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Qazi Rustam Khan had bought
her from her parents while she was a
child. The Qazi gave her the education
of Islam and sent her to Saint Mian
Mir for higher schooling.
Saint Mian Mir was sufi saint. He had
no prejudice against any religion. He
had a very deep love with Guru Nanak's
Institution. It was usual for him to
go to Amritsar to meet the Guru. Whenever
the Guru visited Lahore, he never went
back without seeing Saint Mian Mir.
Due to these meetings, Saint Mian Mir
knew a large number of Guru's verses
by heart which he used to quote to his
disciples. Bibi Kaulan also remembered
some of the verses by heart which she
used to recite by herself for her pleasure.
Her attachment to the Guru's institution
increased further when she saw the Guru
and the Sikhs came from Amritsar to
Lahore at the time of the plague epidemic
and nursed the patients with their own
hands.
One day, Qazi Rustam Khan heard Bibi
Kaulan reciting Guru Nanak's verses
at home. He rebuked her and said "Do
not recite these verses of the infidels
in future." Bibi Kaulan Said, "Dear
father! Saint Mian Mir bows in all humility
to the man you call an infidel and thinks
it a privelege to seat him by his side.
It is unbecoming to call the man an
infidel whome the saint hold in such
esteem." The qazi gave a sound
thrashing to Bibi Kaulan on hearing
the praise of the Gurus from her and
said, "I do not want that you recite
the verses of these infidels even unintentionally."
Between her sobs Bibi Kaulan said, "You
may beat me to death but I cannot live
without reciting these verses."
Qazi Rustam Khan went and asked other
Qazis, "Kaulan persists with reciting
the verses of the infidels inspite of
my beating. What remedy shoul be adopted?
They said, "It is a great sin for
the Momins (believers of Islam) to praise
the infidels and recite their word.
Kaulan should be beheaded for this sin."
When Saint Mian Mir heard about the
decree of beheading of Bibi Kaulan,
he sent her to the Guru's institution
at Amritsar through Abdul Yaar Shah
where the homeless were protected. Guru
Hargobind made arrangement for separate
accommodation for Bibi Kaulan. She had
no fear at Amritsar of being killed
by the order of the Qazis. To immortalize
the memory of Bibi Kaulan's resolve
to remain firm on her words, the Guru
constructed a pool named Kaulsar in
1627 A.D. Bibi Kaulan died at Kartarpur
in 1630 A.D.
Copyright © Santokh Singh Jagdev "Bedtime
Stories". |
