Page 88 - Deep Thinking

86 DEEP THINKING

and spiritual torture, which never stops, nor is the sufferer spared any time
for sleep or rest. If there were an end to the life in Hell, there would be
hope for the companions of Hell even if that rest were many millions of
years later. Yet, what they receive in return for their associating partners
with Allah and their disbelief is eternal torment.
As for those who reject Our Signs and are arrogant regarding
them, they are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it
timelessly, for ever. (Surat al-A'raf: 36)
It is extremely important for each individual to try to comprehend
eternity by reflecting on it. It increases man's endeavors for the Hereafter,
and reinforces both his fears and his hopes. While he strongly fears eter-
nal torment, he cherishes the hope of attaining eternal bliss.

What Does One Think
About Dreams?
There are important purposes in dreams for someone who reflects.
Such a person thinks about how realistic the dreams are that he sees while
asleep, which in that way are no different in their realism from the moment
he awakes. For instance, despite being physically present in bed, a per-
son’s dreams take him on business trips around the world, to meet new
people and encounter new situations that he would not dare to face in
reality.
Despite lying still in bed with the eyes shut, a person sees images far
different from those in his immediate surroundings. This means that what
‘saw’ was not the eyes. Despite being in a quiet room, a person may have
heard voices. Thus what ‘heard’ was not the ears. Everything had taken
place in his brain. Still, everything was very realistic as if every image had
an original form. What is it, then, that although none of them has originals
in the external world, forms such realistic images in the brain? Man cannot
formulate these consciously and intentionally while asleep. Nor can the
brain produce such images on its own. The brain is a bulk of meat made
up of protein molecules. It would be extremely unreasonable to claim that
such a substance forms images on its own, and that it even forms human