Sikhism is the world's newest religion at 500 years old. The religion was "put together" by Guru Nanak, a keen student of both Islam and Hinduism, who spent years travelling over India. India, in the early 15th century, was an area that had witnessed the growth of Hinduism with its belief in multitude of gods and theories of reincarnation. The emergence of Islam and its emphasis on One God corrected many of the social issues and "mystical" beliefs associated with Hinduism at the time. The caste system was seen in its true nature; a racist structure geared to preserve the rich over the poor. Islam offered those at the bottom of the organization a way of being equal and simultaneously having a belief system that fitted naturally with the human self. However, Nanak created Sikhism as a reaction against both Islam and Hinduism and was in essence a mixture of the two. The early Sikhs buried their dead, like the Muslims but carried ideas of reincarnation. Nevertheless, the roots of Sikhism can be clearly defined as Islamic in nature.
All Sikhs today must know that Islam has heavily influenced their religion.
Today, leading Sikh scholars and researchers testify that Nanak was inclined to the Islamic way of thinking:
"Guru Nanak not only was in intimate contact with the Moslem learned men and centres of religion of Islam of those days, but he also made a close study of the basic Islamic literature." (The Sikh Review, March 1991)
"He took to studying the Hindu and Muslim religions almost from his boyhood"¦when he died, his body became a subject of dispute. The Muslims wanted to bury him, the Hindus to cremate him." (The Sikhs, K.Singh, 1953)
Guru Nanak was influenced by the Muslim, Sheikh Ibrahim Farid (1450-1535), for whom Nanak had great admiration and whose works are incorporated in the Granth (The Sikhs, K.Singh, 1953).
The Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs, is a book that contains the teachings of all their Gurus. The influence of the Quran is unmistakable, compare the following entries with those of particular Surah's:
Granth Sahib – "In times of trouble, God is remembered by all But none remembers Him during peace and happiness. If God is remembered in good times of happiness Why should trouble occur?" Al-Qur'an 39:8 – "When some trouble toucheth man, He crieth unto his Lord, Turning to Him in repentance: But when He bestoweth A favour upon him As from Himself, (Man) doth forget what he cried And prayed for before, And he doth set up Rivals unto Allah." Granth Sahib – "The Doer, the Cause of causes, is potent to do anything. That which pleases Him, comes to pass. In an instant, He creates and destroys. He has no end or limitation. By His Order, He established the earth, and He maintains it unsupported. By His Order, the world was created; by His Order, it shall merge again into Him. By His Order, ones occupation is high or low. By His Order, there are so many colours and forms. Having created the creation, He beholds His own greatness. O Nanak, He is pervading in all." Al-Qur'an 2:117-118 – "The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it: "Be!" and it is. And those who have no knowledge say: "Why doesn't Allah speak to us (face to face) or why does not a sign come to us?" So said the people before them words of similar import. Their hearts are alike, We have indeed made plain the signs for people who believe with certainty." Granth Sahib – "He neither has father, nor mother, nor sons nor brothers. Burnt be the mouth that asserts, the Lord takes birth. He is neither born nor dies; nether enters birth nor departs. All pervasive is Nanaks Lord. Al-Qur'an 112:1-4 – In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. "Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor was He begotten; And there is none like (co-equal or comparable) unto Him."
Islam was revealed to Muhammad (saw) in the 7th Century where as Nanak and the subsequent guru's compiled the Granth from the 15th Century onwards.
Short hymns, which form part of the Sikh religion, include direct references to Islam and the Prophet Mohammad (saw):
"It is difficult to be called a Muslim; of one is truly a Muslim, then he may be called one. First, let him savor the religion of the Prophet as sweet; then, let his pride of his possessions be scraped away. Becoming a true Muslim, a disciple of the faith of Mohammed let him put aside the delusion of death and life. As he submits to God's Will (Islam) and surrenders to the creator, he is rid of selfishness and conceit. And when, O Nanak, he is merciful to all beings, only then shall he be called a Muslim."
"Let mercy be your mosque, faith your prayer mat, and honest living your Koran. Make modesty your circumcision, and good conduct your fast. In this way, you shall be a true Muslim. Let good conduct be your Kabaa, Truth your spiritual guide, and the karma of good deeds your prayer and chant. Let your rosary be that which is pleasing to His Will."
Nanak's acceptance of Muhammad (saw) as the Messenger of Allah.
Nanak, in one of his Janam Sakhis, said the religion of Islam is true. It was because of this that he went on pilgrimage to Mecca, and adopted all the tenets of Islam. His sacred relics at Dera Baba Nanak bear the clearest testimony to his profession of the Islamic Kalima, "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet", and those at Guru Har Sahai in the Ferozepore District, include a copy of the Holy Quran. He also proclaimed that enmity to Islam was enmity to the light that comes from heaven.
Sikhism is a religion, which is not stable by nature, but one that evolves from time to time. It has made conscious attempts to rid itself from its Islamic roots.
The fifth Guru, Arjun (1563-1606), was determined to break away from the Islamic influences (due to his dislike of being ruled by Muslims) but wanted to keep some of its fundamentals, most notably the belief in One God. He wrote the following, which is clearly a case of the Sikhs being caught in no-man's land, somewhere between Islam and Hinduism:
I do not keep the Hindu fast, nor the Muslim Ramadan.
I serve Him alone who is my refuge.
I serve the one Master, who is also Allah.
I have broken with the Hindu and the Muslim,
I will not worship with the Hindu, nor like the Muslim go to Mecca.
I shall serve Him and no other.
I will not pray to idols nor say the Muslim prayer.
I shall put my heart at the feet of the one Supreme Being.
For we are neither Hindus nor Muslims.
Furthermore, original Sikh doctrine outlawed the idea of a caste system. However, today this abhorrent system, has returned becoming a key feature of Sikh society.
CONCLUSION
In short, Sikhism is a man-made religion made up of the "best elements" from both Islam and Hinduism. As mentioned, Islam corrected the numerous inadequacies Hinduism imposed on society; thus impressing on intellectuals such as Nanak that the religion of Muhammad (saw) was in fact the truth.
However, Nanak could not accept Islam in its entirety so chose just the key features that favoured him and the people. Today, Sikhs in Britain know very little of the origins of their religion, whereas those who do, want to keep it hidden.
The idea that Islam forms the backbone of Sikhism is something which they will not accept as they want to feel superior to the Muslims. However, because Sikhism is man-made it has many flaws.
Firstly, the religion lacks depth and is easily brainwashed by more dominant systems. Hinduism still has a great influence on the Sikhs as the caste system highlights – the idea that everyone is equal in the eyes of God is rarely practised by the Sikhs, as inter-caste marriage is still a taboo subject.
Secondly, Nanak made no claims to divinity or to kinship with God and did not want to be worshipped as a kind of prophet (K.Singh, 1953). But, today many Sikhs do this by hanging a picture of Nanak and directing their prayers towards it.
Thirdly, unlike Islam where the doctrine has stood firm for over 1400 years, Sikhism has evolved; taking in new directions with every new Guru. Key elements of the religion have been dramatically altered such as the treatment of the dead; in Nanak's time they were buried whereas today they are cremated.
The message to any Sikh is do your research and ask yourself "are you Sikh because you really want to be or is it because your parents are". Remember, on the Day of Judgment, no religion will be accepted from Allah accept Islam. "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." (Al-Qur'an 3:85)
