Kabir was a great poet and saint ho lived in India, hindered of years ago. He told people to love each other. This is the story of his life.
It was a hot summer’s day. Niru, a poor Muslim weaver and his wife Nima were going to Varanasi. The sun was shining brightly in the summer sky and Nima felt hot and thirsty. They came to a pond. The water looked cool and inviting and the lotus plants were in bloom. They drank he cool water and splashed it on themselves. Suddenly they heard a faint cry. It came from the tall grasses near the edge of the pond.
`Listen, Niru,’’ said Nima. ``It is a baby, crying’’.
Niru walked around the pond and sure enough, there was a beautiful baby on one of the big lotus leaves.
``Oh1 god!’’ thought Niru, ``who would leave a child in place like this?
At first Niru and Nima did not know what to do with the baby. They were poor folk. Would they be able to bring him up? But they could not leave the baby there. He would certainly die. ``He shell be our son,’’ said Nima. And so it was. Niru and Nima took the baby home with them to Varanasi.
Nima bathed he baby, clothed him and fed him.
`What shall we call him?’’ she asked her husband.
``We shall ask the priest,’’ replied Niru. So the next day, Niru took him to the mosque and asked the priest to give the boy a name. The priest opened the Koran and found the Kabir, whi9ch in Arabic means ``great’’. The priest was not too sure. He did not want to give this name to a poor man’s son. So he called the other priests. One after another they opened the Koran and each found only the Kabir. The priests became very angry and said to Niru. ``you are only poor weaver. This child cannot be called Kabir. Go and kill him.
Niru was frightened. He did not have the heart to kill the title boy, but he did dare displease the priests. He did not tell Nima anything and with a heavy heart, to the child to the jungle. He spread out a small mat under the trees and put the sleeping child there. As he was turning top go, he heard a voice. ``This child will grow up to be a wise and holy man.’’ Niru looked around, but he could not see anyone. ``This must be the voice of God,’’ said Niru to himself. He hugged the child lose to his heart and ran home as fast as he could. He decided he would never give him up.
