Is Sikhi A Missionary Religion

[dalsingh101]

Thats where Gurujee is talking about Hukam, that all these came as per Vaheguroo's Hukam but none could preach/teach the truth.

I may be reading it wrong but it seems to suggest that some founders of other faiths were sent by Waheguru to guide man but failed in imparting naam because "Everyone placed his own interest first and foremost and did not comprehend the Supreme Brahman.".

??

[GPS]

Guru Nanak sahib writes in asa ki vaar the prevalent conditions of society.

There were middlemen between akal purakh and humans.The conduct of

these middlemen was questionable.

Guru sahibs gave society a simpler way to realize God wherein person

could realize God on his own efforts by Naam simran in sadh sangat with

Guru's grace.

Guru sahib did not ask anyone to leave their religion of birth and join his

path. People came on their own.

Hence sikhism did not and does not to this day indulge in missionary activity.

Bahgat Puran singh ji unlike Mother teresa did not ask destitute to change their

religion before he could care for them in his ashram.

Missionary activity is always fraught with dangerous consequences as it creates

resentment in society and strips a human of his belief by questionable methods. A humane religion

does not indulge in that.

In my opinion (I might be wrong and correct me If i am because i am still learning about sikhi), What Guru Ji is saying in this pankti is for Sikhs

Exactly.This is an advice for his sikhs.

Guru sahib was against religious conversion.When he saw Hindus being converted during Muslim rule he protested writing

ਆਦਿ ਪੁਰਖ ਕਉ ਅਲਹੁ ਕਹੀਐ ਸੇਖਾਂ ਆਈ ਵਾਰੀ ॥

आदि पुरख कउ अलहु कहीऐ सेखां आई वारी ॥

Āḏ purakẖ ka▫o alhu kahī▫ai sekẖāʼn ā▫ī vārī.

The Primal Lord God is called Allah. The Shaykh's( Muslims) turn has now come.

ਦੇਵਲ ਦੇਵਤਿਆ ਕਰੁ ਲਾਗਾ ਐਸੀ ਕੀਰਤਿ ਚਾਲੀ ॥੫॥

देवल देवतिआ करु लागा ऐसी कीरति चाली ॥५॥

Ḏeval ḏeviṯi▫ā kar lāgā aisī kīraṯ cẖālī. ||5||

The temples of the gods are subject to taxes; this is what it has come to. ||5|| ( Reference to hindu Temples)

ਕੂਜਾ ਬਾਂਗ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਮੁਸਲਾ ਨੀਲ ਰੂਪ ਬਨਵਾਰੀ ॥

कूजा बांग निवाज मुसला नील रूप बनवारी ॥

Kūjā bāʼng nivāj muslā nīl rūp banvārī.

The Muslim devotional pots, calls to prayer, prayers and prayer mats are everywhere; the Lord appears in blue robes.

ਘਰਿ ਘਰਿ ਮੀਆ ਸਭਨਾਂ ਜੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀ ਅਵਰ ਤੁਮਾਰੀ ॥੬॥

घरि घरि मीआ सभनां जीआं बोली अवर तुमारी ॥६॥

Gẖar gẖar mī▫ā sabẖnāʼn jī▫āʼn bolī avar ṯumārī. ||6||

In each and every home, everyone uses Muslim greetings; your speech has changed, O people. ||6||

ਜੇ ਤੂ ਮੀਰ ਮਹੀਪਤਿ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਕਉਣ ਹਮਾਰੀ ॥

जे तू मीर महीपति साहिबु कुदरति कउण हमारी ॥

Je ṯū mīr mahīpaṯ sāhib kuḏraṯ ka▫uṇ hamārī.

You, O my Lord and Master, are the King of the earth; what power do I have to challenge You?

Ang 1191, SGGS ji

[Wales85]

If it was missionary I feel it would be very successful. There are many people who very much want to get closer to God / have religion in their lives... but simply can't buy all the teachings of christianity. Sikhism allows a practical and healthy way to approach life.

I think sikhs have an ethical duty to at least let people know about their religion. Its way to valuable to be limited to just the punjabis. I also think that have a religion span many cultures tends to purify it, and prevent culture from becoming religion (ideally)

[GPS]

Although sikhism does not endorse missionary activity yet it accords very high respect to those who embrace it on their own.

I fully agree sikhs have a duty to let others know about teachings of Gurus as those have universal appeal.It can only

be done when SGGS is made available in different languages and saintly persons preach practical aspects of sikhism

such as teaching mediation with sikh perspective.

[Bijla Singh]

Gurmat is missionary path (more so than other religions) but the approach of Sikhs is different than Muslims and Christians. Forcing someone to change their religion is wrong but that doesn't mean missionary activity as a whole is wrong. In other words, missionary work is not wrong but the methods to carry out this mission can be wrong. Here is a short write-up I wrote a while back on this matter.

