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  1. Guest

    Amrit Vela

    Does anyone know how we can wake-up early at Amrit Vela?
  2. What is Sangat's opinion ....
  3. Guest

    Following Sikhism

    I have an interest in Sikhs and the Punjab. After starting to study it, I have the impression that following Sikhism is so impractical and difficult. Could you guys answer some questions? Is it mandatory for all Sikhs to never cut any of their hair, meaning its a sin if they do? People eat meat for the taste, how can one eat something and not like or dislike the taste of it? Sikhs believe that there is goodness in every religion, so do Hindus, Jews, Christians, Muslims, go to heaven as well? or is it only Sikhs?
  4. I recently saw a post on some fb Sikh group that was complaining about muslim guy signing up to Sikh society events after they learned he was a muslim through his name. That made me ponder what if the guy genuinely wanted to learn about Sikhi and become a Sikh? How should you deal with muslim guys who are interested? We know they are ideologically brainwashed from birth to hate non-muslims and their beliefs so should we scare of potential new Sikhs guys from Islam and barring them by background checks? Or should we welcome them into the fold but have extra vigilance placed on them so that we see their motives are genuinely spiritual and love for Sikhi not sinister or predatory on grooming women undercover.
  5. Guest

    Masturbation:

    Hello, I wanted to know how someone could control masturbation and lust. I'm currently having this problem and would like to stop.
  6. Almost all our debates or discussions revolve around many things which are written in the rehat maryada. After a debate and discussion everybody goes back to there previously held position and no one wants to change there view, even with evidence. this is because everyone is attached to a jethabandi and what ever is the view of there jetha, thats there view and no one will change from that. Different groups ie nihangs,nanaksar,akj,taksal,sants,baba, samprada ect. have there own maryada. to unify the panth it would be great if all groups put there own maryadas down and come up with one that everyone can agree and follow. the sgpc did a good job of trying to do this and came up with one alot of people agree with, but some groups did not agree, for a maryada to be followed by whole panth everyone must agree. many steps have been taken in the past to amend the maryada so the whole panth is on one page. for instance jethadar ranjit singh had a plan to gather all jathas and samprada in darbar sahib and lock them in a room and food will be provided to them. they would not leave until everyone agreed with one maryada. the plan fell through because the dharam yudh morcha was launched and everyones energy and attention went to that. also the sant samaj got together about the maryada issue they took the akal thakhat maryada and wrote some points where they believed needed to be added and elaborated they came up with a rough draft. all the sant samaj read it and signed there name saying they agreed with it. some of the deras who were part of the sant samaj practiced anti gurmat activities at there deras. once they signed the sant samaj rough draft they got rid of those practices baba hari singh randawa met with jethadhar gurcharan singh tohra and give him the rough draft. jethedhar sahib read it and said this rough draft is almost the same as the current maryada, it shouldnt be difficult to make one maryada. jathadhar said this is the first task i will do, but sadly he passed away shortly all sampradas should work to update the current maryada so panth can be united. all groups should lay aside there difference and work toward having one maryada everyone agrees with. after everyone agrees to the maryada all sampradas and sants should sign there name and video tape the event so no person can back out or reject the maryada later on. we should tell the jathedars and samprada heads that we want a united maryada, lets make this a movement so differences can be eliminated from the panth
  7. The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 Why Muslims Are Rising Fastest and the Unaffiliated Are Shrinking as a Share of the World’s Population The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching faiths. Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, by 2050 … The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world. Atheists, agnostics and other people who do not affiliate with any religion – though increasing in countries such as the United States and France – will make up a declining share of the world’s total population. The global Buddhist population will be about the same size it was in 2010, while the Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger than they are today. In Europe, Muslims will make up 10% of the overall population. India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia. In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050, and Judaism will no longer be the largest non-Christian religion. Muslims will be more numerous in the U.S. than people who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion. Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa. These are among the global religious trends highlighted in new demographic projections by the Pew Research Center. The projections take into account the current size and geographic distribution of the world’s major religions, age differences, fertility and mortality rates, international migration and patterns in conversion. Globally, Islam is the fastest growing religion in terms population growth, including net gains from conversions. Out of all the major religions studied in the research, Islam is projected to gain the most "net" conversions. And all other religions combined – an umbrella category that includes Baha’is, Jains, Sikhs, Taoists and many smaller faiths – are projected to increase 6%, from a total of approximately 58 million to more than 61 million over the same period. Complete Report: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/ =================== From the report, the entire "Other religions" block will increase by only 3 million, which means that for next 35 years, Sikhs will increase by--at best--1 million or so. This is very disheartening. There are lots of stupid, irrelevant threads on Muslims on this forum. But if there's one thing we should talk about when it comes to Muslims--it is this: Islamic discipline. Muslims are a global people and a global civilization (only one of the two global civilizations to have ever established by human race). They have huge resources, massive power, tens of nation-states, their own militaries, nuclear forces, global corporations, and large diasporas etc, with history of staying global superpowers of centuries and centuries. But they act and preserve themselves as if they are a "nascent religion" that can become extinct or something. They always spread their religion, culture, and civilization globally (even in West now!). Muslims, out of all the people existing on planet Earth, preserve and practice their culture/religion with most sincerity, discipline, and pride. Their girls are extremely loyal to their faith. International scientific studies have shown, consistently, that Muslims are least likely to engage in pre-marial sex, reject things like gay marriage most ferociously amongst all peoples, are least consumers of Alcohol, drugs are punishable by death!, and Muslims as a whole stick to their culture and civilization most ardently--and expand it globally when they move/migrate to far corners of Earth! Pew's survey (Portrait of American Muslims) in 2009 showed the 59% of Muslim girls in the United States observe Hijab "Often or all the times." Quite inspiring! And that's in the United States out of all places! Imagine the sincerity and dedicate Muslims (especially Muslim girls) have globally within their Islamic nations! While we Sikhs are a people with no state, no military, extremely small size, very few in numbers and so on--and yet we act as if we are big guns in world and make no effort to preserve (let alone spread) our religion/culture/way of life. Our apnay log are doing intermixing, inter-faith marriages, drugs, alcohol in punjab, just hedonism and fun...and lack of traditional moral code where getting married and having a family is considered a great thing. Lack of discipline has causing our already small community to shrink even further. Its mind boggling. Muslims should be "relaxed" and should enjoy their lives..while Sikhs should be disciplined and work to spread their culture. But its opposite! Our Sangat can learn a thing or two---even from those who aren't a "model" to follow in many other aspects.
  8. Guest

    Science & Sikhi

    Hi All, Is it just me or does anyone else think that science and sikhi go hand in hand? Were always told that you either believe in the big bang or god - My understanding is that waheguru is infinite and eternal. It is said within the SGGS that there are millions of galaxies etc. and that the human mind will never be able to fully comprehend wahegurus creation but thats not to say science is wrong? Im no scientist but I enjoy researching astrology and the size of this universe and reading into all these questions we have on how big the universe is etc. Science makes new discoveries everyday and although we have come far in terms of disocvering the universe, i believe it is infinite as Sikhi tells us and that we will never find the 'end' of the universe Its amazing to think that waheguru created all these millions of galaxies on such a mass scale. We are all so insiginificant in terms of gods creation, all the problems and stress we have in our lives as humans is just on one country, on one planet, in one solar system, in on galaxy of a million/billion galaxies?
  9. After reading through a number of masturbation and lust problems, I was reading through a website when I came across a message which could be highly helpful. http://satnaam.info/2005/12/02/2-overcoming-the-effect-of-past-lives/ Practicing what this page says should help to put you back on the right path. May Waheguru help you.
  10. Guest

    Books On Sikhi

    Hi All, Could anyone recommend any books on sikhi to read which covers a guru/all the gurus time with us? Any recommendations are welcome, just want to read into sikhi more and the history Thank you
  11. message from Basics of Sikhi on the new Parchark school being set up Parcharak School Help:
  12. VJKK VJKF I have recently come back on this forum and from the last time I was on here, it feels as if I have gone round in one big circle. Since then, a lot of bad has happened which has brought me back to sikhi. I have always had a deep interest in Sikhi and hope that I have the will power to become a gursikh some day The problem is that I have associated with a bad crowd and I do not have any gursikh friends to get me away from them. Recently I have distanced myself all together from this crowd but now I'm just alone I was wondering whether there was anyone out there to help me get through this and encourage and guide me towards sikhi? It would be great to have some sort of support when it comes to keeping my kesh etc. It would also be nice to have a friend who I can share my feelings and thoughts on sikhi with as at the moment I have noone Thank you VJKK VJKF
  13. Watch these disgusting goons pick on a girl and her brother in law. Some might say this is India. But the western world is not safe from this behavior. Many times women are molested in this manner and no one does anything. Instead these people stand by and make a video of it. There are more bystanders than those who will stand up against this behavior. I witnessed this behavior myself in the western world and did not hesitate to send the message home to the goon. The kirpan's presence is a deterrence in itself. The goons fear the thought of the kirpan coming out and it's glistening blade penetrating their body. Take Amrit and wear the kirpan proudly.
