Sai Baba the Master by E.Bharadwaja

[Guest guest]

The large number of accounts we have considered should not create the

false impression that all those that were so drawn to Baba and helped were

only Hindus. There were quite a good number of moslems who considered Baba

a great moslem saint and who were graced by him accordingly.

 

Imambhai Chotai Khan of Aurangabad was once threatened with litigation and

he went to a Moslem saint named Darves Shah who directed him to Shirdi and

gave him some clues to confirm whether Baba was really a great aulia

(literally means a ‘friend of god’). He told Imambhai to repeat the first

chapter of “The Koran” silently behind Baba’s back and not to accept gifts

of money from him. When Imambhai saw Sai Baba,the latter was standing in a

street and a lady taking his darshan. Quietly Imambhai went and stood at a

distance behind Baba and recited the said verse from the Koran silently.

At once Baba turned round and shouted at him, “Who are you? Why have you

come to ask me about something as though you are my father?” and went on

heaping foul abuse on him. when they went to Dwarakamai,Baba did not allow

Imambhai to step into it. When Kakasaheb Dixit interceded and said, “Baba,

why are you angry with him?” Baba said, “Do you call him a child? He has

beaten his master!” That was a reference to what Imambhai did sometime

earlier as a policeman; he beat a Christian ‘master’ who failed to give

information in his investigation, and the ‘master’ fell senseless,

bleeding all over. The higher officer advised Imambhai to run away. So he

resigned his job and ran up to Shirdi to escape prosecution through Baba’s

grace. Noticing that Imambhai sincerely repented for his misdeeds, Baba

touched his head as a sign of blessing and said, “Do not fear. Allah

Malik!” Later everything went off well to Imambhai.

 

On a later visit Baba did not permit him to return to his native village

but, said, “People should not go. If they go there will be storms and

balls of fire and lots of trouble.” Imambhai could not grasp the

significance of these words and was impatient to go home. So he started by

walk. At about 5-30 p.m., he reached Vari, twelve miles from Shirdi. At

sunset, as he walked along the banks of river Surala, the patil ( a

village officer) warned him, do not go. The weather is cloudy. You will

have trouble if you go.” Imambhai thought that he could cover the

remaining distance of four miles easily. But when he covered some three

miles or so there was a storm and suddenly lightning struck a huge peepal

tree which he had just passed. The tree crashed and split into two and

Imambhai had to turn his gaze away from the blinding flash. And lo, he law

Sai Baba standing behind him. There were two tawny dogs with him. When

Imabhai bowed to him Sai Baba disappeared. Emboldened by this assurance of

Baba’s protection, he proceeded to wade through the river near his

village. He was surprised to find the water knee-deep all through. When he

reached the other bank and turned round, he saw that actually the river

was in spate, running high about the bank i.e., twenty feet deep! Baba’s

words about storm and balls of fire came true.

 

(To be contd....)

 

Source http://www.saibharadwaja.org)