The proofs that Sikhs believe in missionary work are abundant. It must be noted that Sikhs do not believe in forceful conversion or converting others by lying, deceiving or offering materialistic rewards. Also, Sikhs do not seek converts just to increase their numbers. Rather Sikhs believe in having converts of high caliber with moral and ethical standards as well as dedicated to the true path of Gurmat. Sikhs prefer quality over quantity.

Sikhi is a whole life system meaning unlike other Indian traditions it does not believe in renouncing the world but living in it and carrying out full social responsibilities. It is not a philosophical system but a way of life. The Gurus spent 240 years to establish this path by putting it in practice and ensuring that people were not only able to renounce 3000 years old traditions but also live up to the ideals preached by Guru Nanak Sahib. Since it is a way of life and the divine path is established for the welfare of humanity it is irrational to believe that others should not know about it or should not practice it. Not only early Sikhs but two of the Gurus initially were following Hindu traditions who later converted to Sikhi. If no one ever converted to Sikhi then where did Sikhs come from? It therefore, proves that Sikhi is a missionary religion. Here are some proofs.

1) Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the most authentic source. Guru Nanak Sahib in his own hymns explains why he set on long journeys. In Raag Maajh, Ang 150, He explains that He was called in the presence of God where God blessed him with Naam and commanded him to spread it in the entire world. His divine mission was directly from God. Guru Sahib spent more than 25 years on long journeys to preach Gurmat during which he met many religious leaders, corrupt and immoral government officials as well as many kings and showed them the right path. He established his religious centers wherever he went and appointed heads to spread Sikhi. It shows that people who became Sikhs were converts and Guru Sahib ensured that someone was left behind to spread his teachings, which is why he appointed heads. He also met ascetics who had renounced the world and held discourses with them. Such discourses make it clear that Guru Sahib convinced the ascetics to return to the world and declared their path wrong. It is completely foolish to assume that Guru Sahib went as far as Sri Lanka, Mecca, Tibet and Nagaland but never converted a single person to Sikhi. Bhatts, Sikhs, Bhagats and other Gurus make it clear in their own hymns that Guru Nanak Sahib started a new distinct path by the order to God and spread his true message in all four corners.

2) Works of Bhai Gurdas are the second most authentic sources. He clearly says that Guru Nanak started a distinct path which he calls "Nirmal Panth". He also confirms that Guru Sahib received divine command to spread Sikhi. Bhai Gurdas himself spent many years in Aagra, UP and Kashmir to propagate Sikhi. Janamsakhis also state the same thing.

3) Guru Amardas Ji established 22 manjis or 22 preachers to spread Sikhi in 22 states of Mughal Empire. He then established 52 peerihis to further propagate the message of Sikhi. Guru Amardas had trained his son-in-law as a Sikh preacher who went to Akbar and explained Sikhi in such a manner that Akbar himself came to see Guru Sahib.

4) Guru Arjan Dev Ji compiled the Sikh scripture, built Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) and converted many Hindus and Muslims to Sikhi. Jahangir writes in his own diary "Tuzik Jahangiri" that Guru Sahib had converted many Muslims and Hindus to his own path for which Jahangir wanted to kill the Guru.

5) Guru Hargobind, 6^th Guru, sent many Sikhs to Kashmir, Aagra, U.P., and other parts of the country to preach Sikhi. He even organized the Udasis which served as the first missionary group of the Sikhs. Guru Tegh Bahadur toured the country extensively and went as far as Aasam to preach Sikhi. It was on his tours that Guru Gobind Singh was born in Patna. Guru Gobind Singh finalized and completed the mission of Guru Nanak Sahib. He states in his own compositions that by the command of God he established the Khalsa Panth. About 80,000 people took Amrit in a few days. He organized the Sikhs as an independent religious and political order. He also started Nirmala order which was also a missionary wing of the Sikhs. Nirmalas were sent to many Hindu centers where they established Gurdwaras and preached Sikhi.

6) Prominent Sikhs like Baba Banda Singh, Nawab Kapoor Singh, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Bhai Mani Singh converted many people to Sikhism and always replenished the ranks of the Sikhs even during the great holocausts. Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale at few occasions converted 10,000 people a day. Many preachers go to Gurdwaras around the world and preach Sikhi. This all proves that Sikhi affirms missionary work.

