MEETING WITH MAHASHAKTI

Sattar's Fury

Imtiaz had been greatly charmed by me.He regularly visited me.He bowed to the idols in my study and felt particularly attracted by the philosophy of Sri Sai.He took deep delight in reading Sai Satcharitra.His visits now scared me because his father was terribly orthodox and according to him Allah was the Almighty and except Allah no other God existed in the world. Jagannath,
Sri Rama and Lord Krishna were the
"wrong" Gods.

One morning Sattar pressed my doorbell.He was welcomed indoors. He said,"Are you trying to convert my son into Hinduism? We are happy with our own religion.We don't want your wisdom to live a better and advanced life..."

"What have I done?" I said.

"Please come to my house  and see for yourself.."he said in injured tones.

I went to the old man's house to verify what had gone wrong. Sattar led me to Imtiaz's room.His wife who was unusually gentle and polite soon appeared there.We entered the room. Imtiaz was at his table.

I saw the beautiful idols of Lord Jagannath,Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra decorated with garlands and sweet-smelling flowers installed on a bench.

"What is wrong with this?" I said.

"Wrong with this....? This is downright insulting of my religion,my faith..My religion is dearer than my life. I can sacrifice my life for it...!'What is wrong with this?' You are asking me.....?"

His wife said,"There is nothing wrong in worshipping the Hindu deities...After all our forefathers were Hindus..The invaders from outside India invaded the country.Carried out mass killings,raping women and girls and then turning them into slaves.They were no better than thieves and murderers.
...."

"We are Muslims by choice..!Woman just shut up..!"

She said,"You will teach me Indian history...?
To a professor of History..?"

She then added,"I can't understand why old Muslims trace their origins to Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.Our Indian ancestors were the gentlest of the entire human race.Islam is an outsider in India. Mohammad bin Qasim planted the seed of Islam in this country. Then the locals were forced to accept Islam at sword-point.I don't know why Abdul Sattar seeks his identity in Saudi Arabia..."

"Woman..don't be so daffy..I'II give you talaks right right now...?"

She laughed showing her beautiful teeth and said,"You have been giving me the same threats all life..I can easily find myself a Hindu man right now.."

Imtiaz rocked with laughter.

She was full of wit and humour.

She said to me,"My sister was down with typhoid.As her condition was deteriorating,while returning from university in the afternoon,I stopped near the Jagannath Temple and prayed to the Lord. I said if my sister got well,I would would worship the Lord in my house. Imtiaz had been telling me about your wonderful experiences..."

Sattar said,"You could have worshipped your God mentally..Why didn't you do that?"

I said to Sattar,"Uncle idol worship is hundred percent justified.The Hindu sages of the ancient times were incarnations of great insight and wisdom.All the Muslims of India have every reason to be proud of them.They are in fact the inheritors of a glorious and golden past particularly from a religious point of view.

There is nothing wrong with idol worship. Look at the visible world and the universe.They all have come out of a meaningful nothingness;they do have the hidden potential to go back into that very nothingness.When a body of matter is destroyed and diffused into the microscopic atoms,that very body of matter becomes invisible.When those microscopic atoms gather and unite in enormous incalculable profusion,we get matter.So there is nothing wrong in idol worship. Got it? "

She said to me,"Did you have some actual experiences Sir? "

"Obviously...Otherwise how could he know all this..?Mama both Mother Kali and Sai Baba have come to him in dreams many times.." Imtiaz said this in a very loud voice.
"Sir please tell Mama about your swollen leg and little girl experiences....."

I felt clearly Sattar's resentment to my presence there. So I was trying to come back home. The old man might think I was brainwashing his wife and son.Sattar left us on the pretext that he had an appointment with a dentist."

Imtiaz's mother said,"Sir please have some coffee.."

No...Madam..Don't trouble yourself please.."

"No trouble Sir...!We have hot tea and coffee in two flasks..." said Imtiaz.

As we were having coffee,she prevailed upon me to tell her about my experiences.
I said to her,"Madam if  I narrate my experiences,they will run to many volumes."

She appeared eager to listen,and I said," Madam,two years ago both my legs became swollen and I took a number of pills prescribed by many doctors. If I pressed any of my shank,the area would be sunk for a long time. I went to Shirdi,and to my amazement my legs appeared absolutely normal. I was very glad and thanked Sai Baba. But after my return to Bhubaneswar,my legs became swollen again,and I didn't know what to do. One day I was reading Sai Satcharitra in front of Baba.I was reading the chapter on Baba's udi(sacred ashes).I came to know that udi had wonderful healing powers.But I had no faith in it.So I said,'Baba, I don't have faith in the efficacy of your udi. Please give me some indication so that I might be sure that your udi can cure me.As I was heading towards the close of the chapter,a tiny packet of udi fell onto a brass plate placed in front of me. I was puzzled even though I knew my wife had kept udi packets on the self  above. I knew it was not at all a coincidence.I took a bit of udi in water everyday and I my legs became normal in two or three days.."

She said,"I really like to listen to such curious stories.."

I wanted to take leave of them,but Imtiaz insisted on listening to the second story. His mother too was very eager.So I had to narrate the second experience too.I said,"Madam I have been going places in my new car since I bought it. My wife urged me to keep my motorcycle in the running condition.The motorcycle refused to start. After a long time while returning from a coaching centre,I brought a mechanic home.
He asked for the motorcycle key but the key was never found anywhere.After some time I started praying to Baba.But it was still not available. The mechanic went back. I was cursing Baba angrily. I heard a knock on the door.As I opened the door,I saw the little girl  living on the ground floor standing with the key in hand.She said,"Uncle, you left the key in the motorcycle ignition.Please take  it.I felt terribly guilty for having cursed Baba for my fault. I begged pardon to Baba.."