Sikh Religion and Islam A Comparative Study G. S. Sidhu M.A. Gurmukh Singh Published by: - © Copyright: G. S. Sidhu and Gurmukh Singh No. of Copies: Year Printer: ii INDEX ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS BOOK .......................................1 MAIN ABBREVIATIONS: .......................................................................... 1 SOURCES AND QUOTATIONS..................................................................1 QUOTATIONS FROM THE HOLY SCRIPTURES ..........................................2 SIKH SOURCES .....................................................................................2 ISLAMIC SOURCES ................................................................................ 2 FOREWORD ..................................................................................3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................5 CHAPTER 1 ...................................................................................6 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................6 1.1 THE NEED FOR RELIGION ........................................................ 6 1.2 THE NEED FOR THIS STUDY..................................................... 7 1.3 SIKHISM AND ISLAM: INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS ...................11 CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................15 APPROACHES.............................................................................15 2.1 SIKHISM............................................................................... 15 2.2 ISLAM .................................................................................. 17 CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................19 SIMILARITIES ..............................................................................19 3.1 IMPEDIMENTS....................................................................... 19 3.2 GOD IS NEAR ....................................................................... 19 3.3 GOD IS ONE ......................................................................... 20 3.4 GOD IS NOT BORN ................................................................20 3.5 GOD IS ALL KNOWING ........................................................... 21 3.6 AS YOU SOW, SO SHALL YOU REAP........................................21 3.7 SUBMISSION TO GOD ........................................................... 21 3.8 TEST OF FAITH .....................................................................22 3.9 REVERENTIAL STATUS: HOLY QURAN HOLY GRANTH SAHIB.. 23 3.10.1 Islam: Sura Al- Fatihah ............................................... 24 3.10.2 Sikhism: Mool Mantar ................................................. 24 3.11 PRAISE OF GOD ...................................................................24 3.12 INTOXICANTS ....................................................................... 25 3.13 FAMILY LIFE;MONASTICISM .................................................. 25 3.14 NEED FOR A PRECEPTOR...................................................... 26 3.15 SETTLING DISPUTES AND MAKING DECISIONS......................... 26 3.16 CHARITY; DASWANDH/ZAKAT................................................ 27 3.17 SLANDER............................................................................. 28 3.18 CASTE SYSTEM....................................................................29 3.19 PRIESTHOOD ....................................................................... 29 3.20 BEST RELIGION ....................................................................29 CHAPTER 4 .................................................................................31 SCRIPTURES...............................................................................31 i 4.1 GURU GRANTH SAHIB .......................................................... 31 4.1.1 Dasam Granth ............................................................ 35 4.2 THE HOLY QURAN................................................................36 4.2.1 Hadis (Plural Ahadis).................................................. 39 4.3 PILLARS OF SIKHISM ............................................................ 40 4.4 PILLARS OF ISLAM ................................................................40 CHAPTER 5 .................................................................................42 GOD, PRAYERS AND CREATION...............................................42 5.1 GOD IN SIKHISM...................................................................42 5.2 GOD IN ISLAM ...................................................................... 44 5.3 PRAYER IN SIKHISM..............................................................45 5.3.1 Prayer in Islam............................................................ 47 5.4 CREATION ACCORDING TO SIKHISM.......................................48 5.4.1 Creation according to Islam........................................49 CHAPTER 6 .................................................................................51 SACRED PLACES; PILGRIMAGE; RITUALS AND SACRIFICE...51 6.1 SACRED PLACES OF THE SIKHS.............................................51 6.2 SACRED PLACES OF ISLAM.................................................... 53 6.3 SIKH PLACES OF WORSHIP.................................................... 54 6.3.1 Muslim places of worship ...........................................55 6.4 PILGRIMAGE IN SIKHISM ....................................................... 56 6.4.1 Pilgrimage in Islam ..................................................... 57 6.5 SACRIFICE:SIKHISM AND ISLAM ............................................59 CHAPTER 7 .................................................................................61 GOD’S MESSENGERS AND THEIR SECOND COMING.............61 7.1 GURU IN SIKHISM .................................................................61 7.2 NABI OR RASUL IN ISLAM ...................................................... 63 7.3 ANGELS IN SIKHISM..............................................................65 7.3.1 Angels in Islam ........................................................... 65 7.4 NO SECOND COMING OF THE GURU...................................... 66 7.4.1 Second Coming of a Prophet ..................................... 67 CHAPTER 8 .................................................................................69 THE NATURE OF EVIL AND SIN.................................................69 8.1 EVIL IN SIKHISM ...................................................................70 8.2 EVIL IN ISLAM....................................................................... 72 8.3 SIN IN SIKHISM.....................................................................73 8.4 SIN IN ISLAM ........................................................................ 75 CHAPTER 9 .................................................................................77 GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE; PROPAGATION OF RELIGION AND APOSTASY ..................................................................................77 9.1 SIKH VIEW OF CHOSEN PEOPLE.............................................77 9.2 ISLAMIC VIEW OF CHOSEN PEOPLE ........................................79 9.3 CONCEPT OF A STATE IN SIKHISM .........................................79 9.3.1 Concept of a Muslim State .........................................80 9.4 OTHER RELIGIONS:SIKH VIEW ..............................................81 ii 9.4.1 Other religions: Islamic view.......................................82 9.5 RELIGIOUS WAR:SIKH VIEW ................................................. 83 9.5.1 Religious war: Islamic view.........................................85 9.6 APOSTASY:SIKH VIEW ......................................................... 87 9.6.1 Apostasy: Islamic view................................................ 87 CHAPTER 10 ...............................................................................89 DEATH. DOOMSDAY. HEAVEN AND HELL ................................89 10.1 BEYOND EMPIRICAL EXISTENCE ............................................89 10.2 DEATH:SIKH VIEW ...............................................................90 10.2.1 Death: Islamic view..................................................... 91 10.3 DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD:SIKH VIEW ...................................... 92 10.3.1 Disposal of the dead: Islamic view ............................. 93 10.4 VISITING GRAVES OR TOMBS ETC.: SIKH VIEW........................ 93 10.4.1 Visiting graves and tombs etc: Islamic view ............... 94 10.5 DOOMSDAY:SIKH VIEW ........................................................ 94 10.5.1 Doomsday: Islamic view .............................................96 10.6 HEAVEN AND HELL:SIKH VIEW .............................................97 10.6.1 Heaven and Hell: Islamic view................................. 100 10.6.2 Hell (Dozakh) in Islam............................................... 102 CHAPTER 11 .............................................................................103 ANGELS, JINNS, SPIRITS, MIRACLES, OMENS AND SPELLS103 11.1 ANGELS,JINNS AND SPIRITS:SIKH VIEW ............................. 103 11.2 ANGELS,JINNS AND SPIRITS:ISLAMIC VIEW ......................... 104 11.3 MIRACLES AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS:SIKH VIEW ............ 105 11.3.1 Miracles and supernatural events: Islamic view ....... 107 11.4 OMENS, SOOTHSAYERS AND SPELLS ETC:SIKH VIEW ........... 108 11.4.1 Omens, soothsayers and spells etc: Islamic view .... 109 INITIATION