Rohilla's Story

Sai Ram

The story of the Rohilla illustrates Sri Sai Baba's all embracing
love. One Rohilla, tall and well built, strong as a bull, came to
Shirdi, wearing a long Kafni [robe] and was enamoured of Sai who stayed
there. Day and night he used to recite in a loud and harsh tone Kalma
[verses from Holy Koran] and shout ALLAH OH AKBAR [God is Great]. Most
people of Shirdi, were working in their fields by day and when they
returned to their homes at night, they were welcomed with the
Rohilla's harsh cries and shouts. They could get no sleep and felt
much trouble and inconvenience. They suffered in silence this nuisance
for some days, and when they could stand it no longer, they approached
Sri Sai Baba, and requested Him to check the Rohilla and stop the nuisance.

Sri Sai Baba did not attend to their complaint. On the contrary, Sri
Sai Baba took the villagers to task, and asked them to mind their own
business, and not the Rohilla. He said to them that the Rohilla had got
a very bad wife, a Zantippi, who tried to come in and trouble the
Rohilla and Himself; but hearing the Rohilla's prayers, she dare not
enter and they were at peace and happy.

In fact, the Rohilla had no wife and by his wife Baba meant DURBUDDHI
i.e. bad thoughts. As Sri Sai Baba liked prayers and cries to God
better than anything else, He took the side of the Rohilla, and asked
the villagers to wait and suffer the nuisance, which would abate in due course.

Allah Malik