The Chant That Stayed

In the days when Sai Baba lived in the mosque, a Rohilla stayed there for some time. He was devoted in his own way. Day and night, he would loudly recite verses from the Quran, his voice rising high and echoing through the village.

At first, people listened. But as days passed, the constant loud chanting began to trouble them. The villagers found it difficult to sleep. Some grew restless, others irritated. They began to feel that the noise was too much to bear.

Finally, a few of them went to Baba.

“Baba,” they said, “we cannot rest at night. His voice is too loud. Please ask him to stop.”

Baba listened quietly. After a pause, he said,

“Let him be. His voice keeps away something worse.”

The villagers were confused. Baba did not explain further. They returned, carrying his words with them, though they did not fully understand.

The Rohilla continued his chanting, just as before. But over time, the complaints stopped. Some began to listen differently.

What had once seemed like disturbance slowly became part of the night itself. Baba had not tried to silence the voice. He had only seen what lay beyond it.

Moral

What disturbs us may be serving a purpose we do not see.

Notes: 

Rohilla refers to a specific community. Historically, they belong to the Pashtun ethnicity who migrated from Afghanistan to India and settled in the Rohilkhand region of North India.

Here are some interesting facts about the Rohilla man who appears in the history of Shirdi Sai Baba:

• He was a strong man, standing six feet tall. Since he belonged to that specific community, he is referred to in history simply as "The Rohilla" (his individual name is not mentioned in detail).
• He arrived in Shirdi in a state of extreme poverty. Drawn by Baba’s grace, he began living right there in the mosque.
• He used to recite the Quran very loudly. When the villagers came to complain about it, Baba gave a famous reply: that his loud voice was actually driving away evil forces.