My dream, My hope

"A dream within a dream"
Picture by =matricaria72 of deviant.art

My dream, My hope

by Ameen Misran

I gently opened my eyes in the cold breeze that morning. It was about 12.30.The thin layer tent was surely water-proof but not cool-proof. Spending the night in the woods was surely a breezy experience. There I lay in the tent as the gentle wind embraced me. The beautiful sound of the river stream made me more close to my CREATOR. My father sat beside me smiling at his second son.

"You are awake," my father smiled.

"I fell asleep dad." I said.

"You did my son." 

"Why were you not sleeping dad?” I asked my father after seeing him wide awake.

My father grinned “To make you safe”.  

My dad was actually on guard that night, to ensure our safety in the unpredictable life in the woods.

 “Dad, I had a dream, a strange one” I said to my father.

My father rose and sat beside me. Then he wrapped his warm arms on my body, he knew that I was cold. 

"Do you want to tell me about it son?"

"It was so real dad. I was in a pitch black room. I had thoughts, unclean thoughts. So I ran and ran. Then I saw missiles, bombs falling from the sky and little kids, even younger than I getting killed and maimed. The world was in a bad state. Millions were poor dad, not even with enough food to eat. There were homeless people in a state of destitute. I kept on running till I saw huge storms and hurricanes and all types of disasters happening. I ran again and went passed those entire catastrophes. As I ran, people were fighting all the time – over land, possessions, oil and money. Rainforests were dying dad and animals of all types were in danger and the earth was actually heating up! And I dreamt of growing up and I was having happy times and sad times. And I lived a life dad. I did! I had a wife and kids and it was crazy fast you know. Everything went on so quickly. And I felt so terrified. First, I felt terrified, then I felt scared, a moment later I felt joy and so many times I felt helpless. And a lot of the time I felt so lonely. Worst of all dad, I didn't know where you were. I kind of knew you were there somewhere and I kept calling out for you. In fact sometimes I gave up hope and told myself that you didn't exist at all. But deep down I had a feeling you were somewhere. As I grew older I stopped searching for you out there and started looking within myself. Which was strange really but I kind of felt you were a part of me just as I was a part of you. All of that I saw and experienced while I was running all the way!”

My father looked at me with love in his wise eyes. "That’s some dream son!”

"How long was I asleep dad?" I asked, my eyes were wide open.

"Mmmmmm perhaps 30 minutes... not more than that," he said looking at his watch he bought from Mecca.

"Wow! All of that in 30 minutes?" I was surprised "Dad, that was my first strange dream."

"That is life son.”

"Dad…"

"Yes my son?"

"Did you know I was dreaming?"

"Why yes, of course."

"So why did you say it was life then?"

"My son, life seems to be so long, but we feel it so short…" He stopped a split of a second “because life is a short journey… Like the dream you just had.”

"In the bad parts of my dream, did you know I was suffering?"

“I saw you struggling in pain…”

“You could have awakened me up dad?”

"I could, but I didn't. You would have awakened from the start. It would have been a little frightening for you that way. In life, you have to learn how to endure a little pain for you to understand life yourself. You gently came out of the dream yourself."

He continued “Everybody has a choice in life, because this life is all about making choices…Maybe…”

"Dad…"

"Yes my son."

“Maybe what dad?”

“Maybe you’ll change the world? Maybe you have the potential to change what is inside your dream? Maybe you’re the next Salahuddin Al-Ayubi? Muhammad Al-Fateh?”

When he said that, I remembered the stories of Salahuddin Al-Ayubi who liberated Palestine, Muhammad Al-Fateh who freed Constantinople at the age of 21. Am I their successor? Do I have the potential to be?

“Maybe dad… I don’t know…I’ll try my best”

“Dad…”

“Yes my son.”

"I love–“before I could finish my words my father cut in “Ha…Here is something I want to share” while he took out a book of hadith compiled by Al-Bukhari from his back-pack.

“It’s about the interpretation of dreams” he added then he started to read. 

Narrated Abu Salama:

I used to see a dream which would make me sick till I heard Abu Qatada saying, "I too, used to see a dream which would make me sick till I heard the Prophet saying, "A good dream is from Allah, so if anyone of you saw a dream which he liked, he should not tell it to anybody except to the one whom he loves, and if he saw a dream which he disliked, then he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and from the evil of Satan, and spit three times (on his left) and should not tell it to anybody, for it will not harm him. " [1]

“What do you think of your dream? Do you dislike it or not?” my father asked.

“Hmmmm… Well I kind of like it dad although it was a bit scary but I’m not so sure if that dream was from Allah or not” I said.

“Inshaallah it was from Allah, did you take ablution before sleeping?” my father asked again.

“Yeah I did… I did dad, but I didn’t do Witr before sleeping[2] dad, I forgot…” 

“Dad…”

“Yes my son”

“You know why I told you this dream?”

“…except to the one whom he loves… Because I love you" I said while hugging my dad.

 His warm arms wrapped me. "I know, my child. I love you too. We are one family.”

“Son, do you know what is F.A.M.I.L.Y.?" While he played my hair.

“Of course I know dad: Father And Mother I Love You…”

“Son…” he took out a very beautiful and well designed book mark from his book of hadith. It was size of half a B5 paper. “I’ve got something for you…” he handed me that book mark.

“Jazakallah Khair abi” I read what is written on that book mark by heart:

Narrated Al-Bara' bin 'Azib:

When Allah's Apostle went to bed, he used to sleep on his right side and then say, "All-ahumma aslamtu nafsi ilaika, wa wajjahtu wajhi ilaika, wa fauwadtu Amri ilaika, wa alja'tu zahri ilaika, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika. La Malja'a wa la manja minka illa ilaika. Amantu bikitabika al-ladhi anzalta wa nabiyyika al-ladhi arsalta! Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever recites these words (before going to bed) and dies the same night, he will die on the Islamic religion (as a Muslim)"[3]

“If you die tonight son, there’s no reason for me to be sad”

I smiled. He will be sad if I passed away, even the slightest feel of sadness.

“Dad, I want to go out and take ablution” I asked permission from my father. The river bank was not far from our tent, about ten meters away.

So I went out of our tent, the cool breeze is no longer freezing me, maybe because I’ve been awake for some time, my body temperature has stabilized in the cold environment.

The air by the river was crisp and clean. Sounds of frogs croaking and crickets screeching could be heard. I followed their Zikr by saying Subhanallah, walhamdulillah, walailahaillah, wallahuakbar.

I took ablution. The cold streaming water made me livelier. After finished taking ablution, I inhaled all the fresh air I could. Mashallah, thank you Allah for this fresh air!

I went back to our tent. My father still not asleep, busy reading his book of hadith under the dimmed burning fire outside our tent. He didn’t realize my presence.

“Where is the Qiblah again dad?” I asked my dad.

“Innalillah!” My father was surprised.

“You shocked me… It’s is over there son” pointing on one direction in the woods.

After I finished performing solah Witr, I felt a little bit drowsy.

“Will you wake me up for Subuh dad?”

“Will do son. Have some beauty sleep”

I closed my eyes once again and hoped for another wonderful dream from Allah!

---

[1] Bukhari. Book 9. Volume 87. Hadith 115

[2] Narrated by Abu Huraira: My friend (the Prophet) advised me to do three things and I shall not leave them till I die,   these are: To fast three days every month, to offer the Duha prayer, and to offer Witr before sleeping (Bukhari. Book 2. Volume 21. Hadith 274).

[3] Bukhari. Book 8. Volume 75. Hadith 327