Misconceptions - Gurmat and Islam
With Sikhi flourishing from the seeds Guru Nanak had planted, while at the same time there was an ever increasing resistance to Mugal, Islamic rule in India during the fifteenth century, some assume that Sikhism as a religion is simply an offshoot of Islam which developed along with the Sufi tradition. To correct this erroneous assumption and an increasing amount of ignorance concerning assuptions made on nothing more than a similarity of dress it is important to discuss Sikhism and its philosophy.
Recently Some Muslims have attempted to show that the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji was a Muslim or someone who acted as a Muslim. In the following paper I will systematically answer many of the misrepresentations and clarify their wrongs.
In addition to discounting Guru Nanak Dev Ji they also say that Bhagat Kabeer Ji (a holy saint who’s writings are contained in Guru Granth Sahib Ji) was a Muslim. Muslims try to justify that Kabeer Ji was a Muslim and Guru Nanak Dev Ji was greatly influenced by Kabeer Ji which makes Guru Nanak Dev Ji a Muslim as well. I will give you some quotes specifically from Kabeer Ji’s writing as well as Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s writings so you can understand whether they were Muslim or not.
Misconceptions about Guru Nanak Dev Ji:
Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached oneness of God and He got this idea from Islam. Second reason they give is that Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited Mecca. Third reason: Guru Ji wore Islamic type of turban and fourth He carried Holy Quran with Him all the time.
Here are the answers:
1) Guru Nanak Dev Ji did preach oneness of God but this idea was not taken from Islam. It can be said that Prophet Mohammad preached the same thing and he copied this idea from the Jewish Religion so therefore Mohammad was a Jew, but Muslims would disagree. in the same way this argument does not hold true in the case of Guru Sahib because even though God is one, God’s description, His characteristics and gender are the main parts that make Sikhism a separate religion from Islam. Let me clarify.
In Islam, God is described as someone who only likes Muslims and Muslims consider themselves to be the chosen people. Allah does not like “nonbelievers” or non-Muslims. To their God women are inferior and are created to serve men. In their Heaven each Muslim martyr is given 72 virgins created just for his personal sexual satisfaction and rivers of wine to drink (things, forbidden to him as sinful while on earth). God's presence on Earth is only in Mecca. If you do not worship God as a Mhave done good things all your life.
In Sikhism, God (called Waheguru) is concieved of as formless without hatred and fear, and is self created. God created everyone and loves you no matter what religion you belong to. God’s love is for everyone whether you worship God or don't. God’s love is like rain which falls on earth equally. God is in all directions and is infinite. There is no limit to God and God's creation. God is all pervading residing in everybody’s heart. God neither sits only in heaven or lives only in Mecca but is ever close to you. Guru Nanak Dev Ji says:
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim. My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ||4|| (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 1136)
This shows that Guru Ji never accepted teachings of Islam and Hinduism. There are many names of God and Sikhs accept that. This is why Guru Ji used both names saying that He is not taking any sides. He is teaching to unite humanity together literally under ONE GOD.
2) Now the next answer about going to Mecca. Actually this ties the third and the fourth question together. Muslims have totally manipulated the reason why Guru Ji visited Mecca. Muslims go to Mecca to pay their homage and worship God (this pilgrimage is called Hajj in the Islamic faith), but this was not the purpose of Guru Ji to go there. Guru Ji says:
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines. I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2|| I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers. I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3|| (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 1136)
This shows that Guru Ji did not visit Mecca to worship Allah. Instead, He went for different reasons. Muslims believe that God is in the west and only likes Muslims. Guru Ji visited Mecca to clear their doubts and to show them the right path. He went to preach oneness of God who does not reside only in the west. Guru Ji said there are infinity heavens, hells and solar systems. There is no end to God or His creation.
Guru Ji chose Mecca because it is the holy place for Muslims and every Muslim to connected to Mecca so what better place to preach to Muslims than Mecca. But there was a problem; Mecca is open only to Muslims. So Guru Ji wore Muslim clothes and wore a style of turban that Muslim priests wear. This made him look like a Muslim priest. He always carried His scripture with Him in which he wrote His message so no one would distort it later. This scripture was passed onto the other Gurus ensuring that the original message was preserved. Guru Nanak Dev Ji covered this book with clean clothes to show its importance. Muslims thought He was carrying a copy of Quran. In fact, he was not. It was the only way to get in. Also I would like to say that Sikhs do not believe that if you look like a Sikh by appearance you are a Sikh. You have to follow the message and live up to it. Guru Ji never accepted the teaching of Quran nor did he ever accept Prophet Mohammad as the last prophet. He completely rejected the message of two major religions of that time which were Hinduism and Islam.
Bhai Gurdas Ji (a much respected Sikh), depicts these incidents in one of His books which shows that Guru Ji got into Mecca and preached the truth.
