Sai Baba of Shirdi was an Indian spiritual master and is regarded by his devotees as a saint, fakir and satguru. He is said to have lived during 1838 and 1918 in Shirdi and is revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees. Throughout his life there was confusion whether he was Hindu or Muslim but for Sai Baba it was no importance whether he was Hindu or Muslim. Sai Baba is worshipped by people all over the world even though he lived in India. Sai Baba was very particular that one should surrender to the guidance of the true Satguru or Murshid and was very sure that the master will lead his disciple through the jungle of spiritual training. Sai Baba had no love for perishable things and his main aim was to achieve self-realisation. Sai Baba taught the world the moral code of love, forgiveness, serving, charity, gratification, inner peace and devotion to the God and Guru.
Sai Baba showed no distinction based on the caste or religion and his teachings were a combination of Hinduism and Islam. Sai Baba gave the Hindu name Dwarakamayi to the mosque he lived in, practised Muslim rituals and taught using words and figures from both the Hindu and Muslim traditions. One of his famous saying ‘Sabka Malik Ek” (One God governs all) is connected with Hinduism, Islam and Sufism. Sai Baba often told his devotes “Trust in Me and your prayer shall be answered”. He always uttered the words “Allah Malik” which translates to God is King. The name Sai Baba stands for “Holy Father”, “Saintly Father” or “Poor Old Man”. The name Sai was given by a local temple priest when Sai Baba arrived in Shirdi. The priest recognised Sai Baba as a Muslin saint and greeted him with the words “Ya Sai” which means “Welcome Sai”. Sai is the name given to Sufi saints which means poor one and in the Banjara language it means the good one.
