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THE SUFI CONCEPT OF DREAMS

Without peace within, there can be no strength coming from within. When we cease to draw
from

within, it appears that our resources are exhausted. It appears then, as if a bank has gone into

liquidation, and a receiver has been appointed to pay a certain percentage of their deposits to
the

creditors.

The eminent English poet, P.B. Shelley, finding himself deprived of inner peace, says thus, in an

anguishing tone:

Alas! I have nor hope nor health,

Nor peace within nor calm around

Nor that content, surpassing wealt h

The sage in meditation found,

And walked with inward glory c rowned.

Nor fame, nor power, nor love, nor leisu re;

Others I see whom these surround…

Smiling they live, and call life pleasur e;

To me that cup has been dealt in anoth er measure.

Many of us today share the anguish and agony of Shelley, because, we have ceased to lead

inner life, which can alone give us what we need most – peace and nothing but peace. When
we

keep ourselves away from the axis of power, suffering –mental and spiritual – is inevitable.

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All the philosophy, all the ethics, all the codes, all the laws and all the norms and standards are

directed towards making life true, sublime, beautiful, happy and noble. But alas! We have

achieved little in this direction. It appears that the sermons of the sages and the preachings of
the

philosophers have done little to make our life what it should have been. What we have
achieved

so far has not proved of much use as we do not know the right use of it.

There can be no doubt that we receive guidance from different sources . But there are a very
few
people, indeed, who give consideration and serious thought to a source of light and guidance,

which is of vital importance. What is that source? Shall I tell you? It is your dreams.

When I talk to you about dreams, I do not intend to enter into needless controversy about

dreams. I decry discussing dogma or theory. I am not interested in the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of
dreams.

I am interested in dreams as such. I am aware of their importance and significance in our life.

I am more interested in dreams than in the definition of dreams. Some people may ask why we

do see dreams. My reply is that since we are human beings, so we see dreams. As human

beings we are endowed with the faculty of seership so we see dreams. As human beings we

have the faculty of reason. We have the senses of touch, hearing, seeing, smelling and tasting.

But nobody asks and questions why do we see, hear, touch, smell and taste, for everyone
knows

they are an integral part of human life. Likewise they must know that dreams are also a natural

gift to human beings.

I am not interested in counting trees in a garden. I feel interested in eating the fruits of the
trees in

the garden and enjoying the fragrance and smell, and I wish to be at peace in the bewitched

natural scene of tender plants, of scented dust and smiling flowers.

Everybody sees dreams. Is there anyone who can say that he or s he has never seen a dream in

his or her lifetime? There is nothing surprising about it. As we say that to err is human, so we
can

say that to dream is human. Dreams constitute the spiritual heritage of mankind. It is good to

have dreams. But it is not good to be daydreaming.

It is said of dreams, that a dream constitutes one-fo rtieth part of prophethood.

THE NATURE OF DREAMS

The dream of a prophet is revelation. The dream of a saint is inspiration. The dream of an

enlightened person is intuition. The dream of others is illumination or indication.

Dreams have been variously described. Some say that a dream is a figment of the imagination.

To others a dream is a manifestation of the thought, which the person may be holding in the
day

previous to the dreams. There are others, however, who hold that a dream is a nightmare,
which

is the result of indigestion.


A dream is a little story hav ing a plot in it. The story is short and the plot is intricate. There are
few

words and its duration is short. As we see a picture on a screen or a play on the stage, likewise

we see a dream in sleep.

A dream is an insight into life. A dream is a search for the solution of our conflicts and
difficulties.

All the dreams cannot be a figment of imagination or the result of indigestion. There are
different

types of dreams. There are dreams, which serve as a warning. There are dreams, which are of

the nature of a suggestion or an indication. There are dreams, which serve as a forecast.

There are dreams, which serve as a guide. There are dreams, which acquaint the perso n of the

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condition of another person. Prophetic dreams are forecasts. Some dreams are of the type of

clairvoyance. There are also exhibition dreams. There are also dreams of action. There are
flying

dreams. There are floating dreams. There are typical dreams. There are dreams of one’s own

personal condition.

Some dreams are in the nature of consolation. Some dreams have colour. Some dreams are

without colour. Dreams have a vital bearing on life. Some dreams point to a person’s spiritual

progress. Some people remember their dreams. Some people forget their dreams. It is good to

train oneself to remember dreams. It is better to write them down and watch their effect.

DURATION

As regards the length of dreams it may be said that it varies from dream to dream. Some
dreams

are very short, whereas some dreams are not too short. Some dreams are long, having
interrelated

plots.

The dream pe riod is not very important. It is the dream that you see, which is of importance.

