DREAMS OF HONOURS
DR UMAR AZAM BA PHD DCL DIP.FJ.
DIP.IM
MANCHESTER, UK
APRIL 2003
ABSTRACT
This paper
is meant to fit in with the other titles on aspects of
'dreams' which I have produced: ROMANTIC DREAMS [also on this
site], for example. I consider myself very lucky to have
experienced, and to be able to recall, so many dreams of
worldly honours!
DEFINITION
'Dreams of
Honours' is taken to mean 'dreams of worldly rewards': awards,
trophies, success in competitions, robes, medals, caps, gowns,
degrees [and other qualifications] as well as miscellaneous
other tokens of appreciation and
recognition.
INTRODUCTION
The dreams
of wordly honours which follow now reveal that I will get
worldly rewards for my Islamic work as well as the
celestial ones described in DREAMS OF REWARD IN PARADISE [now
on this site]. For seventeen long years, 1984-2001,
I received no worldly plaudits for my solitary, intensive
Islamic work [please see ARCHIVAL ISLAMIC WORK -also on this
site- for the results of those efforts]. The dreams of
honours I experienced every now and then informed me that my
striving was worth much recognition in the form of awards and
prizes. So I have been encouraged by such
dreams to maintain my aspirations: an important 'carrot' when
one is working alone and needs constant self-motivation.
Most of these dreams have come about after I had
received my first Website Awards, and are fairly
recent.
THE DREAMS OF HONOURS
DREAM NO 1 15 NOVEMBER 1995
I dreamt that I
went to an important official with
a document and he signed it and his signature was v.
important.......the document entailed me having to spend more
than �500 to register for a [higher] 'degree' or some special
and unknown qualification, as well as more than another
�500 to order academic robes, cap and related ceremonial
attire. I was worried in the dream about how I was going
to raise the money for these two costs! This dream
acknowledged that I had accomplished something very special
and significant: something so prestigious and rewarding that
it involved [what was for me] considerable expense for
ceremonial
purposes!_____________________________________________________
DREAM NO 2 SUNDAY 5 JANUARY 1997
I was given the
message that my youngest sister could see [in her visions in
worldly life] my trophies in Paradise.
DREAM NO 3
18 AUGUST 1997
I had a dream that
I deserve a special award for tutoring so hard for so many
years [even tutoring when Ihave been ill], and helping to
support my parents and siblings financially over these
years.
DREAM NO 4 FRIDAY 15 MAY 1997
I dreamt that
there were lush-green meadows near Exeter University
which resembled gardens with a river flowing through
them. I saw an exhibitionary table on which lay
University memorabilia: a graduation cap and framed portraits
of past University Chancellors, or
Vice-Chancellors, were the only items I could
recall when I woke up.
Context
This was a very
emotional dream which conveyed an atmosphere of blessing and
honour. Just the day before, Paul Auchterlonie,
Librarian of the Dept. of Islamic and Middle-Eastern Studies,
had acknowledged receipt of the copy of VISIONS OF PARADISE,
by Zaheer Azam, which I had posted as a gift. Mr
Auchterlonie had used the word 'delighted' in his letter to
me: that he was 'delighted' to receive the publication for the
Library of Exeter University.
******************************************************
DREAM NO 5 FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER
2002
I dreamt that the
top 6 multi-national, multi-billion dollar companies of the
world granted me funds. The postman came to collect my
signature for some important document [ie. for the acceptance
of funds] and I signed on an advanced magnetic pad with a
stencil.
*******************************************************
DREAM NO 6 FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER 2002
I dreamt
that I received an e-mail which conveyed the news that I
had won an Award for my Website (http://www.dr-umar-azam.com)/
This message included another two contacts for awards, so
that all three awards were inter-linked: if I contacted any
organisation, the other two organisations would be aware of
our dealings.
Interpretation
This dream
foretold the future: in the next few weeks, I received
another nine awards.
******************************************************
DREAM NO 7 SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER
2002
I dreamt that I
should display on my Website the Awards of the top two of
the higest-placed twenty individual Islamic
websites.
******************************************************
NO
8 SATURDAY 7 DECEMBER
2002
I dreamt that Babar Javed of HEXA WEB
STUDIO [http://www.hexaweb.tk/] withdrew my trophy - THE HEXA WEB
AWARD! But then a new Award code was sent to
me. This second award carried more value than the
first one because the award badge now had important, or
influential, writing accompanying
it.
