M6:3561 — خواب دیدم خواجهٔ بیدار را / آن سپرده جان پی دیدار را

Translation: I dreamt of that wakeful Master, He who had surrendered his soul for the sake of the Vision. Meaning: This verse recounts a dream encounter with a deceased person—a 'Master'—who appears 'wakeful' even in death, having dedicated his very being to achieving a divine vision or union.

This verse is nestled within a narrative describing an encounter in the realm of dreams. The 'wakeful Master' (Khwāja-ye bīdār) is seen in a dream; a person, seemingly deceased, who nevertheless resides in a state of wakefulness and awareness, remaining active and communicative even in the absence of his earthly body. This wakefulness within sleep is, in itself, a philosophical marvel. Mowlana here suggests that sleep is not merely a phenomenon of the subconscious or a baseless illusion; rather, it can serve as a portal to the truths of the unseen world and the realm of spirits. Just as the elephant in its dream beholds its homeland of Hindustan, our souls, in dreams, connect with their original home, the world of spirits. This 'Master' is one 'who had surrendered his soul for the sake of the Vision' (jān pay-e dīdār), meaning he had dedicated his entire being and life to achieving union and the sight of the Eternal Beloved. The ultimate purpose of his life was this divine didar, and this dream is itself an extension and manifestation of that very vision.

I consider this verse an excellent example of the principle of azdad (opposites/antitheses) in existence. How can one be 'wakeful' in sleep? This is but one instance of the astonishing order that God has established in the universe; an order in which 'consciousness has been placed within unconsciousness.' Wakefulness within sleep, life beyond death, affluence within poverty—these are all manifestations of a fundamental truth: this world subsists on the interplay and unity of opposites. It is God who 'has placed wakefulness within sleep,' creating awareness from within unawareness. This Master, whose dream is brimming with such wakefulness, is a human being whose existential rank transcends apparent contradictions, enabling him to achieve vision and union even in the dream world, and even to guide others—as he articulates his will and debt in the dream. For him, didar was not merely a concept, but the axis of his life and even his afterlife.

Key takeaways

• Dreams are a portal to the realm of meaning and hidden wakefulness, not merely a material or illusory phenomenon.
• Didar (union with the Divine) is the ultimate quest and aspiration of truth-seekers, pursued even beyond physical death.
• Existence is built upon paradoxes and the unity of opposites; wakefulness within sleep is a manifestation of this truth.
• The 'wakeful Master' symbolizes the perfect human whose existential rank transcends apparent contradictions.
• Dreams can carry genuine and guiding messages from those who have passed on, enabling communication with the unseen world.