  14. Guest

    Returning Home*

    how many of us would be will to leave everything behind (UK, USA, Canada, Europe wale) i.e. family, friends, careers etc., and return home to take care of things? our kaum needs waking up, our mother needs our help, and we all know that isnt going to happen by means of protest or by relying on the corrupt governments of our countries. Justice needs to be dealt to a few. People like badal et al need their suitcases packing. India needs reminding of the Akali fauj.
  15. As an observer of humanity and society I see how western culture is all about hedonist lifestyles where getting drunk or taking drugs is the main highlight of a often depressing week. I see how the drugs epidemic has taken its hold of youth in punjab because they either think its cool getting zoned out or their lives are that depressing and no hope they just want to not face up to reality of their life. Now as a follower of the Sikh religion, I dont have any need for intoxicants. I get high and spiritual uplifting from reading about Sikh history, Sikh scriptures and mediating on Waheguru. We have to ask people, particularly our younger generation who are falling in the traps of atheist lifestyles via peer pressure and social media....... which is more healthier for their mind, bodies and society in the long run. Sikhi or intoxicants?
  16. I personally believe feminism is an anti-sikh atheist concept, which is dangerous ideology to any religious community that allows for it to grow. Atheists in governments obviously have a vested interest in seeing it flourish because they want religions destroyed and few people in power in government being everyone's parent. However If your a person of religion you can not reconcile being a feminist with being religious. As most of the worlds biggest religions have scriptures that dictate or guide on gender specific behaviours and roles. As the ancients realised before religion, if you cant control a woman's mind with either physical or mental constraint then you wont have cohesive civlised functioning society as everyone would be free to do as they wish and your population will decrease rapidly with no one looking after the needs of a family. Feminists believe that men and women are equal which sounds a good idea on paper until you realise what that actually entails in practical sense and how absurd that is for human civilisation, in my view because: 1) we have different physical bodies with different functional abilities so we arent born equal to seed or give birth 2) we have different emotional needs, men generally want to play the field with many whereas women usually need emotional attachment with one person 3) We claim to live in a equal society in the west yet women still want to have their own separate changing rooms, separate sports teams, separate laws to protect them. Still genders are equal? we can safely conclude no. In Sikh scripture there are quotes that give guidance for women to cover up and dress modestly. There is also scripture quotes that praise women for giving birth to kings but we have Sikh household born females who subscribe to the feminist ideology and will only pick and chose the guidance that they like and neglect guru's advice on covering up or not to drink or not be lustful and cheat around. In feminists mind if men can do it why cant women its their body? if he can jump of a bridge why cant she? But if they were a true Sikh who were taught sikhi properly and had love for their religion over their atheist feminist main stream media brainwashing they would realise that the approval of what their Guru is saying is worth a million times more than what they are currently being told how to think and behave. And there is always a reason why Guru ji is saying things for our benefit that we dont realise until we get older or wiser.
  17. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh, The Sikh religion is self-admittedly universal. I do not believe any Sikh would disagree. The Sikhs of the diaspora (and, it may be said, in India) have fought tooth and nail for a long time in order to be recognized as a distinct ethnic group. The argument which is used most commonly to refute this proposition is that Sikhism is a religion, theoretically open to anyone. In order to be described as an ethnic group a people must share a common language, culture, history, religion, and geographical origin. As is currently stands we fulfill all these criteria. But if Sikhi were spread and converts to be made to such an extent that, in the future, a large proportion of of Sikhs did not trace their origins to the Punjab, speak Punjabi and did not share in the history which flows through our veins in the form of the blood of our forefathers, then we could never again advance the idea that we are an 'ethnic group' because the definition of this term would no longer apply to us. In other words, the more converts are made to the Sikh religion, the more the cause of a distinct Sikh ethnicity is undermined and undone. Does the self determination of the Sikh people (the desire to be recognized as a separate ethnic group) conflict with the proliferation of the Sikh religion? Which of these causes do you consider to be more important? I cannot yet decide. I love our people and our traditions and the greatest way to protect the integrity of these traditions would be Sikh self-determination. But I also don't like the idea of denying the Jot of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj to the world and its people, who sorely need it in the blackness of Kaljug. May any offence I might have caused be forgiven, Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
  18. Waheguru came across this fatwa, has alot of misinformation on Sikhi http://en.islamtoday.net/node/1531 What is Sikhism? Sikhs claim to believe in one God without partners. Some people claim that the Sikhs actually believe in Islam. Is this true? Answered bySheikh Ahmad al-Qâdî, research fellow at al-Imam University Sikhism, which developed during the early 16th century in the state of Punjab in North India, is an admixture of Islamic and Hindu elements in addition to other teachings devised by their leaders. Certainly they are not Muslims. From the onset of their religion, they have openly declared their disavowal of Islam. In their prayers, they recite: “I do not follow the religious ways preached by various religions believing in Ram, Mohammed, Puran or Qur'an.” The founder of this sect, Guru Nanak, proclaimed that he had seen Allah and that Allah had commanded him to call people to this new religion. He permitted his followers to drink liquor and eat pork. However, he forbade them beef in deference to the Hindus. When this sect ruled Punjab in the eighteenth century, they severely oppressed and persecuted the Muslims. During the English occupation of India, they were loyal to the British and many of their menfolk were part of the largest British army ever assembled. This army had as one of its primary purposes the suppression of Muslim liberation movements. Regarding their claim that they believe in one God, we would say that this does not mean they are Muslims, until the actually worship Allah alone in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). From: http://en.islamtoday.net/node/1531
  19. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh I wanted advice from the panth, on how I should start Nitnem. Currently i don't know how to read Gurmukhi, but i read the Romanised transliteration. Should I start to properly recite Nitnem after I learn Gurmukhi (hopefully learn in the summer) or shall I carry on reading Romanised? Shall I start slowly increasing banis or go straight to 5. (I started to watch all 5 read alongs on Youtube, but recentlyI felt burnout and I wasn't reciting with love) I don't what I should, I feel really guilty if I don't try to do one, and when I study and listen to it, I can't study I need to recite It. Sometimes I feel like just doing Japji Sahib and Simran, but If i do all 5 I only have time for 10 minutes Simran in the night, and Im currently in my 2nd year at Uni and I have exams coming up and I can't seem to balance time between Path and Studying. Basically Im confused and a bit of tips would help. Please forgive me if i offended anyone or said anything wrong
  20. JAMMU & KASHMIR (May 2, 2015)—Situation turned tense after the local Brahmin Sabha forcibly tried to take possession of Gurdwara Sahib Singh Sabha in Kishtwar, Kashmir. It has been learnt that some persons forbicly broke locks of some Gurdwara Sahib rooms and threatened family members of the sevadars. Belongings from some of the Gurdwara rooms were thrown out, along with religious articles. SSP of Kishtwar has promised to take swift action against the accused and promised to arrest them immediately. Local Sikhs have termed the act of sacrilege as cowardly and highly outrageous. A press conference was organized at the Press Club of Jammu yesterday in which Tarlochan Singh Wazir of State Gurdwara Board said that the act of violence at a historical Gurdwara needs to be dealt with seriousness. Wazir stated that yesterday, on April 30, 2015, some miscreants entered the Gurdwara after breaking locks and thrashed the Granthi. Wazir said that violent acts have continued against the Gurdwara and its sevadars since years. He informed that a case has already been filed against one Chander Kant who has in past tried to create trouble at the Gurdwara Sahib. He added that inaction in the case allowed the miscreants to enter the Gurdwara forcibly and throw out the belongings. The SGPC has condemned the incident and called for a strict action against the accused. History Guru Nanak Sahib stayed here at a garden of sidhas known as ‘Sidhian di Bagichi’ and had discourses with religious leaders. A Gurdwara Sahib was established here in 1916 later on by Bhai Sahib Sher Singh Kashmir. SIKH24
  21. (ADMIN PLEASE LEAVE IN GENERAL SECTION FOR APRIL) EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!! CLICK HERE LIMITED SPOTS!! 5th Annual Toronto Singhs Camp Wednesday, May 27th - Sunday, May 31st, 2015 Camp Kintail, Goderich, ON (BUS SERVICE PROVIDED WEDNESDAY, MAY 27th @ 5:30PM) PROMO VIDEO CLICK HERE FACEBOOK EVENT International Speakers Including: Bhai Manvir Singh UK Bhai Baljeet Singh UK (Sikh2Inspire) Bhai Simerneet Singh (Chicago) And ONE SURPRISE SPEAKER!! Need information about camp speakers, workshops, themes, topics and other activities? Follow one of our social media links below to stay up to date! Vaheguru ji ka khalsa, Vaheguru ji ki fateh! - Toronto Singhs Camp Sevadaars FOLLOW, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE BELOW!! Facebook: /torontosinghs Twitter: /SinghsCampTO Instagram: torontosinghscamp YouTube: /SinghsCampTO Website: www.singhscamp.ca
  22. I will be the first to admit that my knowledge on Sikhi is very limited. I go through phases where I go to Guduwarda constantly and pray, to doing none of those. I had a thread another anonymous section about my depression. Anyway I have a question about our soul. Is it developed when we are being born, or are our souls already present with god or in heaven like place which then gets put into a human being that is born. Ie the soul is a seperate being from the human body. Sorry if this is an odd question that doesn't make sense.
  23. Found this article and want to see sangat's opinion on it. I agree on some points with the author but seriously this article seems flawed not to mention the word influencing Sikhi being used seems wrong. This is on Sikhinstitute.org. Source at the bottom. nfluence of Islam and Sufism on Sikhism Dr Manjit Singh Ahluwalia Islam exerted a considerable influence on Indian life, culture and religion during the middle ages in the same way just as Christianity and system of modern education is playing an important part in the religious and cultural development of modern India. During medieval period, it is a fact that Islam, if not so much as a faith, but at least as a State religion, played an important role in the development of Sikhism. Islam and Sufism have influenced most of the religious movements of India from thirteenth century onwards. Indians, mostly religious minded and inclined towards mysticism, warmly welcomed the mystical teachings of Islam. The egalitarian and humanistic attitude of the Sufis attracted the Hindu masses who were groaning under the pressure of casteism and untouchability in their own society. All these factors led to the growth of Sufism by leaps and bounds and thus profoundly influenced the Indian society and culture. Like Buddhism and Siddhism, Islam influenced Sikhism more on practical side than on the side of its theoretical teachings. For instance, there are two modes of worship in Islam: Individual and congregational. The Hindu worship was mostly individual. Besides the individual prayers, a Sikh has also to join the congregation in a Gurudwara twice a day, at sunrise and sunset. Again the way in which the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib is wrapped in clothes and when opened, but not read, is covered by a sheet of cloth has also been the fashion for the holy Quran. The most important resemblance between the two scriptures is in the headlines of every composition contained therein. The Mulmantra of Guru Granth Sahib and the Bismillah of Quran, are both dedicated to One Merciful God and are placed in the beginning of every chapter. They resemble both in content and form.1 Most of the founders of religious sects (including Sikhism) made the best use of their knowledge of Sufism and used the Sufi terminologies to preach their views. This undoubtedly helped in stimulating the Indian religious movements. Influence of Sufism is quite evident in the teachings of Guru Nanak, Kabir, Dadu and other saints of Bhakti movement in medieval India. The early exposition of spiritual thought in the Upanishads formed an ideological bridge between Vaishnavism and Sufism. At the same time, the Sufis were so impressed by Indian thought and practices that many of them adopted these ideas. Similarly some Kayasthas, Khatris, Kashmiri Pandits and Sindhi Amils adopted Muslim culture, cultivated Persian language and literature, and participated in the administration of Islamic states during the medieval period.2 During the rule of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, the Kashmiri Pandits, especially the Sapru clan took up the study of Persian. This was the only group of Brahmins who took to Muslim culture. The Amils of Sindh were a hereditary caste of government servants. After the incorporation of Sindh in Delhi Sultanate, they turned to the study of Persian. Their Sindhi literature remained fully integrated with Muslim traditions and they wrote Sindhi in Arabic script.3 Tara Chand rightly observes, ‘ Hindus offered sweets at Muslim shrines, consulted the Quran as an oracle, kept its copies to ward off the evil influence, and celebrated Muslim feasts. The Muslims responded likewise.’4 The Sufis and Bhakti saints made a departure from orthodox Islam and Hinduism. However, while the Sufis essentially remained within the fold of Islam, the Bhakti mystics, particularly those of Nirguna Marga, challenged all religious norms, including the religious scriptures, incarnation theory, and idol worship. All fought for an egalitarian society, in which there should be respect, a sense of human dignity and fraternity for all without distinction. There were many Sufi Sheikhs and Bhakti Gurus who were equally popular among the Hindus and Muslims and there was an effective literary and cultural interaction between the two communities. The devotional form of Bhakti literature, including the Guru Granth Sahib, the Panchvani and the Niryanpanti, which include the sayings of a large number of religious thinkers are similar to the Rushd Nama of Abdul Quddus Gangohi and other such compilations. All these contributed to the evolution of a common culture in India. This produced a new mystical terminology and their ideas contained in them took an identical course. The mutual use of large number of Hindi and Persian words, phrases, idioms and similes in the Bhakti and Sufi literature show the extent of foreign influence on Indian culture and vice-versa.5 There has been close contact, very often cordial between the Sufis and Indian Yogis. Gorakh’s cult was an attempt to reconcile Buddhism and Sufism. It adopted a way in between the two. If Sufis made their converts from among the Yogis, a number of Sufis became Yogis also.6 The Chisti Sufis held discourses with Siddhas and Yogis who made frequent visits to the Jamaat Khana at Multan and Delhi.7 It is significant that many of the khanqahs of early Muslim Sufis in India were established outside the old cities, in the midst of the settlements of the poor. The liberal and secular ideas of the Sufis, and their humanitarian attitude towards all, attracted particularly the depressed classes to the khanqahs. Besides the two basic socio-religious ideals, the unity of God and the unity of human being taught by the Sufis determined the extent of the discontent of the lower classes of people towards the established thought and practice in Hinduism. It was but natural that they were bound towards this new social order, so different from their own.8 The Sufi attitude towards the Hindus and Hinduism was based on understanding and adjustment, because it was believed that all religions were different roads leading to the same destination. Believing in ahimsa, living as vegetarian, and giving equal status to all, naturally increased the scope of their contact with the Hindus. Again the mutual use of a large number of Hindi and Persian words, phrases and idioms and similes in Sufi and Bhakti literatures shows the extent of social contact. Indian musical forms like Khayal and Thumri and the recitation of Hindi verses have been very much in use in the samas and khanqahs. Being a powerful means of spiritual satisfaction, the sama or qawwali became a popular institution of medieval mysticism and attracted higher intellects as well as common people of both the communities. Sikhism and Islam In the five hundred years of Sikhism, there has been many a debate on the Vedantic roots of Sikhism and also on its Semitic antecedents which came via Islam. There is also a second powerful argument which holds that, to look at Sikhism as a synthesis is to diminish it, for it is an entirely new revealed system. In fact both have seen something admirable in Sikhism with which they can identify.9 History tells us that the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was revered by both Muslims and Hindus of the time. He traveled widely to both Hindu and Muslim places of pilgrimage and his two constant companions throughout were Mardana, a Muslim and Bala, a Hindu. Mardana also composed some hymns which are included in the Sikh scriptures. Many scholars have stressed the Islamic and Sufi influence on different religious movements of India but the impact of Islam and Sufism on Sikh religion and thought is yet to be properly assessed. The Islamic and Sufi concepts of the unity and sovereignty of God, unity of revelation and variety of Divine Scriptures have permeated to a great extent in the Sikh teachings. We find that Sikhism has made the best use of its acquaintance with Islam and Sufism to preach the religious views. The verses contained in the Sikh Holy scripture Guru Granth Sahib bear ample evidence that the Sikh Gurus were well versed in Islamic and Sufi learnings. There is enough evidence that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, had not only studied Islam but had close contacts with the contemporary Mullahs and Pirs when be engaged in religious debates on several occasions. It is well known that he had close contacts with the Muslims. There is every likelihood that he had imbibed some of the Islamic and Sufi doctrines particularly pertaining to devotion and love of God. Guru Nanak’s own religious ideals and representations could not but be somewhat influenced by Sufi thought and imagery as suggested by many of his verses. S A A Rizvi thinks that, as he belonged to a literate family, neatly placed in the service of Afghan governors of the Punjab, he must have listened to the verses of Rumi, Sa’di, Hafiz and Jami in his own environment and the thought of the great mystic poets would have aroused interest in divine love, grace and mercy.10 However, as far as his contemporary Kabir is concerned, there is no uncertainty. He was brought up in a Muslim family and was well acquainted with Islamic and Sufi teachings due to family tradition as well as his personal contacts with contemporary Sheikhs and Pirs.11 It is pertinent to mention here that Guru Nanak was well acquainted with Islamic teachings and Sufi doctrines. He had travelled extensively and visited many holy places. Moreover he had met and conversed with many Sufis of his time particularly Sheikh Sharaf of Panipat and Sheikh Ibrahim, the spiritual successor of Baba Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakar. Therefore, his teachings are very close to the mystical doctrines preached by the Muslim Sufis. To quote Tara Chand, “How deep Guru Nanak’s debt is to Islam, it is hardly necessary to state, for it is so evident in his words and thoughts. Manifestly he was steeped in Sufi lore and the fact of the matter is that it is much harder to find how much exactly he drew from the Hindu scriptures.”12 Four hymns and 130 shloks of Baba Sheikh Farid have been included in the Guru Granth Sahib, compiled by 5th Guru, Arjan Dev.13 Although there is a dispute concerning the authorship of these shloks, it is beyond dispute that these shloks are the compositions of a Sufi and reflect the impact of Sufism on the Sikh religion.14 On the theoretical side, although Muslim concept of the unity of God resembles Guru Nanak’s monotheistic belief and his concept of solity of God, yet instead of replacing the Hindu immanental God by the transcendental God of the Muslims, he combined the two aspects in the same deity.15 One thing which is particularly Muslims or more correctly Semitic is the male character of God. The Guru never in serious thought represents God as female, as it is sometimes done in the Hindu sacred literature. Guru Nanak’s God is merciful, but not so much as to say “God forgives even if there is no repentance on the part of the sinner” as mentioned in the Quran. Sometimes in the Quran, but never in Guru Granth Sahib, is God described as avenging. Similar ideas are met within Vedic hymns. God is mentioned to be Retributor and Wrathful. Guru Nanak declared, “My Lord is kind and always kind.” (mehrwan sahib mera mehrawan) The ideas of Guru Nanak reveal his contact with two types of Muslims: The orthodox and the Sufi. The hypocrisy,16 intolerance and formalism of the former repelled Guru Nanak. His attacks against the Mullah and the importance which he attaches to externality are as severe as they are against the Brahmin. The philosophy of Hukm is Semitic in general, but it is characteristically prominent in the Muslim thought. The very word Hukm is Quranic. Again Quranic ideas like : ‘All people are a single nation (2-213), and people are naught but a single nation’ (10-9) found expression in Guru Nanak’s words like: All men are of the same caste and that we are all equal, no high and low, all brothers, no friends or foes. Just as in mosque, the ideal of brotherhood is triumphant, ‘the beggar, the sweeper, the prince worship side by side’; similarly in a gurdwara all social superiority or inferiority is set at naught.17 The orthodox belief that Mohammad was the prophet of God, did not appeal to Guru Nanak. He said if there was one prophet than there were millions like him. When a Qazi asked Guru Nanak to have faith in one God and His one Rasul-Prophet, he said, ‘ Why to have faith in the latter who takes birth and dies, believe only in the one who is omnipresent.18 The narrow-mindedness and the intolerance of this school, led Nanak to say the opposite: that all religions were true only if they were to be sincerely lived, and not hypocritically boasted of. Allah and Ram, mosque and temple did not differ in essence. So much so that the Sixth Guru got a mosque constructed for the Muslims. The first Guru did not object on principle to say prayers in a mosque, but he could not join the group as the leader was not sincere in his prayers.19 It is no coincidence that the Islamic scholars understood Guru Nanak much better than Hindu scholars. Because of Nanak’s crusade against false rituals, the Pandits felt danger to their khir-puri and called him a kuraiya, a corruptor. Muslims were more liberal in understanding Nanak. Many Pirs and Fakirs made very close relations and understanding with the house of Nanak. Foundation stone of Har Mandir in Amritsar, the sanctum sanctorum of the Sikhs, was laid by Mian Mir, a Muslim Pir of great repute.20 The only difficulty Guru Nanak had in his encounter with the Muslim saints, scholars and sages was that most of them would not believe that a non-Muslim and particularly a man born in a Hindu family could be an enlightened man of supreme revelation. But as soon as they came to know that he was more staunch a monotheist than any Muslim or Jew, and he did not believe in idolatry, their attitude changed and most of their differences disappeared.21 Guru Nanak took from Quran and Sufi literature a good many terms and symbolic expressions, like sidak, sabar, hukm, nadir, mehar, karam ( grace), etc. The striking resemblance between some of the utterances in the Quran and his writings shows that he had studied Islamic source books thoroughly. He tells us how one should be a true Muslim, and what is shariat and kalma for him. Where was so much Islamic literature available to Guru Nanak? It is not difficult to answer this question. Guru Nanak worked as Modi (Granary Officer) of Daulat Khan Lodhi, Governor of Punjab at Sultanpur, for over ten years. Here was available to him the library of Daulat Khan’s son Ghazi Khan, a young man of very scholarly taste. This library was at that time the biggest library in India housing very rare manuscripts on Islamic literature, and scholars came from far and near to consult rare books. Guru Nanak had access to this library for all the years he lived in Sultanpur. That accounts for his