The man woke up with a start. He was terrified by the nightmare. Various horrible interpretations increased his terror. He got up in the morning and went to see Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (‘a) for a clearer understanding of the dream.
‘I have had a nightmare,’ he said. I dreamt of a man made of wood riding a wooden horse, with a sword in his hand, which he waved with great might. The dream is driving me crazy. Kindly interpret it, so that I can get some peace of mind.’
‘You are envious of the wealth of some person and keep thinking of ways and means to get your hands on it by hook or by crook. Fear God and give up your bad intentions.’ The Imam (‘a) warned him.
The man was shocked by the truth of the interpretation. ‘You are surely one who knows. There is no doubt that you have been granted knowledge by the City of knowledge. I must admit that I have been nurturing such a desire in my heart for some time now. My neighbor owns a huge estate. He is in dire need of money and wishes to sell his lands. Presently, he doesn’t have any offer besides mine. I was envisaging buying his valuable assets for much less than they are worth.’
Reference : Anecdotes of The Ahlul Bayt (Daastaan e Raastaan ) by Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari