Me: Can I tell you about my dream? It was about you guys.
*relates dream*
Me: I feel like I should apologise for dreaming about you lol
(It wasn't a dodgy dream, I just don't know the people particularly well)
You have no control over your subconscious, it's fine.
Y: You should apologise to me, I'm offended I wasn't even in your dream
Me: you're not worthy enough to be in my dreams
That last sentence was a joke and I'm pretty sure the person knew that. But I'm an over thinker and I still wondered if offence was taken. My contemplating led me to person X's comment; that I'm not in control of my dreams.
We know through the Prophet 
that there are three sources of dreams, which are:
1)Allah (swt)
2)shaytan
3)ourselves
The dreams that come from us tend to be about our everyday life and the things we've thought about and seen during the day. Maybe about family and friends or Batman vs Superman dawn of justice or maybe you're wearing that beautiful yet way too expensive dress you saw. Maybe it's that person who you gave a second look to...and third and fourth... Maybe you're dreaming about looming exams or how to meet the next target at work.
These dreams are the subtle and not so subtle things that consume our minds. And so we should and do have some control over what they are. We can't control everything we could dream about but we can control what we think about. We need to stop and reflect on what our focus is on throughout the day and recognise how our thoughts can seep into our dreams and how certain dreams can have a detrimental effect on our imaan and general health.
I should look into the psychological research into this area but based on personal experience when I dream about certain things the desire and emotion attached to it strengthens. It can become a cycle; the more I think about something, the more I (am likely to) dream about it, the more my feelings grow, the more I want to follow my desires/the worse I feel.
I'll use a simple example: exam revision. I am a grade A procrastinator. As I'm sure you know, procrastinating delays the necessary action but doesn't make you forget that unless you start ASAP you're screwed. So I do what I want without being able to fully enjoy it while having the exam dates being constantly whispered with every other thought. It all gets too much and I dream I've failed. I don't need describe how that feels right? I'll go into panic mode. And this will either lead to more procrastination due to the crippling fear that I'm too far behind or lead me to take action and revise.
Gosh, I don't even have exams this year but that example has made me feel all stressed.
But i hope you understand and can identify with the cycle I am referring to. If we keep thinking about something we are just reinforcing it to the point where it will affect our actions, behavior and eventually character. We must act as as a gatekeeper to our mind and stop unnecessary and wrong thoughts forming. To do this we have to be aware of our environment; be surrounded by good things and people, watch and talk about good and avoid things that lead to sins.
Some people and things really aren't worthy enough to be in my dreams.
PS: If you are reading this while procrastinating and you feel you haven't got enough time left to revise just remember something I learnt off brother Abdel Rehman Mussa - "Shaytan promises you poverty".
Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.Quran 2:268
Poverty is not just in terms of wealth. Shaytan makes us feel like we don't have enough time or ability etc. But Allah promises us bounty - He (swt) tells us we can do it, we have enough. We need to firstly be grateful, we need to just ask Allah for more and we need to put the effort in. May Allah give you success, ameen.
Comments
There is a theory that dreams are like training. when you dream of certain events, it is you practicing your response in those circumstances.
So if you are dreaming of failure, you are rehearsing what you would do in that situation.
While sleeping, your brain stops the signal of action going from your brain to yor body. There has been an experiment done on cats where the brain is prevented from stopping these signals - these cats in their sleep have acted similar to how they would when awake.
Unlike what may often be suggested, it is possible to control what you think about and how you act. This isn't about thinking "don't think about a red show" because that obviously fails. The correct way is to be around better people, be preoccupied about better stuff - there is only a finite number of things you can focus on at once, when when you are concentrating on one thing, the others will move to the background.
That is hard - almost like trying to drag a horse into its stable by pulling its tail. But it is possible even though prone to failure.
The easier way is toset yourself up for success. Be around good people from the start, do positive things so that the stuff you would want to not let into your mind doesn't have a chance in the first place.
This all has a link to God consciousness too - being aware of God. We can't all be at the same level, but we should try to thebest of our abilities. Something that helps with this is dhikr.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
nerd!
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Just making use of the latest trends
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi