Fact Check: Viral image showing Sai Baba-like saint makes a false claim
Shirdi Sai Baba, an Indian spiritual master, is considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, is regarded to be a manifestation of Sri Dattatreya, as a saint, fakir, Sadguru, and God according to their individual proclivities and beliefs.
Claim :
The viral image is the original photo of Shirdi Sai BabaFact :
The image belongs to a Sufi poet from Kashmir, Shams Fakir
Shirdi Sai Baba, an Indian spiritual master, is considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, is regarded to be a manifestation of Sri Dattatreya, as a saint, fakir, Sadguru, and God according to their individual proclivities and beliefs. Sai Baba remains a very popular Master in India and is worshiped by people around the world.
The viral image shows a person with a white beard, and a drape on the head, is in circulation on Facebook with the claim that it is the original image of Shirdi Sai Baba. The caption on the post in Telugu is “సాయిబ్బాబా భక్తులారా! మీరు మేకప్ వేసి అందంగా తయారు చేసి కొలుస్తున్న సాయిబ్బాబా అసలు రూపం ఇది. ఇలాంటి వాళ్ళను కొలిస్తే పొయ్యేది నరకానికే. నిజ దైవాలను కొలవండి.” When translated, it claims: “Saibaba devotees! This is Saibaba's original photo, to which you apply make-up and beautify. If you pray such people, you will end up in hell. Pray the true gods”
The link shared on Facebook can be found here and the archive link can be found here.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The image does not show Shirdi Sai Baba. It shows a prominent Sufi poet from Kashmir ‘Shams Faqir’.
When we searched the image using Google reverse image search, we found a YouTube video published in the year 2022. The video is a rendition of a Sufi poem with the title “tas naadanas kar chali chay/Kashmiri sufi song/ kalam_e_shamsfaqeer”
We also found a book of his literature with the title “Shamas Faqir: Makers of Indian Literature”. The image shared on Facebook is not of Shirdi Sai Baba, but a Sufi poet belonging to Kashmir. The claim is False.
