or jurist. This perspective merges the worldview of the ruling elite with societal reflections, providing a nuanced portrait of mental, cultural, and social life in the fourth-century AH / tenth-century AD. Beyond a compendium of dream symbols, the text is a historical document capturing a wide spectrum of social experiences, highlighting roles and perceptions of various societal groups, including artisans, professionals, women, children, slaves, and religious or ethnic minorities.
Tu?fat al-Muluk also offers insights into the material culture of the Islamic world at the time. It includes descriptions of architecture, furnishings, weaponry, fashion, jewelry, and everyday tools, providing a glimpse into daily life and material practices. This blend of symbolic dream language with vivid depictions of reality makes the work a rare and complex source of historical and cultural meaning.
This critical edition and introductory study were prepared by Dr. Lina Jammal, a specialist in early Arabic literature, who earned her PhD from the American University of Beirut in 2021. Dr. Jammal has authored several peer-reviewed studies and translated significant academic works into Arabic. The book also benefited from the expertise of co-editor Dr. Bilal Orfali, Sheikh Zayed Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at AUB, who received his PhD from Yale University in 2009 and has an extensive publication record in both Arabic and English.