KERÂMATS OF IMÂM-I-AHMAD RABBÂNÎ ‘quddisa sirruh’ (II)

He pulled me along till we reached a garden. Leaving me in the garden, he proceeded alone. He entered a large room seen in the distance. A luminous faced great person was seated in the room. Bashful and respectful, he greeted that great person, who in his turn acknowledged the greeting, smiling. Observing the rules of manner due at such places, he kneeled before him. He was telling him something and pointing to me at the same time. I could see him looking at me from the distance and I knew he was telling him about me. After a while, that noble shaikh of yours stood up and beckoned to me. “That exalted person sitting in there is hadrat Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’. Listen well and see what he says,” he warned. We entered. I greeted. The luminous faced person said, “Never, never harbour any resentment in your heart against Rasûlullah’s ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam’ As-hâb! Never speak ill of any one of those great people! We and those brothers of ours know what our intentions were in those deeds of ours which look like wars in their outward appearances.” Then, mentioning the honourable name of that elevated shaikh of yours, he added, “And never be opposed to his writings!” After listening to his advice, I searched my heart and found that the discord, the hostility I had felt against those who had made the so-called wars was still there. He knew how I was and became angry. Looking at your noble shaikh, he said, “His heart needs better cleaning. Give him a slap in the face!” Hadrat Shaikh dealt me a good slap in the face, which made me think to myself, “It was my love for this person that made me hate those people. And now he is so badly offended with my grudge against them. He wants me to cease from this mood. So I must forget about this animosity!” When I searched my heart once again, I found it perfectly purified of the hostility it had had. At that moment I woke up. My heart is quite free of that hatred now. The spiritual flavour I received from the dream and the words has actuated drastic transformations in me. Now my heart does not contain any sort of love except that of Allah and I have much more belief in your exalted shaikh and the ma’rifats in his writings.