In his fourth travels to the west, after visiting Mecca, Guru Nanak arrived in the city of Kufa in Iraq, an old and luxurious city near the Euphrates River. This city is the residence of Imam Maywiya, one of the elders of Hazrat Muhammad Sahib.
There used to be daily congregation to pay obeisance to the Guru. In that congregation, a very good-hearted and God-fearing woman would also come, pay obeisance and listento the hymns sung by Guru Nanak in accompaniment of instrument (rebab) played by Mardana.
In his book ‘Sahayto Baba Nanak Fakir', Tajuddin has recorded her name as Saliman and her husband was Ghulam Yahya Khan, a camel trader. One evening Guru Nanak asked her to go home,
“Go home immediately”, he said. She was astonished as she was not asked to go like this any time before. However, she bowed at the feet of the Guru and left. Suddenly there was light in her mind and there was realization in her of what was to happen. After walking ten steps, she came back and told the Guru,
“My husband has returned from a business trip. This is what has come to my mind”.
Baba ji said, 'Dear daughter! Do not reveal this God’s omen to anyone. Keep it with you only'. She came back home after paying obeisance to Baba ji. She found her husband sitting before the fire waiting for Salima to come home. On his return from his foreign tour neighbours and others had told him,
“Your wife sits in the graveyard day and night before a Hindi fakir, who seems to be a kafir, foregoing all the sharia, namaz and, kalma”. Reaching home She found her husband waiting in the house, Salima met him with great love. But he looked at her in anger. Salima brought the food with a lot of love. She asked him to eat but he refused to eat saying, “You have destroyed my honour”. Keeping patience, Salima said, “Because of my deep bond and trust in the saviour, you have reached home safely. Otherwise, according to the verdict of the Egyptian court, you would have been killed”.
He was astonished and said, “Salima, I did not mention this to anyone. How did you know this?" Salima replied, “When you came from Egypt, you took out of the ground five hundred Mohars that were buried there, which your nephew Mazid had entrusted to you, and gave them to him."
Salima enquired, "Why did you have to go to the Egyptian court?"
He said," "I was going out of the city of Egypt, to lead my people to the morning prayer, when my camel named Bangad broke a branch in an apple orchard and ate it. The owner of the garden, an old man came out of the garden and hit the camel on the head with a large stone, and the camel died. This camel, being the father of 50 camels, was very dear to me. I picked up the same stone and hit the old man on the head. As a result, he also died.
I started running with my caravan when the grandchildren of the old man caught me, and brought to the ruler for justice for the murder. After listening to both sides, the ruler told me that “if the owner of the garden had killed your camel, you could have claimed the price of the camel. Now you will have to be killed for the murder. This is what the law book says”. He appealed to the ruler and said, I have 500 mohars which I can pay as compensation. These are however stored under earth a few miles from here. Please give me three days to collect these and pay to family of the deceased old man. if I come back in three days and pay the compensation I may be excused of the crime.”
The ruler said, "You can go by giving any surety”.
“Salima! The court was packed but no one got up in support.
Finally, a white-clad man with a glowing face, sitting in a corner, looked intently as if to say that he was ready to give bail. It so happened that he came up to me and said, I am ready to give bail”. When the ruler talked with him, he made it clear that if I did not appear at the specified time, he would have to be ready to be killed in return. On this promise for bail, I got three days pause from death. Salima! If that righteous man had not stood for bail for my bail, I would not have been able to return the property of the orphan, my nephew, whom I had promised for a big return, nor would I have been able to return to you. If I had met you at the time of taking out the mohars, you would not have let me go back, and in return my righteous person who gave bail for me would have been killed, which I did not want. When I reached the court with my camels after collecting mohars, an hour had elapsed from the scheduled time and the plaintiff (the claimant) had told the ruler that he would never return. My benefactor was ready to be killed in return.
As soon as I reached the court and paid my respect to the ruler saying ‘Islama lekum’. Everyone was surprised to see me. I told the ruler that I should be sentenced to death while giving justice releasing the person who had given me the bail. Hearing this, the ruler remained silent for a while, then after thinking, he decided that “the court acquits you because of your goodness and the virtue of your bail”. “Salima! I came out of the court and looked here and there to thank the righteous man but could not find him.
Salima said: “Do you remember the face of that noble gentleman?” “Why not! The noble face that saved my life, is etched into my mind.”
Salima said, "You have now eaten food. Shall I come back in a little while?"
"Where are you going?" he asked.
She replied,” To meet your saviour and thank him.
" No! I will not go to the Hindu infidel. That is against my religion”. She replied calmly, 'Yes, he is hindi, and I want you to go with me, to see him”.
' This can never happen. My trust is in God and his prophet”.
Salima pointed out, “There is something poisonous in your pocket. Do not put your hand in your pocket”. He did not believe her and put his hand in his pocket, As the scorpion in his pocket bit him, he began to make a noise”. Salima put her finger in his mouth and sucked all the poison, and he was completely healed. He said, 'You know the mantra”.' Salima said, “I do not know any mantra. This is the blessing of Allah”. He said, 'If there are such people as you mentioned, take me along.” When he reached Baba Ji, he immediately looked up, 'Salima! He is the same one who saved my life by giving bail ' He ran and fell at the feet of Baba Nanak!”
