(Don’t stop reading…)
THE DREAM: scene 1
I was in a huge building with maze-like hallways. I was
lost; I exited through a gate that leads to a forest. The trail in the forest
seems to be leading to nowhere until I run into a half-naked man (my spirit
guide) bending along the path. I asked if it is the right path but he ignored
me so I turned back. My spirit guide was behind me as I took another path. We
(I mean my spirit guide and I) were clawing our way to a slope in the forest
amidst a meshwork of overgrown tree roots (imagine a giant mangrove tree with
all the roots above ground). I heard my spirit guide said ‘snake’ at my left
foot so instinctively; I snapped with my right foot whatever was there at my
left foot. I woke up. With a sigh of relief; I said – thanks, it’s only a dream
but then; trees don’t pop into my windows and plants don’t grow from my lights
so I thought; this is not my room and
I woke up again meaning I woke up twice from a two layered dreams.
(Few days back; I watched from my Netflix the movie
“Inception.” It was the 3rd time I watched it and only then did I
understand what the movie was all about. They tried to create a 3 layered dream
– a dream in a dream in a dream.)
From the nearby mosque; the morning call to prayer was
blaring from the sound system. I got to my feet, did ablution and performed my
dawn (Fajr) prayer.
I must have fallen asleep as soon as I returned to bed
because I was immediately back to my dream world.
THE DREAM: scene 2
I was in an unfamiliar place with unremarkable houses. I
flagged down a jeep (…to my surprise, the driver was a Maranaw and with him
were two relative women passengers). I asked if he is going to Pasig (I have no
idea why Pasig) and he said, no but I can drop you where you can get a ride to
where you are going.
THE DREAM: scene 3
He dropped me in front of a house and pointed down the
street where I can get another ride.
There was a small store in the house (travel back in time –
our garage house) and in front was a rectangular table in the open where 3-4
men were sitting sipping soft drinks. I joined them although I knew neither of
the men. A man came out a door from the extreme side and one of the men asked
what happened and he said; we talked about marriage.
THE DREAM: scene 4 – a journey back in time
I walked down the street to find the bus terminal. (Travel
back in time – I used to do this when I was young selling px chewing gums,
peanuts and cigarettes)
The buses looked like rectangular coaches with the long
seats arranged in the old fashion way (travel back in time). If you are over 50
years of age; you probably rode in one of these buses.
Inside the bus were my aunt (deceased) and a female cousin.
There were other passengers. My aunt handed me money to pay for our fare. I
felt embarrassed that I already paid for my fare but I didn’t have enough to
pay for the 3 of us. She was telling me that her son (also deceased) have not
changed his ways.
THE DREAM: scene 5 – questions of faith. (If this dream did
not come to me at the end of Ramdan – a holy of holies in Islam; I would not
blog it. I don’t want to influence what people believe in.)
I feel that I was still inside the bus with my spirit guide
sitting on my side (and by the way; spirit guides more often than not are
shadow-like. Often times, you just feel their presence.). There were young
passengers asking me questions.
Question 1: Is it absolutely necessary for women to wear the
Nikab or veil? (Strange, this is a topic I have not discussed with anyone for a
very long time)
Answer: I will tell you the story of how the veil came to
be, I started. The prophet’s wives were not originally wearing the veil but as
Islam expanded, multitudes came to the prophet’s house. There were tribes in
the Arabian Peninsula that were traditionally wearing the veil. Those tribes
requested from the prophet if he can ask his wives to wear the veil when they
are visiting. The prophet’s initial response was to put curtains to isolate his
wives from view but this was not enough to the tribes. The prophet was in a
dilemma until the angel Gabriel came with a message from God (forgot the number
of the Qur’an verse). It is alright to let his wives wear the veil but (this is
an important “but”) – they should remove their veil when they are in the
vicinity of the scared house. (God unbounded by space and time knew that time
will come when millions will be performing the hajj. It will be extremely
uncomfortable and dangerous for women to be wearing the veil.)
But that is not the true story of the veil…I continued. In
the olden times and I think this is not unique to the Arabs; clans and tribes
were endlessly engaged in wars. Clans and tribes veiled their women to conceal
their identity when shepherding in the valleys, hills and mountains. That was
the sole purpose of the veil…to conceal the women’s identity from rival/enemy
clans and tribes until it became a tradition with the real meaning lost in the
carcasses of time.
Question 2: how about women’s circumcision in Islam? (This
is another strange question I have not talked about since how long – I cannot
remember)
…I said; don’t do it (followed by laughter). It is a tradition
by some African tribes that has nothing to do with Islam. Africa just happened
to be a Muslim continent and it is now considered mutilation by western nations
meaning if you are living in the west; women circumcision is unlawful and you
can be in jail. (The explosion of laughter woke me up.)
(I spent another half hour awake turning in bed deciding
whether to blog or not to blog. There was another element in the dream where I
traveled so far back in time I’ll rather keep it to myself. There is a meaning
to every element of the dream; I will eventually figure it out – Insha Allah.)
