DREAM

salaams,
The below is a long article but too beautiful not to read…Please take a few minutes and read carefully...who knows, this reading may show up on one of our cards.

A man described what he thought to be a dream, but in that state when one is not totally asleep. He awoke to find himself in a large room, with an entire wall full of drawers, similar to the 'card catalogs' that we had in our school libraries. The drawers were such that they went from floor to ceiling, and each had a label.

When the man walked close to the drawers, he stared at a drawer labeled "Missed opportunities for standing up for justice.

“Intrigued, he opened the drawer, and read details of opportunities that he was given and the excuses he gave for ignoring them. He closed the drawer and looked around, and came to the realization that this room with endless drawers represented his existence.

Every action of his life was filed under a category; he had indeed been 'labeled' to the fullest degree possible. He began to feel curious and decided to open drawers randomly to see what they contained.

There were some that brought back sweet memories: comforting a child, helping his aunt when she was in need, and spending some nights in prayer. He also read cards that told of his yearly donations to various charities and the ways in which he spent his wealth to help others.

There were also cards, however, that made him feel ashamed and guilty, so much so that he tried to hide his face in his shirt and cower down. The file called 'Brothers and Sisters" was next to one labeled "Brothers and Sisters that I have betrayed".

Inside here, there was a seemingly never ending amount of cards with individuals' names and the ways in which he betrayed them—primarily through backbiting. There were other drawers whose names haunted him as well: "Hypocrisy that I have practiced, “Rights of Parents that I have suppressed," Hard times I inflicted," and "Lies that I have told."

The titles amazed him and he was shocked that some drawers had many more cards than he expected, while others had much less. Some drawers seemed randomly labeled to him, such as "Movies that I have seen" or "Songs that I have listened to."

Only when he opened them did he realize not only how much time he spent on such activities, but also the quality of the material. The cards made him feel more ashamed, yet he could not help but read and open more drawers. He made his way around the wall and was frightened to see a drawer labeled "Curses that I have collected.

“He was afraid to open it, but felt slightly optimistic because he knew that despite his minor sins and transgressions in life, he was a generally good person. He slowly opened the drawer and thought it was only an inch or two deep and was
relieved--until he realized that the drawer was stuck. He pulled it hard, and the drawer flung open--it was deeper than the movies drawer.

He felt sick to his stomach thinking that he was accursed, but still believed that maybe there was some mistake inside. When he looked at the first card to read it, he then came to the devastating truth: He had always cursed the enemies of Allah, knowing the evil of the actions they committed, but he did not know that every time he indulged in an indecent act, one that those very enemies engaged in, the curses were brought upon himself.

The cards in the drawer made it seem that he was following in the footsteps of the oppressors, the unbelievers, the amoral and the misguided.

The sheer volume of cards in that one drawer made him vomit. Anger overtook him and he wanted to hide the evidence of the indecent acts. No one should ever see these cards, he thought. He instantly made a plan to burn them. But the card would not come out of the drawer, nor would the drawer fully separate from the wall.

He pulled with all his strength but he could not even tear a single card---they seemed stronger than metal and could not be dislodged.

In was in that moment that he looked at a card intensely for the first time---the bottom right hand corner contained his signature, and each card was in his own handwriting.

It was a further confirmation of the truth of the matter: his entire life was contained in this room, and there was no way to hide it from any onlooker. He had to admit that this was the
totality of his life.

As he began to cry, another drawer caught his eye, "Time spent in prayers". He knew that this drawer would be the one to make him happy---he attended every function in his local mosque and throughout the year too. When he opened the drawer though, his heart sank.

There were less than ten cards. He thought that was impossible until he flipped through to read the contents. One read "Attended Friday prayer each week, but thoughts always revolved around weekend plans. Did not take lessons of khutba to heart."

On another, it was written "Prayed regularly for himself, but ignored his neighbor." A third one said "Never once recited surah for a Masoom with a pure intention." He could not control his crying now and his cheeks were fully wet.

He cried a lot and been unconscious for a while,some time passed and he realized something,yes the door was still opened.........

Seeing the door to the room open, the man realized that this was how it was supposed to be. The door was open because he was still living. There was still time left to do good deeds, avoid evil and accumulate more good cards, not shameful ones.

He promised himself that the next time he was in that room with his Master; he would not hang his head down in shame. He would reform himself and follow the path of his Masters, not of their enemies.

And so, on these auspicious days, let us remember that we are all in the same situation as that man. To vow to reform ourselves is the best gift we can give to our Holy Master. As we pray for our desires and all else, let us seek forgiveness for ourselves and for all our brothers and sisters.

With prayers for a night and day (and life) full of spiritual fulfillment, sound thought and righteous action.