The above facts show that the Gurus not only started the true path but also took effective measures to spread it. During the time of the 10^th Guru, one could find Sikhs from Kabul to Sri Lanka and every town had some number of Sikhs. This was the result of missionary works setup by the Gurus and carried on by the Sikhs. Sikhi is separate religion that has its own ceremonies, place of worship, scriptures, symbols and dress. Further it is a social system in which there exists no caste, gender and varnashram discrimination. It is for everyone to benefit from. Had it been against missionary work, it would've died a long time ago and existed only in books just like philosophy of Socrates etc. The Guru would never have organized and done missionary work themselves. They established numerous Sikh centers for Sikhs to gather and practice their faith. There is not a single verse in Gurbani, Vaars and other authentic sources and a single incident or an example in Sikh history that can prove that Sikhi preaches against missionary work without which it will cease to exist. It is the responsibility of Sikhs to propagate and spread the true divine path so the entire humanity can follow the ideals and teachings of the Gurus. Sikhs believe in Raj Karega Khalsa which implies that one day everyone in the world will become Sikhs and only true Khalsa shall rule the world.

[GPS]

Preaching truthfulness and telling people to follow a simpler path to realization of God is not termed as conversion.

Guru sahib did not convert anyone. Those who joined sikhism embraced it on their own by seeing the transparency in its teachings.

Conversion is changing one's beliefs to your belief system often done by questionable methods. This is aimed at

ignorant, poor and destitute sections of society.It was earlier done by force as Muslims were converting Hindus

and is done by fraud these days.

Religion is spirituality and not materiality.Religion is love , respect and equality and not mine is better than yours.

ਸਰਬ ਧਰਮ ਮਹਿ ਸ੍ਰੇਸਟ ਧਰਮੁ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਕੋ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਿ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਕਰਮੁ

Of all religions, the best religion is Naam-Japa (meditation on God); the pure conduct

ang 266, SGGS

[GPS]

Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale at few occasions converted 10,000 people a day.

Any reference for that will be appreciated. He used to say in his speeches

If you are a Hindu follow your religion to the best and if you are a muslim follow your religion to the core.

[Balbir Singh]

Pray Truth for all and say Satsriakaal!

Dear all!

The reverend Gurus spread Naam.

The missionary spreads rituals.

Origin of one's Dharama is within.

Outer actions are worldly dharams.

Who can know an inner journey himself?

Only Naam in Sadh-Sang can lead one.

In core of each individual He is God.

There is no ego of a worldly religion.

Balbir Singh

[kds1980]

If you are a Hindu follow your religion to the best and if you are a muslim follow your religion to the core.

May I ask you who is going to decide which person is following his/her religion to best? For talibans <Edited> islam is the best so are you trying to say that gurbani tell people to follow their version of religion to the best even if it is wrong?If a muslim follow islam what is written according to Guru sahiban then he is not going to be considered best in his religion.Same goes for another Religions too

[GPS]

Their actions are going to decide if they are following their religious teachings.When Guru sahib was asked at Mecca who is better

between a Hindu and Muslim, he replied

ਪੁਛਨਿ ਫੋਲਿ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਨੋ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਵਡਾ ਕਿ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨੋਈ ।

puchhani dholi kitaab no hindoo vadaa ki musalamaanoee|

They asked Baba Nanak to open and search in his book whether Hindu is great or the Muslim.

Line 3

ਬਾਬਾ ਆਖੇ ਹਾਜੀਆ ਸੁਭਿ ਅਮਲਾ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਦੋਨੋ ਰੋਈ ।

baabaa aakhay haajeeaa subhi amalaa baajhahu dono roee|

Baba replied to the pilgrim hajis, that, without good deeds both will have to weep and wail

ਹਿੰਦੂ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ਦੁਇ ਦਰਗਹ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਲਹਨਿ ਨ ਢੋਈ ।

hindoo musalamaan dui daragah andari|ahani n ddhoee|

Only by being a Hindu or a Muslim one can not get accepted in the court of the Lord.

Line 5 ਕਚਾ ਰੰਗੁ ਕੁਸੰਭ ਦਾ ਪਾਣੀ ਧੋਤੈ ਥਿਰੁ ਨ ਰਹੋਈ ।

kachaa rangu kusanbh daa paanee dhotai diru n rahoee|

As the colour of safflower is impermanent and is washed away in water, likewise the colours of religiosity are also temporary.

Line 6 ਕਰਨਿ ਬਖੀਲੀ ਆਪਿ ਵਿਚਿ ਰਾਮ ਰਹੀਮ ਕੁਥਾਇ ਖਲੋਈ ।

karani bakheelee aapi vichi raam raheem kudaai khaloee|

(Followers of both the religions) In their expositions, denounce Ram and Rahim.

Line 7 ਰਾਹਿ ਸੈਤਾਨੀ ਦੁਨੀਆ ਗੋਈ ॥੩੩॥

raahi saitaanee duneeaa goee ॥33॥

The whole of the world is following the ways of Satan.

Vaar 1 pauri 33