In the Morning with the Prophet (2/2)

One day the Prophet asked his companions to relate to him their dreams, if any, so that he would interpret them. One man said: "Messenger of God, I saw tonight a cloud raining clarified butter and honey. There were people trying to catch with their hands what it rained. Some took much and some took little. I saw also a rope rising from the earth to the sky. I saw you holding on to it and climbing up high. Then a man holds it after you and climbs high, then another man holds on to it and climbs high. A third man then takes it but it breaks. It is then retied for him and he climbs up."

Abu Bakr said: "Messenger of God! Please let me interpret it." The Prophet told him to go ahead. Abu Bakr said: "The cloud is Islam and the shade it gives its people. The butter and honey it rained is the Qur'an, as it is both sweet and rich. As for what people gather of it, there are people who learn much of the Qur'an and others who learn little of it. The rope that stretches from the earth to the sky is the truth that you are advocating. God will raise your status by that truth. After you one man will stick to it and he rises high, and another man does the same. Then a third man will take it up but it breaks, before it is retied and the man will rise higher. Please, Messenger of God, tell me whether I am right in interpreting it or not." The Prophet said: "You are right in some aspects and wrong in others." Abu Bakr said: "By God, let me know where I was wrong." The Prophet said to him: "Do not say an oath."

It should be noted that the dreams the Prophet's companions related to him were relevant to their main preoccupation and the matter that concerned them most, namely, their faith. Their lives were focused on their faith; they strove for it during the day and took it to bed. Thus, it was reflected in their dreams. We may wonder much about the Prophet's companions: how close to him and concerned about hi m they were. Indeed their preoccupation with him was extended from their wakeful hours to their sleeping time and their dreams.

At times, the Prophet might relate to them a dream he saw before adding how it should be interpreted. Samurah reports that the Prophet "asked us one day if any of us saw a dream. We answered in the negative. He said: 'Last night I saw two men coming towards me, then they took me by the hand to the holy land ...'" The hadith then mentions the dream at length, including some of the conditions of people deserving God's punishment and the causes of their punishment. The hadith also includes some aspects of the Hereafter.

The session included some conversation between the Prophet's companions, and he took part in their discussion or listened to what they said. They might speak about their pre-Islamic days and their practices that smacked of total ignorance and how they subsequently realized the fallacy such practices involved. They spoke about the enlightenment Islam gave them. As they spoke about these, they might laugh at their own past ignorance. The Prophet might smile, for he, generally speaking, would only smile in most cases. The Prophet normally stayed in the mosque until the sun had risen and was fully resplendent.

The Prophet then proceeded to his wives' rooms. When he went out of the mosque, he would say: "In God's name. All peace and blessing may be granted to God's Messenger. My Lord, forgive me my sins and open to me the gates of Your grace." The first thing he did as he entered his home was to brush his teeth, so as to clean his pleasant mouth. He would greet his family, saying: "Assalamu 'alaykum; Peace be to you. How are you, members of this household?" He would visit every one of his wives in her room, greeting them all and praying for them, without staying long with any of them. He might even enter the room of any of them only to find her in her place of prayers, and he would leave her to continue. It is reported that he once entered Juwayriyyah's room and found her at her place of worship, glorifying God. He went out again, leaving her to continue whatever worship she was engaged in.

Sometimes he might want to eat, and he would simply ask: "Do you have anything?" If they had any, they would bring it to him. In most cases, it would be very simple and light food, such as dates, dried milk or hays,[1] or it might be only a drink of milk or some brew.[2] If they had nothing, he would say: "Then I am fasting today."