He said that everyone was the soul and not the body. He also talked about the need of faith and devotion to one's spiritual preceptor (guru). SaiBaba also emphasised the importance of devotion to God - bhakti - and surrender to his will. SaiBaba said that the world and all that the human may give is transient and only God and his gifts are eternal. He emphasised the complete oneness of God which was very close to the Islamic tawhid and the Hindu doctrine, e.g. SaiBaba said that God penetrates everything and lives in every being, and as well that God is the essence of each of them. The three main Hindu spiritual paths - Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga - were visible in the teachings of SaiBaba.Īnother example of the way he combined both faiths is the Hindu name he gave to his mosque, Dwarakamai.

This was the character of his philosophy. He explained the meaning of the Hindu scriptures in the spirit of Advaita Vedanta. According to what the people who stayed with him said and wrote he had a profound knowledge of them. SaiBaba also interpreted the religious texts of both faiths. In his teachings SaiBaba emphasised the importance of performing one's duties without attachment to earthly matters and being ever content regardless of the situation. He advised his devotees and followers to lead a moral life, help others, treat them with love and develop two important features of character: faith (Shraddha) and patience (Saburi). SaiBaba encouraged his devotees to pray, chant God's name and read holy scriptures - he told Muslims to study the Qur'an and Hindus texts like the Ramayana, Vishnu Sahasranam, Bhagavad Gita (and commentaries to it), Yoga Vasistha. Although SaiBaba himself led the life of an ascetic, he advised his followers to lead an ordinary family life.

SaiBaba of Shirdi was also an opponent of religious orthodoxy - both Hindu and Muslim. In India at the times when he lived religious intolerance and conflicts were common. SaiBaba also opposed all sorts of persecutions on religious or caste background. He also wore clothing reminiscent of a Sufi fakir. Occasionally reciting the Al-Fatiha himself, SaiBaba also enjoyed listening to moulu and qawwali accompanied with the tabla and sarangi twice daily. In his personal practice, SaiBaba observed worship procedures belonging to Hinduism and Islam he shunned any kind of regular rituals but allowed the practice of namaz, chanting of Al-Fatiha, and Qur'an readings at Muslim festival times.

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