Dreams in the first part of the night are generally short but muddled. The picture is not clear.
The

dream after midnight is a little long. But a dream between three and four o’clock in the
morning is

of an average duration. A dream in the day is sometimes short and sometimes a little long.
MULTIPLICITY OF DREAMS

You may see one dream in a night or you may see more than one dream. The number of
dreams

in a night does not matter much.

EMOTIONAL REACTION

The emotional reaction during a dream is also to be taken into account. How did you feel in
the

dream? Did you feel joy or self-satisfaction? Did you feel remorse or fear or guilt or the

apprehension of some impending misfortune or catastrophe or trouble or affliction? Did you


feel

guilt or shame? What do you feel when you recall as you recollect the dream? Do you feel any

sensation of joy when recollecting it? Do you feel fear, revulsion, relief, consolation or
whatever

else it may be?

INFLUENCE

As regards the manifestation of the effect of dreams, it may be said that some dreams have a

quick effect whereas the effect of some dreams is noticeable after some time. Sometimes it
may

be in a few months or in a few years. The prophetic dreams, which are in the nature of
forecasts,

take time to fulfil the prophecy. The symbolic dreams manifest their effect comparatively at an

early period. The dreams of suggestions are a message to the dreamer. As soon as the dreamer

understands the message and acts upon it, the purpose of the dream is fulfilled.

Dreams, which are seen in the day, take time to manifest their effect. The effect of the dreams,

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which are seen between three and four o’clock in the morning, is noticeable in the not too
distant

future.

SOME HISTORICAL DREAMS

Joseph, when he was about seventeen years old, saw a dream to this effect, that eleven stars

and the sun and the moon prostrated themselves before him. He narrated the dream to his
father,

the prophet Jacob. His father, on hearing the dream, gave him this word of comfort and cheer,
that he will be a chosen one of God and he will be endowed with the knowledge of the

interpretation of dreams. He would be exalted in rank, honour and prestige.

In the dream, the sun stood for father, the moon for mother and the eleven stars for his eleven

brothers. The dream prefigured the eminence of Joseph.

It is said of Abu’l Qasim al-Junayd of Baghdad, that he was reluctant to give discourses to his

disciples so long as his own spiritual guide, Sari Saqati, was alive. One night it so happened,
that

he saw the prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in a dream, who ordered him to preach to the people,
for

God had made his words the means of saving for myriads of people.

Upon awakening, he was pleased with what he saw in the dream and thought that his rank
was

higher than that of Sari Saqati, since the prophet himself had commanded him to preach to the

people at large. At the time of sunrise, his spiritual guide Sari Saqati sent a messenger to him,

with the message, that now the prophet had commanded him to preach, he should start

preaching, though he had been ignoring in the past the request of his disciples, the
intercession

of the shaykhs of Baghdad, and above all, his own entreaties on this behalf.

Junayd, on receiving the message was surprised and thought that the rank of Sari Saqati was
no

doubt higher than his own, as he was acquainted with his secret thoughts, whereas he was

ignorant of Sari Saqati’s state.

He went to him and tendered him an apology. He requested him to let him know how he came
to

know his dream, in which the prophet commanded him to preach. Sari Saqati told him in reply

that he saw God in a dream, Who informed him that he had sent his messenger to command
him

to preach.

Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti, an eminent Sufi saint belonging to the Chishti order, saw the

prophet in a dream continuously for forty nights, commanding him to make Khwaja Qutbuddin

Bakhtiar Kaki his caliph and to confer upon him the robe. He also saw God in a dream giving
him

a similar order.
The day Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki came to know of the death of his spiritual guide
Khwaja

Moinuddin Chishti, that very night he saw him in a dream standing underneath the throne of
God.

On being questioned, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti acquainted his disciple, caliph and spiritual

successor – Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki – of the mercy of God having showered upon him

and of his being allotted a place near the angels and of his living underneath the throne of
God.

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INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS

No two dreams are similar as no two persons are similar. In spite of some outward
resemblances,

there are some differences: In interpreting a dream, every detail should be taken into account.

Every dream has its own individual importance and when interpreting the dreams, its basic

importance should be given due recognition. Every symbol means something different to
different

people.

When a dream is repeated and its underlying ideas visible in the form of symbols appear more

than once in dream, it marks out the dream as conveying an important direction or suggestion
to

the dreamer. When a dream is repeated it is a force to be reckoned with. Such a dream
conveys

a meaningful message.

In interpreting dreams, the emotional reaction is to be taken into account and the immediate

experience is also to be considered. In interpreting dreams the immediate situation in which


the

dreamer finds himself, is to be taken into account.

