The Forest, the Book, & the Journey

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

There was once where we were in a state so we spent much of the nights in prayer.  There was a fever and for three consecutive days, there were very vivid dreams. 

On the first day, I saw a forest with very tall trees.  There was a path through the forest made of paved stones.  At some parts, there were shallow drains near the stones.  Everywhere, there were beautiful, coloured snakes of all sizes.  Some wee smaller.  Some were as big as pythons.  I knew they were deadly and poisonous. 

As I walked, some snakes I carefully avoided.  Others, I carefully used the staff I carried to push them away from the path.  And then there were those I leaned on my staff and crushed their heads. 

Behind me were a multitude of people.  I kept calling them to stay on the path.  Not only were they running all over the grassy forest, some of them were actually picking up these snakes, saying they were beautiful.  I saw someone I knew pick up a snake and I took it from his hand and cut it to pieces. 

I awoke at that point, frustrated. 

On the second day, I dreamt I saw a book in front of me.  It was a huge book that blocked my line of sight but it was not too thick.  But I knew that there were many people sitting in front, all listening.  It was a book I had written. 

I was reading from a page and expounding.  There are three types of people in the world.  The first are those who know only of one door, and that is the door of dunya.  And then there are those who know that there is another door.  And that is the door of akhirah.  And sometimes, they even touch it, but have yet to go through.  The third are those who have volunteered.  And they have walked through the door.  They are the ones who are flying in the Divine Presence. 

I was speaking of states that I knew not.  Of places and things I could not possibly know.  My head felt like a cup and oceans of knowledge were being poured inside.  It was astounding, it was beautiful and it was the loss of the Self.  I was spewing Divine Secrets like giving candies to eager children. 

When I woke up, I was still talking but I felt the knowledge fade away, and I was grasping at it, but it was like holding smoke. 

On the third day, I dreamt I was in the desert after dawn.  A man came up to me and told me to follow him.  It was Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab al-Faruq (r.a.).  We came to a man sitting on the dune.  He was dressed in white.  And he had a cloth that covered his face so I could not see the eyes.  But I remember that he had the most beautiful beard I had ever seen.  The hair was straight, and neat and it was greying but still had black.  That was Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  In that dream, I immediately recognised his Blessed presence. 

I was to the side, to the left of Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.), and to the right of Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  They were speaking, and either Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) asked, or Rasulullah (s.a.w.) ordered since that part was not clear to me: “Fetch Salman!”  And they were speaking of Sayyidina Abu ‘Abdullah Salman al-Farisi (r.a.). 

Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) told me to follow him.  He was not like the Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) I had read of in the books.  He was like a child skipping away.  When I asked my shaykh, he said, “In the Presence of Rasulullah (s.a.w.), are we not all children?”  Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) turned to me and said excitedly, “Salman is a great fighter,” although I had no idea what he meant. 

When we went to Sayyidina Salman (r.a.), he was packing his belongings, and he had so little.  He had only a sajadah to wrap it all in, perhaps an extra set of sandals, some dates, other small things I do not remember, and a sword.  I had the impression we were going for war. 

The next part of the dream was of a long journey.  There were thousands of men and camels and horses.  They were the swahabah of Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  They were all there.  I saw Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.), and Sayyidina Salman (r.a.) was the expedition leader.  I knew them all, and they knew who I was.  It was the most wonderful feeling to amongst them.  We were going to al-Mada’in and Sayyidina Salman (r.a.) was going to be the governor and to get married. 

In some parts of the dream, I was myself and in some parts I saw myself in the third person and I was Sayyidina Salman (r.a.).  In the last part, we were outside al-Mada’in.  I was Sayyidina Salman (r.a.) and I was holding his sajadah.  It is then that I noticed it was woven from reeds.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, in a hadits, “Salman baytihi”, “Salman is of my house”.  I am a descendant of the Prophet (s.a.w.), through my father’s side, and from Sayyidina Salman (r.a.), although the second part is not confirmed, only told in this dream.