FIVE ESSENTIAL TENETS OF ISLAM AND BABA

[Guest guest]

FIVE ESSENTIAL TENETS OF ISLAM AND BABA

It is better to note here whether Baba observed the five essential tenets of

Islam so as to impress the Muslims. The five tenets are uttering the Kalami or

declaration of faith, namely, There is no god but God and Mohamed is the

Prophet; Panch Namaz, saying the Namaz five times a day, at dawn, at 10 a.m.,

at 12 noon, at 5 p.m. and at night, kneeling and bending the body at each

utterance, fasting, especially all the forty days of Ramzan, and on other

occasions about 8 or 10 times in the year; alms-giving; Haj, that is, going to

Mecca. Whoever has funds, must go to Mecca. Others, if they can get the funds,

must go to Mecca. These are the five tenets of Islam. Of these, Baba observed

only alms-giving, that is, when he got funds after 1908 and up to 1918. His

alms-giving was a princely scale and he supported over two hundred homeless

beggars at Shirdi and distributed not merely vegetarian food, but also meat for

non-vegetarians specially prepared as samaradhana from his Hundi, by himself. He

also distributed clothes to the poor periodically. In addition to regular

donations to certain persons, he also gave liberally to dancers, athletes,

acrobats and Ramadasis, and all sorts of people that came to him for alms. His

reputation as a liberal Maharaj was known very far from Shirdi and attracted

people like Madras Ramadasis and this man Tarbella Abdulla Jan.

As for going to Mecca, Baba never cared to go to Mecca and had no need to go to

Mecca. As for the principles of Islam, and how far Baba observed them or

accepted them, the question is very difficult to answer. Amongst Muslims

themselves, there are various sects, and some of them like Quadians, following

Mirza Ahmed who claims to be the resurrected Messiah or Mohamed held views

resembling Hinduism in many particulars. Sunnis and Shias agree on certain

particulars and differ in others. It is very difficult to take up doctrines of

each set, and see how much of it is in accordance with Baba’s views,

especially those, which may be found in the Gospel of Sai Baba or his sayings.

Taking the Quadian, that is Mirza Ahmed’s book, we find that practically

the major portion of his tenets expresses only what Baba was acting upon and

declaring all his life. This Quadian book was published after Baba left the

flesh. Mirza Ahmed says that one must believe in the true and living god, and

the proof of the truth and life of God lies in the fact that God is All

powerful and responds to prayers. Surely, these were Baba’s doctrines and

he in fact was and is himself responding to prayer and is possessed of vast

divine powers.

Whether the Quadians would treat Baba as an Angel of the highest degree or in

any other way, cannot be known, as no Quadian has expressed his view about

Baba. But Baba himself has stated, "God has agents everywhere" and agents would

include angels. "They have vast powers. I have vast powers." These appear to be

in full consonance with Islam, and they are Baba’s doctrines. The Quadian

description of God nowhere differs from the ideas of God expressed by Baba. So,

Baba has taken up for his basis, ideas of God common to many, if not all

Muslims and Hindus.

The differences in doctrine or practise between sect and sect are matters of no

importance. The essence of religion, however, is in the height reached by the

truly pious man; and the truly pious Hindu and the truly pious Muslim, reach

heights of love to God by surrender to God, and such persons are recognised as

perfect followers of their respective religions, as judged by dicta of all

religions. Baba himself was perfect. By reaching God, enjoying the bliss of God

and thoroughly surrendering his will to God. Baba had placed himself in a

position that could be appreciated by all great religions. Hindu or Muslim or

other.

Therefore, the question as to how far Muslim can or will appreciate Baba in the

near future, is capable of a very hopeful solution. So long as the anti-Indian

and the partition of India movement was afoot, bitterness between Hindus and

Muslims was sedulously developed as part of the political platform. But as

matters stand at present, things appear to be settling down, and in any case,

hatred cannot remain long as the plank on which any State Government policy

could be built. The anti-Hindu feeling of Muslims is steadily dwindling down

and as the years pass, we may be sure that more and more people of other sects

will be drawn to Sai Baba who at present is mostly a Hindu possession, in the

sense that it is the Hindus who are managing the Sai Sansthan without a single

Muslim amongst the trustees or on the committee of management. The books and

journals dealing with Baba are all in the hands of Hindus and as for the

followers of Baba, the Hindus outnumber the Muslims out of all proportion to

the strength of their population. In the Indian Union, the Muslims are about

15% of the population. Amongst the followers of Baba, however they are perhaps

less than 5%. The rapidity with which the Sai faith is spreading amongst the

Hindus is phenomenal. Year after year, lakhs are drawn to Baba, and, if anyone

visits Shirdi now, he would note how the whole place and the Dwarakamayee are

crowded daily, much more now than they were crowded even in Baba’s time.

They are mostly Hindus. But even amongst other groups, those who are a bit

cultured, are contributing their quota to the number of Sai bhaktas, and to the

literature on the subject of the Sai Faith. The Parsis are a very cultured

portion of the Indian Community and though small in number, they are prominent

among Sai bhaktas and even in contributing literature. A Parsi lady has written

a fine booklet in which Baba is treated as the Guru-God, the All-in-All of the

writer.

As far the other communities, Christians form according to the census of a very

small minority and amongst Sai devotees, they form still a smaller minority.

But still there are Christians who have benefitted from Sai’s light and

Sai’s Grace. They are visiting the Sai Shrine and regarding him as their

guardian angel and Saviour. Naturally the Roman Catholics being more like

Hindus, are drawn more easily to Baba and in greater numbers than the

Protestants. But so far as doctrine or dogma is concerned, Baba’s

catholicity, Baba’s wide liberality and freedom from any rigid doctrines,

make it quite as easy for the Protestant as for the Catholic to resort to him

and derive benefits from him. The only thing needed is the requisite degree of

faith.

Written by: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

(Vasuki Mahal Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust, Coimbatore 641001, India)