profound knowledge of Islamic history and doctrines.22 Sikhism and Sufism More positive in content was the exchange of ideas which took place between the Sikh Gurus and Muslim Sufis. The Sufis are the followers of the mystic and emotional side of the teachings of the great Prophet’s religion. Guru Nanak had personal relationship with some well known Sufis, the verses of one of whom are recorded in Guru Granth Sahib. Muin-ud-Din Chisti of Sistan came to Delhi in 1192 AD along with the army of Shihabuddin Ghauri. Three years later he went to Ajmer which became the first centre of Chisti order in India. Guru Nanak met Baba Farid II, who was the 13th spiritual successor of First Sheikh Farid Shakarganj. There is a fusion of Advaitic Bhakti and Sufism in Sikhism. Just as there are stages in the spiritual uplift of a Sufi, similarly Guru Nanak also speaks in his Japu Ji of five steps, in the spiritual progress of man. Singing of the praises of God, music and free kitchen are some of the common practices among the Sufis and the Sikhs. Our purpose of the comparative survey of Sikhism is to show that if we say that Sikhism is the branch of this or that religion is to shut our eyes to the multifarious trends of thought originating from these sources and contributing to the general atmosphere in which the founders of Sikhism flourished. Just as the mere presence of the ideas of transmigration of souls and the law of Karma should not make us think that Sikhism in nothing but Hinduism; similarly its stern monotheistic character should not persuade some scholars to say that Guru Nanak was a Mohammadan. Thus we find that Sikhism was not only deeply influenced but it also made the best use of its acquaintance with Islam and Sufism to preach the religious views. Guru Nanak’s quatrains bear ample evidence of his being well versed in Islamic and Sufi learning. In Sikh religion, the impact of Islam and Sufism seems to be deeper than the founders of other religious sects. The fact of the matter is the Sikh religious teachings are so much influenced by the Islamic teachings and Sufi doctrines that it can never be understood without a good knowledge of Islam and Sufism. Source: http://sikhinstitute.org/july_2009/8-msahluwalia.html ~
  24. It would be no exaggeration to say that Sikhi, of all the world's major religions, stands quite apart from the rest in that it is the most egalitarian (supportive of the equality of men and women, highborn and lowborn, all races) and one of the least obstructive in the path of the scientific method and intellectual discussion, in that our Guru Sahibaan (themselves keen religious and political commentators, and critical thinkers) did not conceive any creation myths or make flagrantly untrue statements about the nature of reality. At the end of every Ardas in every Gurdwara around the world we pray for Sarbat Da Bhalla, the good of all mankind. It seems to me that if the greater part of mankind could be brought into the Sikh fold, the world would be a better place and all mankind would be better off. How can this even be argued given everything our faith stands for? Every progressive value which all the cultures of the world have just happened upon in the last century or so has been institutionalized in the Sikh Panth since the 1500s. So why do we not attempt to spread the message of Sikh more actively? There is an abundance of parchaaraks who direct their sermons towards other Sikhs, but I know of none who set out to convert non-Sikhs. I believe this is because many Sikhs appear to be under the misapprehension that Sikhi does not permit missionary work or proselytization. That any Sikh could continue to believe this when Guru Nanak himself, on his four great Udaasis, actually set out to spread his message and acted as a 'missionary' to the fullest extent of that word, I think beggars belief. Are we so scared of offending other people's beliefs, many of which are backward and actually harmful, that we will deny to everyone the teachings of a faith that has the potential to be one of the most profound forces for good in the world today? Why shouldn't we have missionaries who seek to convert other people from other religions, and why should we sit on our hands and leave the world vulnerable to the retrograde preachments of predatory Christian and Muslim missionaries? Am I violating any principles of Gurbani for thinking this way?
  25. Just watched this trailer of a project coming out in March I am conflicted ... on one hand it is in English, aimed at our young girls and also gives a role model in SIkhi to use for staying strong yet, why is it Mai Bhago looks like she has been to the salon, plucked eyebrows and has eyelashes which look like they are mascara-ed , she is also at least four shades lighter than the punjabi girl who is the protagonist? I am tired of the constant rebranding of how Sikh women should look to a eurocentric model ...and why was I not surprised to find it is a sikhnet movie
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