Context
I was worried when
the initial HEXA WEB AWARD badge disappeared from my the Home
Page of my Site. Even so, I was rather confused because
Babar Javed had not informed me of his intention, perhaps
wishing to give me a surprise [a pleasant one!]. This
dream told me what was happening and advised me not to
worry. It was a true dream: the new badge appeared in
due course. It is identical to the old one but,
beneath it, in large writing, are the words, 'This
site is awarded by Hexa Web Studio' [please see
the home page of my site].
******************************************************
DREAM NO 9
MONDAY 2 DECEMBER
2002 [THE HOLY MONTH OF
RAMADHAN, 1423]
I had a dream that
my Website was ranked No.1 in the world. Then it
was relegated to No. 2 by a corporate website. Then
it slid further down to No. 3. But at position No.
4 there was also THE DR UMAR AZAM WEBSITE. So there were
now two Dr Azam Websites: one third best in the
world and the other fourth best. Finally, I received the
message that my Website is definitely amongst the best 20
sites in the world!
Context
I experienced this dream at a time when I was
applying for the world's best website awards. After
two inspections, DOUG'S WORLD [http://www] gave my Site
the red light: no award! I felt cross and frustrated.
But this dream told me that my Site is indeed one of the best
in the world, even if it is not recognised officially as
such!
********************************************************************
DREAM NO 10 SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER 2002
[THE HOLY MONTH OF
RAMADHAN 1423]
I dreamt that a
Muslim girl looked at my Website and saw
my Awards. Then she was so impressed that she fell
in love with me, and covered her hair with her dupatta
[head scarf].
***************************************************
DREAM NO 11
THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER
2002 [THE HOLY MONTH
OF RAMADHAN 1423]
An extremely
pleasant vision came into my head, when I was very
relaxed and almost asleep, of my pupil, Ainee [Noorain Zahid],
reading printouts of congratulatory e-mails which I had
received. These were informing me that I had been
successful in my various applications for website
awards.
*******************************************************
DREAM NO 12
SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER
2002 [THE HOLY MONTH
OF RAMADHAN 1423]
I dreamt that I
received a website award from China. The award badge
seemed to be rather solitary on the computer screen, and there
was an evil, kuffar [unbelieving] atmosphere
surrounding it. But I was comforted by the
knowledge that this award had been approved by a
Muslim organisation.
DREAM NO 13 FRIDAY 29 MARCH 2002
I
dreamt that my friend, Waseem Haque, and I were sitting an
intensive examination [like in the gym for school and
University exams!]. When we had finished, I found out
that this exam. had been the first step to a prestigious
degree [higher doctorate, for instance] for which Waseem and I
had been given a substantial grant such as �30,000 or
�800,000. [When I woke up, I couldn't recall the exact
figure but I knew that it was something
substantial].
_________________________________________________________
DREAM NO 14 MONDAY 29 JULY
2002
I dreamt tht Iwas
wearing the official blazer of the University of Oxford.
I definitely belonged to Oxford University. There was an
atmosphere of great achievement and reaching the pinnacle
of success in the dream: I had reached my
goal!
Context
When I had
telephoned to ask if I should donate THE DR AZAM ARCHIVE
[1984-2002*] the Librarian of the OXFORD CENTRE FOR ISLAMIC
STUDIES had expressed an interest in acquiring it for the
Library collections. I drove from Manchester to
Oxford to deliver 13 boxes of documents in person. But,
after a few weeks, I received a letter from Professor
Piscatori, Library Fellow, informing me
that, due to constraints of space, it was not
possible to hold my Archive and that I should come to collect
it. I felt deceeived and that this was unfair: after
all, I had only delivered my Archive after getting the
go-ahead from the Librarian. As far as I know, the
Archive is still in the Library of the Oxford Centre
for Islamic Studies. This dream informed me
that I do have a close connection with Oxford,
even though Professor Piscatori was trying to treat me
like an outsider.
* The DR AZAM
ARCHIVE is still ongoing.
DREAM NO 15 SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER
2002
I dreamt that my
pupil Atia Jabeen sent me an award code by e-mail, for
placement on my Website.
Context
Later that day, I
received the 'GOLDEN WEB AWARD' from the INTERNATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF WEB MASTERS AND DESIGNERS and showed all
six pages of the congratulatory e-mail to
Atia.