The season in which the dream is seen constitutes a vital factor in the interpretation of
dreams. A

person sees in a dream fire underneath his bed. If he has seen this dream in summer, it is a

source of trouble, but if he has the dream in winter, then it points to comfortable living for the

dreamer.

On awakening from the dream you must not be in a hurry to search and seek its interpretation.
You should have no forebodings about your dream. You should try to convince yourself that
your

dream is good and offers a solution to you.

A dream should not be narrated to each and every one. It should not be narrated in the night.

When narrating the dream you should be very exact and precise. You should not add anything
to

it and you should not suppress any of its portion or detail. Addition or subtraction from the
dream

is a misrepresentation of the dream. Misrepresentation deprives a dream of much of its power

and influence, howsoever good and inspiring the dream may be.

A dream should be narrated, and that too privately, to the one who is sympathetic to the
dreamer

and who takes interest in his life and is concerned with his welfare and happiness. A dream

should be narrated to a saint or to a saintly person or to a man of lofty moral character or to a

learned man who is supposed to have insight into life. Sometimes it so happens that a dream

loses its inherent effect if narrated to any ordinary man or to a man who is not very friendly to
the

dreamer.

A person saw in a dream, that he had drunk the whole ocean. The dreamer tried to convey the

dream for interpretation to another person who was pious and learned both. The person

appointed to convey the dream for interpretation met another person on the way. After

exchanging greetings, the person asked him where he was going. He replied that he was

commissioned to get the interpretation of the dream from another person, whom he named.
On

being asked the dream, he narrated the whole dream. Upon this the person who had met him

said: “I am surprised that drinking the ocean his stomach did not burst”.

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As soon as he reached his destination, the saintly and learned man said: “What is the use of

coming to me now, when you have already narrated the dream to a person on the way, who,
in

haste and without any sense of proportion and perspective, has given a prejudiced
interpretation.

The dream was good, but it has been marred and maimed and mutilated by the ill-conceived
interpretation. The person who saw the dream would have acquired abundant knowledge and

learning, but for the interpretation. It has lost its charm and effect, and the person has lost the

chance”.

SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

A dream is a search for realities. It is a quest for new avenues. It is the milestone in the journey
of

life. A dream is a peep into the future, which may be black or bright. A dream constitutes a

window of the mind through which can be seen things unseen and unknown, some pleasant
and

inspiring, and some unpleasant and depressing.

The environment in which you live and work has a vital bearing not only on your life and
thoughts,

but also to a great extent on your dreams.

A dream as a suggestion is a kindness sho wn.

A dream as a message is a manifold grace con ferred.

A dream as a warning is a favour indeed.

A dream is an educative experience.

A dream is a secret entrusted to y ou during sleep. Narration of a dream is to invite another

person to share that secret revealed to you during sleep.

Let us now take some dreams, dream signs and symbols. The list is illustrative. It

cannot be exhaustive for the simple reason that every individual dream is a class by

itself.

Teeth: To see your teeth falling in a dream means a long life.

Water: To be dipped in water means to be freed from pain, trouble and sorrow.

Bathroom: To see a bathroom is a sign of death.

Garden: To see a garden implies comfortable living in the future.

Watering: To see yourself watering trees means to look after the downtrodden, the weak and
the

helpless.

Washing: To see yourself washing clothes means to be freed from bad habits or sins.

Tree: To see a tree without fruit implies less profit and little benefit.

Snake To see a snake means to get wealth. It may also mean an enemy. It depends on the
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circumstances or situation in which you, the dreamer, find yourself.

To kill a snake means to overcome an enemy.

Hair: To see your hair (of the head) cut, means to be freed from the burden of debt. Payment
of

your debt, makes you light.

Mango: To see the eating of mangoes means to have a child. It also means to have wealth.

Prayer: To see yourself giving a call to prayer at a wrong or inappropriate time, means to
undergo

anxiety or fear.

Ascent: To go up high means to get respect. It also means promotion or the attainment of a
high

status.

Descent: To descend from a high place means disgrace or loss of respect or degradation.

Horse: To see a horse implies eminence. To see yourself riding a horse points to obtaining a

commanding position. To get down from a horse is a sign of disappointment and loss of a post.

But it may also mean reaching the destination and thus achieving success in an undertaking.
The

crucial point in this dream is where you, the dreamer, get down from the horse, and, on
getting

down from the horse, what was uppermost in his mind, and what was uppermost in your
mind,

and what type of feelings did you undergo then.

Grazing: To graze the goats implies guidance and leadership, whether spiritual or political. It
may

also mean to govern and to rule.

Coffin: To see your own points to life prolonged.

