the interpretation of dreams and events
-Holy Quran 12.6
Muhammad the Truthful, may Allah embrace him in the perfect peace of union, reported that spiritual dreams convey one fortieth of the power of Revelation. Dreams are sent by the Truth to the hearts of the dervishes to reveal Divine guidance and knowledge. They require interpretation by the shaykh or khalifa and are not to be taken literally, for dream imagery is divine metaphor. Significant dreams should always be told first to the shaykh or representatives, and then they may be shared with dervishes and friends. Dreams are gifts to the mystic body of the community—they are not solely for the dreamer. It is recommended that dervishes keep a dream journal.
The most intimate teaching in our Dervish Order comes through spiritual dreams and their inspired interpretation. The shaykh does not deal with psychological or merely stress-releasing dreams, nor is there any fixed system of dream symbolism. Two dervishes came to our previous Grand Shaykh and reported the same dream: climbing a minaret and giving the Call to Prayer. To the first, the inspired interpreter commented, ‘You are going on pilgrimage. Make preparations.’ To the second, he remarked, ‘You have taken something that does not belong to you. Discover what that is and give it back.’ Before taking hand, the aspirant often receives a significant dream of Divine Permission or, in some cases, Divine Insistence. After taking hand, one usually experiences a dream confirming that the ceremony was accepted by Allah. In the context of Islamic spirituality, no sacred rite is considered to be automatically effective. Rather, one must seek and await signs of the Good Pleasure of Allah Most High.