I want to share with you a strange and magical moment I just experienced. I received an email through my website from a gentleman I had met once at a book signing four years ago. I dont know him beyond that, nor have we stayed in contact via Facebook or social media. I will share his email here, which contains a strange dream he had this morning that conveyed to me something my heart very much needed: We met in the summer of 2010 at the Mid-Manhattan Public Library where you were doing an author talk on the then-recently released \Mother of the Believers\. You gave away your books for free and suggested attendees buy the other author\s book instead (who had written a historical fiction about Mary Magdalene). So, I found no harm in picking up both copies of your book, including \Shadow of the Swords.\ But that\s not why I am writing, although you have been on my mind these last few days. For example, I spent one of my mornings last week thinking about one current Christian author\s convoluted spin on the trial of Banu Qurayza after the Battle of Khandaq. That afternoon, I just decided to \google\ you again. Then I stumbled upon your blog post, \The Mercy of Prophet Muhammad\, which mentioned it and pointed out the same concerns and insights that I had. Now this morning, I had a dream. It was of many (mostly-incoherent and forgotten) aspects. But one part stuck with me. I saw that I was in a room. Obama walked in as if to have some conversations. You walked out of the room out of anguish over his inaction to stop killings of Muslims. I walked to just outside the door to the room which spilled onto the stairway that you were about to climb to go upstairs. You had the look of anguish and disappointment written all over your face. I patted you on the chest and said to you (in Arabic), \Laa Tahzan, Laa Tagh-dhab\ [Dont be sad, dont be angry], while thinking (and recollecting in the case of the second statement) that these are statements that the Prophet (SAW) would have made (to his companions and as admonitions). Then, I walked back into the room. I have, in the past, seen the Ahlul-Bayt [Family of the Prophet Muhammad] in my dreams, but-in my limited recollection-not a contemporary that I knew. I was left shaken by this email. Over the past week, I have descended into a terrible state of despair by the events in the Middle East. And then I get this message from a stranger, reminding me not to be sad or to be angry. I take the deeper meaning of the dream to be to not walk away from the world, even if I feel that its leaders are complicit in injustice. It is a reminder that I hope will touch your heart as well. Dont be sad. Dont be angry. Dont despair. Dont disengage. Follow your heart. Do your part, and leave the rest to God. I was in no mood to celebrate the Eid holiday tonight which marks the end of Ramadan. But with this dream conveyed by a stranger, God has reminded me to be of good cheer. He is the Hearer and the Knower. God is in charge of these events that remind us of how utterly powerless we human beings are. And with God in charge, all will be well. And so I wish all of you a blessed Eid and joyful days ahead. Peace.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 23:28:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015