The Fatiha, the first chapter of the Koran, is held in veneration by Muslims. It is recited over sick persons as a means of healing and also recited as an intercession for the souls of the departed. Muhammad called it the "exalted reading" — "the greatest surah [chapter] in the Koran." The following are the first lines of the Fatiha:
Praise be to God, Lord of the universe! The most compassionate, the most merciful. King on the Day of Judgment! You alone do we worship, and to You alone do we cry for help. Guide us on the straight path. The path of those on whom you have bestowed your grace; Not of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who go astray.
Soon after, Baba, accompanied by a Hindu, begged at the doors of five Hindu families. Afterwards, Baba washed, and then laid his head on the feet of the heads of 24 other Hindu families, who also received alms from him. To 22 of them Baba gave Rs. 10 each, and to the remaining two families, one family head (who was blind) was given Rs.15, and the other Rs.20. The head of the last family was the man who had assisted Baba in this work.
It was in Khuldabad in the month of November 1951, that Meher Baba dictated the Prayer of Repentance ("We repent, O God Most Merciful, for all our sins ..."), but the prayer was not recited aloud publicly until a year later.1
On 15 November, Baba indicated that he wished the blessing of a Catholic priest. Accompanied by his four companions, Baba was driven in a rented station wagon to Aurangabad, where he touched the feet of an elderly European priest named Father Berger. The old priest's blessings were sought and were given: "I bless you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost."
Baba knelt before him and, through Eruch, said, "Thank you, Father."
From there Baba visited the Parsi Tower of Silence, where he wrapped the kusti-thread around his waist and sat for some time in the prayer room.
Soon after, they drove to the local Christian cemetery, where prayers were offered and Baba sat in seclusion by the side of a tomb under a neem tree. At one point, to prevent Baba from being disturbed, Eruch had to halt a funeral procession and engage the mourning family in conversation about the deceased until Baba clapped, indicating his work was finished.
Footnotes
- 1.See Appendix C for the full prayer.