In The Name Of Allah The Beneficent The Most Merciful

Formation of different traits of human nature and dispositions depicted by people are consequential to the activities performed in various walks of life. For instance, forms a, b, c, x, et cetera. Under consideration is that pattern of formation which enables a person to reach the goal of spiritual cognition step by step. 

First we shall consider an example from the material world. If a person wants to be an artist. He is required to gradually assimilate the features of the picture he intends to draw. He already knows it by virtue of his memory that a set of particular strokes of the pencil would make an ear and eyes or hair would be formed from altogether different types of lines. Practice enables him to draw masterly and represents every part of the body in pencil lines. He can, now, be called an artist…. How did all this happen?

Image of the human features already existed in his mind. To copy down that image when he used the pencil, the image present in his mind kept on guiding him at every step. The teacher who thaught him the art of drawing kept on instructing him in the use of the pencil for drawing the picture of an organ. That was the maximum the teacher could do. The image of the picture was not reflected upon his mind by the teacher. That already existed in him. In other words, we can say that thousands of human features were preservedly stocked in his soul. When he intended to draw those features on a canvas, under guidance of a teacher all the features present in his mind were successfully transferred on the paper. 

There could be thousands of similar examples of worldly skills from which we would deduce only one conclusion that by nature man is everything such as an artist, a writer, a calligrapher, a tailor, a carpenter, a philosopher, a physician etc. etc. He has to practice certain exercises to a master in a specific field of art. Only then he his given one of the various names and we say that one has become an artist or a philosopher. In fact all the abilities and qualities were already there in his mind. He merely practiced arousing them. All that a teacher could do was to be an instrument in awakening the desired ability. 

Coming back to the point, just as a person is an artist, a calligrapher or a philosopher, similarly he has by nature special spiritual features and traits of a cognizor, a spiritual person, a saint, a holy man, a devout or that of a prophet. (Since prophethood has come to an end, therefore, no prophet could be discussed here, only a spiritual person, whatsoever his name may be, is indicated herein). 

We shall start discussing the abilities from alpha. 

A: What is man? What do we understand of him and how do we recognize him?

A figure of flesh and bones is there before us. Medically construction of muscles et cetera over the skeleton of bones gives shape to a body. This structure; the physical body of man is considered to be real. For protection of this body a thing called dress has been invented. This dress is usually made of cotton, wool or leather. The attire is basically to protect the body of flesh and bones. The attire, in fact, has no life or movement of its own. When it is on the body it moves along with the moving body. It means the movement of the dress is the movement which transfers to it from the body and actually pertains to the functional limb of the body. When we lift our arm the sleeve also moves along with the moving arm. This sleeve is the arm of the dress that has been taken on for the protection of the body. Thus, the definition of the dress would be that when it is on the body the movement of the body transforms in it and when it is taken off and is placed on a hanger it becomes static and devoid of any movement. 

Now, the comparison of the dress with the body is taken into consideration. Many examples could be cited in this regard but to explain the true meanings only one would suffice. That is, when one is dead. After death, the body of the deceased may be cut into pieces, dragged along, anything done to it, it will not offer any defense nor any movement will be initiated on its part. It will remain resting as and where it will be lying – no trace of life – at any time is possible in it. 

It means that after death the body becomes just like a discarded dress. The actual person residing in it abandons it. He leaves it and goes somewhere else. When it is established through observation and experience that the said body of flesh and bones is merely a dress’ and not the actual person, then it becomes necessary to find out the reality of man and that where does he go after leaving this dress’. 

Had this physical body been the actual person there should have been somehow or the other trace of life after death. The entire history of mankind cannot produce a single instance of movement of any kind by a dead body. 

In this situation we are constrained to be curious about the person, who after quitting the “dress” of the body leaves for somewhere else. The name of this very person, as told by the prophets, is the soul and the same is the real person in man, possesses all those potentialities which are collectively termed as life. 

Let us look of the various angles and phases of life if we could find a state similar to that which is denominated as death or in which one becomes defunct or deceased. If a state exactly like this is not found prevailing over man at any stage of his life then we are required to search, whether there exist any state identical to this one, prevalent for any measure of time, or not.

Answer to this is quite simple and easy. Man yields to sleep daily and during sleep, for a particular time period of time, his body adopts the form of a taking off dress. Thus it could be explained that when a person is fast asleep, a sleep in which he is only breathing and no other signs of life is perceivable, barring that condition no other organ is moving nor is his mind conscious of anything. This state may last only for two minutes, ten minutes, or for an hour but it is bound to occur all the same, the only difference is that of the breathing of the person, that is, all the symptoms and signs of life except this specific one cease to exist. This condition is state somewhat identical to death. 

The thing called dream leads us to the soul and the hitherto unexplored dimensions of the spiritual capabilities. That is, during sleep all the apparent movement of the limbs except breathing are suspended but in that state of dreaming we are ambulant, articulating, contemplating, feeling sad or happy. In short the sum total activities that we pursue during wakefulness are also performed or conducted in the state of dreaming. 

One can raise the objection that dreaming is merely an abstract activity and is related to with imagination only because when we restore to be wakefulness, no effect of the deeds performed or activity conducted last thereafter. It is an alltogether absurd approach. Everyone in his life time occasionally experiences such dreams that are called wetdreams, or wakes up horrified after frightening nightmare or the dreams which come true after a awakening. We will not be able to find even a single person who hasn’t experienced such a dream or dreams in his lifetime. In view of this fact, the statement that dreams are merely imaginary activities is refuted altogether. After acknowledging the fact that dreams are not mere imagination the significance of dreams is confirmed. 

We shall, now, compare the incident and activities performed during wakefulness with the incident and activities performed in the dreams. 

It is one of our routine, that we go to market. When we are shopping if we are asked “What did you see you on your way to the market?” Our reply would naturally be that we did’nt noticed much. This things tells us that if we are not properly attentive towards our surroundings in our wakefulness we remain oblivious as to what, how and when something did occur. 

This example, sufficiently proves that if we are attentive towards something, it has some value otherwise both dreaming or wakefulness have no significance. Long waking hours may pass by absent-mindedly. Similary major portion of dreams too passes by unnoticed. At times dream have quite a significance and at others even alert consciousness bear no significance at all. How far is it fair, therefore, to ignore the dreams which constitute exactly half the portion of a lifetime. 

Let us find and search for the ingredients, components, significance, and for the reality of dreams. 

Suppose a writer intends to write an essay. Only the topic of the essay is there in his mind, he hasn’t got the arranged composition or the details of the essay. But once he starts writing, various parts begin to occur to him in detail in an arranged form. This indicates that the gist and the meanings of the written essay already existed in his infra-unconscious. From there the substance transferred to the conscience or the mind. And, then after taking the shape and form of the words, it transforms on the paper. The place where the essay existed in the form of substance is termed “Sabita” (firmly affixed inscription) And unconscious by psychologist. Then this substance transfers to “Aayan” (substantiality), That is, it enters the sub-conscious. Finally the substance takes the form of words and phrases of narration. We term this state as transformation into “Jowviyah” (the confluence) and is known as “coming of something into the conscience mind, by the people in general. 

We considered it necessary that the potentialities known as dreams be mentioned now. In the world of dreams man re-enacts physical locomotion, he eats and drinks which means the soul moves about even without this body of flesh and bones. This ability of the soul which becomes activated only in dreams, can be traced by certain techniques and utilized in the state of wakefulness. This is the real source of knowledge of the prophets of God and this is the knowledge which enabled them to tell their followers about the station of man before his advent in this phenomenal work and where he is destined to go after the completion of his tenure in this worldly life.