Prayer: To see yourself leading the prayer means to be a spiritual guide and teacher.

Carpet: To see yourself stretching a carpet on the floor means to be a source of comfort to
others

and to be a benefactor of mankind.

Drinking: To see yourself drinking water to quench your thirst and your thirst increasing still,

means acquisition of knowledge.


Saint: To see a saint in a dream is to receive help and guidance. To see a saint in your dream

ordering someone else to give papers to the dreamer, is to entrust the dreamer with some
exalted

spiritual office or assignment.

Angels: To see an angel in your dream means a search for spiritual perfection.

Spiritual guide: To see your own spiritual guide is to be blessed.

Ring: To see wearing a ring means prosperity or a marriage of your liking. To see a ring implies

wealth.

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Tree: To see a shady tree falling down on the ground points to the death of some elderly
person

in the family.

Sun: To see yourself sitting bareheaded under the burning sun is to be deprived of help,

assistance or advice. If a child sees itself in such a dream sitting bareheaded under the sun and

eating food, this points to his or her becoming an orphan.

Darkness: To see yourself going in darkness means anxiety, trouble, affliction or suffering.

Light: To see light is to get comfort, peace and prosperity.

Hands: To see yourself washing your hands implies failure, despondency and despair in regard
to

the object you want to achieve.

Diamond: To see a diamond is financial security.

Stairs: To go up a staircase or to climb a ladder points to success in the undertaking.

Pen: To see a pen implies knowledge. To see a pen in your hand implies more knowledge or
the

attainment of perfection in your artistic pursuit. To see yourself writing, means to diffuse and

spread knowledge. To hold a pen means to exert authority.

Weeping: To see yourself weeping in a dream implies to be rid of sorrow and get happiness

afterwards.

Water: Pure and sweet water in a dream is ample provision for sustenance. Muddy and
unclear

water points to an unhappy life. Water flowing on muddy ground is an indication of


obstruction to
the achievement of the object that you, the dreamer, have uppermost in your mind at the
time.

Wind: Stormy wind is an indication of anxiety, pain or sorrow. Moderate wind is a source of joy
to

the dreamer, but it constitutes grief to the enemy.

Naked: To see yourself naked in a dream is the mark of disgrace.

Smoke: Smoke in a dream points to the increase of anxiety and trouble.

The dead: To take anything from the dead is the sure sign of some help or assistance. To give

something to the dead points to some misfortune. It may be some loss in business or it may be

some other loss.

Perfume: To see perfume, which is applied is an indication of joy and pleasure, but to see

perfume, which is scattered invites trouble.

Ice: To see ice in a dream means helplessness to cope with the problem or the challenges of
life.

It may also mean death.

Lamp: To see a lamp or a lantern means the attainment of spiritual knowledge or the wish to

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attain that type of knowledge. The light of the lamp or the lantern may throw some light on
the

problem which the dreamer wants to solve and which is evading a solution.

Camel: If seen in a dream it means a journey which is not comfortable.

Cow: A cow in a dream stands for good crops and prosperity.

Barber: To see a barber in a dream means that the dreamer will have trouble. Your affairs will
not

admit to easy settlement.

Carrier: A water-carrier in dreams means wealth and so does a potter and a porter.

Goldsmith: If you may see a goldsmith in a dream it indicates wealth and success in the pursuit
of

the dreamer.

Physician: To see a physician implies illness, pain and suffering.

Tailor: To see a tailor is a sure indication of the change of circumstances for the better.

Lion: A Lion in a dream stands for an arrogant and cruel enemy.


Elephant: An elephant in a dream is indicative of a ruler whose anger and wrath know no
bounds.

Desert: To see a desert implies frustration and loss of refined sentiments and creative ideas.

Scissors: To see a pair of scissors in your dream implies that you want to get rid of someone

whom you do not like and from whom you would like to separate yourself.

Bridge: To cross a bridge means success in the undertaking.

Clear water: To see clear water flowing implies a solution of some difficulty or successfully

tackling the problem.

Well: To see yourself falling in a well implies happiness and joy after sorrow and suffering.

Hunting: Dreams of shooting and hunting are an indication of the dreamer becoming a ruler.

Clothes: A new garment is the symbol of wealth. An old garment is an indication of sorrow and

grief.

Moon: To see the new moon in a dream on the first day of its appearance implies continuous

pursuit of knowledge.

Tree growth: To see a tree growing in the courtyard and becoming shady implies the birth of a

son, who will be a great conqueror or a leader or a benefactor of the people.

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For more information see the book of Dr. Sharib.

Source:

Dr. Zahurul Hassan Sharib: Inward Peace – A Collection of Mystical Lectures.

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