DREAM NO 16
TUESDAY 22 NOVEMBER
2002[THE HOLY MONTH
OF RAMADHAN 1424]
I dreamt that
Faisal and Atia, my pupils, carried the badge of an Award
on their Website. There was only this badge on their
Website - nothing else! It was a very prestigious award
and had something written on it which indicated 'NO. 1' or
'THE BEST'. A kind of moving visual accompanied it,
and this seemed to make the Award complicated as well as
prestigious. I was trying to copy the Award badge, to
paste it onto my site! But I was having problems
with the mouse: it was not copying the image, or even
recognising the image when I rolled the mouse. Then, in
the next scene, I saw something on their
Website, which was all natural! The pages of their
Site were like the pages of an atlas: only the
atlas contained live geographic relief and
scenery! I saw a vast ocean, very calm and very blue,
whose water was placid. On another page, I saw lofty
mountains and deep valleys. The scenery was awesome
and spectacular!
Context
In this Holy
Month, I had given Atia photocopied sheets of prayers from
PANJSURA SHAREEF to read: DAROOD TAJ, THE SEVEN
HAIKALS, DUA-E-GANJ-UL-ARSH, as well as other DUAS [ e.g.
DUA-E-AMN, DUA-E-DAFA-E-WABA]. Atia had
then asked me to show Faisal a set of these sheets too [the
two families were close:Faisal's mother had recommended
me as a tutor to Atia's mother]. I went to Faisal's
house, gave him a set and explained the material to
him briefly too. He was very impressed by the SAWAB
[CELESTIAL REWARD] that a person can receive, from Allah Most
High, after reading them.
Interpretation
Because my
Website contains
material which praises Allah Almighty, such material is
'natural' since all nature glorifies the Majesty of
God.
DREAM NO 17 WEDNESDAY 11
DECEMBER 2002
I dreamt that I
was telling someone that my Award was from the MUSLIM
NAMES Website. There was an honourable and blessed atmosphere
in the dream.
Context
Before falling
asleep at night, I had been looking at my 'FIVE STAR
AWARD' [ISLAMIC SITES AWARD GROUP] and feeling
pleased with the badge of the trophy on the Home Page of my
Site: I admired the handles and base, and yearned to pick up
the trophy.
DREAM NO 18 SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER
2002
I dreamt
that I was travelling, on my hands, upside
down, along the curve of a very fast, lofty road. I
felt fear and a sense of awe that the road had been
constructed so well! [In the next scene] I passed a travelling
fun fair and saw all the vehicles and trailers slow down and
then stop on site. Then I went into a shop. In it,
I saw numerous ugly, old medals. They were all
second-hand but, nevertheless, seemed to be impressive
awards. However, I myself didn't like them at all.
I recalled that, earlier on in my life, the the very first
trophy that I had won was a frail, plastic trophy composed of
two sections; the top diamond-shaped 'landmark'
protuded upwards and had the tendency to become detached
every now and then; the lower section was the flat
base.
DREAM NO 19 SATURDAY 6 APRIL
2002
I saw the vast and
opulent stadium of Old Trafford; it was so spacious and
striking! Then I thought to myself, 'No wonder
Manchester United do so well in football [winning so many
trophies]: they have the confidence of status and
wealth!
Context
See my use of cricket and football score
analogies for self-motivation in my Islamic work [ISLAMIC
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS; now on this Site].
DREAM NO 20
THURSDAY 7 FEBRUARY
2002
I looked into a
shop to choose a fountain pen; I saw an inferior brand.
Then I was using a pen of OXFORD UNIVERSITY, which I had
[eventually] purchased [presumably from the University's
Souvenir Shop]. It took Oxford ink, and
looked very durable and efficient. But when I wrote with
it, the barrel split into two! Although I merged the two
ends together, I was disappointed that what I had considered
was an ideal pen was actually quite defective in its
manufacture.
DREAM NO 21
THURSDAY 21 FEBRUARY
2002 [THE EVE OF
EID-UL-ADHA 1423]
I went into a shop
to buy a biography of the Prophet Muhammed [PBUM]. The
assistant showed me five or so books on the subject, all
written by different authors. The books were hardback
and piled on top of one another. I decided not to buy
any of them but instead asked the assistant, 'Have you a book
on the subject {biography of the Holy Prophet [PBUM]} written
by an author who has won numerous awards for
his Website?'
Interpretation
This
dream hinted at the future: I won numerous website awards
in December 2002 and January 2003 [some eight months
later]. I may write a biography of the Prophet
[PBUM] in the future and, Insha'Allah, if I do, it will have
to be a better book than those books written by authors who
have not won website awards!
