Way of The Seekers — Page 97
97 THE In short, Islamic mysticism is based on hope and fear, hope being the dominant factor. Positive forces are released only by hope. Fear can generate nothing more than negative forces. Since the real purpose of man’s creation is to generate the love of God, that can be done only by hope. Fear can at best ward off sins. Islam seeks to dispel fear. We have seen that the Holy Quran assures us: My mercy encompasses everything. (7:157). Then the Holy Prophet (on whom be peace) clarified the position still further. He said that cheering dreams proceed from God and frightening dreams proceed from Satan. Since the impact of dreams on the mind is undeniable, he warned that we should not be afraid of frightening dreams since their source is satanic. This certainly does not mean that every dream of that kind is satanic as Prophets too have such dreams. The idea is that if there is a multiplicity of dreams of this kind, to the total or near total exclusion of hope-inspiring dreams, it should be presumed that they are satanic in nature. Thus the Holy Prophet (on him be peace) sought to remove fear from the hearts of the faithful. There is, however, the risk that a person who dreams such dreams, may have a true dream for once and dismiss it to his loss as satanic. The Holy Prophet (on him be peace) has also pointed the way out. He said: When a believer happens to experience a dream of this nature, he should turn over to his left side and spit out and recite: La haula wa la quvvata illa billah (There is no security against ill and no strength to achieve good except through Allah). The point he has made is a subtle one. When we spit at something, actually or figuratively, we mean to reject it as unworthy of our attention. By his advice, to spit out, the Holy Prophet (on him be peace) has inspired the faithful with courage and hope. There is every possibility that among many such dreams one may on occasion be true. The recitation taught by him is, therefore, very significant, in so far as it provides an occasion to seek divine forgiveness and strengthen