DREAM NO
22 MONDAY 6 JANUARY
2003
I dreamt
something to the effect that the three Awards on
my Website [ BEST ISLAMIC SITE AWARD, HEXA WEB AWARD,
GOLDEN WEB AWARD] were linked to Ainee's, my pupil Noorain
Zahid's, name! Even if there was an alteration in the
mutual link, the visitor would still be led to my awards from
Ainee!
DREAM NO
23 SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2002
I dreamt that now is the time to
wear a cap and feel pleased that I am attending Grammar
School!
Context
When I was
at primary school, I used to wish that I would go to
Grammar School: Grammar School uniforms are smart
and boy pupils wear a cap. I pictured myself on a
bus, on the way to school, wearing a cap and a
noble, beautiful and desirable schoolgirl admiring me
because of my cap and thinking how intelligent and capable I
was! This dream suggests that I am now worthy of
the honour and romance that I used to naturally
desire in childhood!
DREAM NO
24 MONDAY 3 FEBRUARY
2003
I dreamt
that there were two little boys [1], about four years
old. One was the son of Allama Iqbal, the famous
Pakistani poet and philosopher. The son had a radiant
face and he was wearing a red jumper. The other boy
was my own relative [2] and he was not as prominent [in
rank]. The boys stood beside stone steps which
looked dangerous. The step to which they were the
closest was wide and had a steep gradient! But the
boys were so fearless that they would attempt to descend these
steps without any concern for their safety! Then I was
given the message that the Pakistani population are not
respecting Allama Iqbal's son, even though he is of
famous lineage; he is being treated as if he is
insignificant - just like any other common child!
[3]
Interpretation
[1] The
boys could be symbols of intellectual work: 'literary
progeny'.
[2]
My POETRY and PHILOSOPHY OF ISLAM works may be of a
standard close to Allama Iqbal's but are not as
significant.
[3] Allama
Iqbal's work is treated
shabbily.
DREAM NO
25
FRIDAY 7 MARCH 2002
I saw musicians at an
awards ceremony; these musicians were dressed in very smart
uniforms like the staff of the British armed forces and they
looked very powerful! This awards ceremony was
being held in my honour! As my brother [my
guest on the occasion] and I passed, the musicians looked
at us in rather a frowning manner! I was given
prizes such as Brazil Nut Chocolates, which
I took home for my siblings! Then the father
of my childhood friend , Kadeer Amjad, admitted me
into his house with respect: he had been initially reluctant
to do so because one of his beautiful, young daughters was in
the house at the time too!
Interpretation
I experienced this dream on te
day after I had completed my article entitled, 'Palestine'
[now on this Site]. the awards I receive in the
future will be awarded because of my Islamic work
and my Website.
DREAM NO
26
SUNDAY 30 MARCH 2003
My brother, Zaheer, placed a few
letters, which had arrived for me, on top of his television in
the front room of our parents' house. When I opened one
letter, I was surprised to see that he had
written a letter to thank me for all that
I had done for him! The letter heading, and the
letter itself, were formed in very colourful, artistic and
delightful designs. There were patterns
and formations which I cannot adequately
describe!
Interpretation
I had informed the BBC
of my availability for television work. This dream is
informing me that I will be too engaged in the media work
to give Zaheer the treats that he had become
accustomed to. A new phase would be starting soon. He was
grateful for all I had done for the family so
far and expressed this appreciation by giving me his own
award letter in my honour.
DREAM NO 27
C. 1975
I dreamt that I saw
a glistening, silver, American medal which had been
awarded to me. It carried an engraving of the legendary
tennis champion, Jimmy Connors, and had important writing
around its edges. I could only remember one word when I
awoke: 'SCHOLAR'.
Interpretation
In my childhood, I was a fan of
Jimmy Connors whom I saw playing at Wimbledon on
television. I was always very curious and amused to hear
his loud grunts when he served. I used to imitate this
sound [with admiration] when exerting effort at any sport I
played! I was 14 years old in 1975 and, obviously had no
idea at that time that I would get a Ph.D degree [Modesto,
California, 1991], my book DREAMS IN ISLAM published
[Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA, 1992] or my poetry published, too,
in anthologies of The International Library of Poetry
[Owings Mills, Maryland, 2000-3]. So this dream
was foretelling my future achievements! America was
symbolised by its national tennis champion, Jimmy Connors;
that I, too, would become a champion -in my own field, and by
submitting my Islamic work to institutions in that country-
was similarly implicated!
CONCLUSION
No
worldly award or reward could possibly match that granted by
Allah Most High in the Hereafter. However, if this life
is only a two-day journey, one still needs some encouragement
to progress satisfactorily along that journey: in that sense,
these dream