Donning blue attire then Baba Nanak went to Mecca. He held staff in his hand, pressed a book under his armpit, caught hold of a metal pot and mattress. Now he sat in a mosque where the pilgrims (hajis) had gathered. When Baba (Nanak) slept in the night spreading his legs towards the alcove of mosque at Kaba, the qazi named Jivan kicked him and asked who was this infidel enacting blasphemy. Why this sinner is sleeping his legs spread towards God, Khuda. Catching hold of the legs he lynched (Baba Nanak) and lo and behold the miracle, the whole of Mecca seemed to be revolving. All got surprised and they all bowed. (Bhai Gurdas Ji, Var 1, page 1)
Qazi and maulvis got together and began discussing religion. A great fantasy has been created and no one could understand its mystery. They asked Baba Nanak to open and search in his book whether Hindu is great or the Muslim. Baba replied to the pilgrim hajis that, without good deeds both will have to weep and wail. Only by being a Hindu or a Muslim one can not get accepted in the court of the Lord. (Bhai Gurdas Ji, Var 1, page 1)
Guru Ji preached the truth and by listening to Him Muslims treated Him as their Pir (Holy Saint). Muslims believed God spoke through Guru Nanak Dev Ji. When he was about to leave, Muslims asked Him to leave something of His behind. So he left his slippers which the priest kept inside Mecca that time. When the priest retired he took it with him back to his home and his family still has this slipper. This is how much respect the Muslims had and have for Guru Nanak Sahib Ji.
A number of Muslims have written many articles to misrepresent Sikhism and to misguide people from the truth. They have portrayed Sikhism as a sect of Islam and Guru Nanak Dev Ji as a Muslim. One such article is at this link: http://www.alislam.org/library/links/00000180.html. This article, written by a Muslim, misrepresents Sikhism. You may read the article first and then come back here to read the answers. I have taken some points from this article and have tried to clear up the misrepresentations.
“...he dressed like a Muslim and had all the insignia of a Muslim faqir on him. He passed his days with Muslim pirs and saints and ate and drank with them. It was a Muslim sufi he constantly turned to for advice…”
There is nowhere in the history it is found that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had any marks of Muslims nor he ever dressed like a Muslim except when he visited Mecca and I have already stated the purpose of that.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji met Hindu and Muslim saints alike and only preached the truth. Guru Ji not only visited Muslim holy places but also almost all of the Hindu holy places and even went to Italy to meet the Pope. Furthermore, he also went to Tibet to meet Buddhists. But the sole purpose was to dispel the darkness in the minds of Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Jews, Jainis, Buddhists and all others. No one belonging to a particular religion was special to Him. He treated everyone equally. To say that Guru Nanak Dev Ji was a Muslim is without foundation. Muslims are shooting blank fires in the air.
Furthermore, who was this so called “sufi” Guru Ji turned to for advice? What was his name and where did he live? From what year to what year did this council span? Where is it mentioned in history/historic texts? It is mentioned nowhere because it never happened! It was their prophet Mohammad who needed advice from angels because he was not able to do the required job all by himself. But Guru Ji completed the work given by God and after completing it He thanked only one almighty God not an incomplete prophet Mohammad.
“Traveling through Muslim countries he reached Mecca where he performed Haj (pilgrimage) and is also known to have visited the holy city of Medina.”
Completely false. Guru Ji did in fact visit Mecca, but NOT for Hajj. Guru Sahib rejects this ritualistic practice and writes about Hajj:
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines. I serve the One Lord, and not any other. I do not keep fasts, nor do I observe the month of Ramadaan. I serve only the One, who will protect me in the end. (Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 1136)
This clarifies Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s position on both Hajj and on Islamic practices on the whole.
“His choicest friend during these travels was a Muslim, Sheikh Farid, in whose company he passed twelve years of his life.”
It is a known fact in the history that Farid was dead long before Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born. Sheikh Farid lived from 1173-1266 AD. Whereas Guru Ji’s coming was not until 1469 AD.
“Even his first four successors are represented in pictures as Muslims, carrying rosaries in their hands.”
This is another baseless argument for a rosary does not make any individual the follower of Islam or any other faith. The rosary is a universal symbol of faith and contemplation of God. Many Hindus among other faiths also carry rosaries; this does not make them Muslim by association either.
“Guru Nanak also married in a Muslim family. This point is very important because no respectable Muslim family would have taken Nanak as a son-in-law, unless he was known to be a Muslim. Nanak lived in a country under Muslim rule where the marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim would on no account be tolerated. This clearly indicates that Guru Nanak was accepted as a Muslim by his contemporaries.”
Guru Nanak Dev Ji was married to a woman called Sulakhanee Ji. How can she be a Muslim because Sulakhanee is not a Muslim name? Also history shows that at the wedding no Muslim priests (mullah) came for the ceremony. There were only Hindu pundits who came and wanted Guru Ji to take seven rounds around the fire which Guru Ji clearly rejected and took only four rounds around Gurbani (the Word of God). Thus, this proves not only that Guru Ji was not married into a Muslim family, but also that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had started the marriage ceremony for Sikhs which was different from Muslims and Hindus.
“The words of Guru Nanak as contained in the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scriptures) were not collected until the time of Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru, and therefore cannot be relied upon as accurate particularly as Sikhism had by that time assumed an attitude of hostility towards Islam.”
One thing now you have noticed is that Muslims were probably going crazy when they wrote the article and just wanted to write something stupid. Guru Nanak Dev Ji wrote His own writings in a scripture and this was the same scripture he carried to Mecca which Muslims thought was Quran. But it was the scripture which included every single word of Guru Ji’s writings and this scripture was passed onto His family members. This book was then collected by the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Also, all of Gurus were the embodiment of the same Nanak. Whatever Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached and practiced was continued by the following Gurus too. The fifth Guru was the fifth form of Guru Nanak Ji and Guru Ji knew what He preached in the first form. However, Muslims show their ignorance in this part. By saying that Guru Granth Sahib’s teaching cannot be relied upon, Muslims are not only showing the disrespect but also questioning the authority of Guru Granth Sahib Ji which no Sikh would ever tolerate. They need to prove how Sikhism was hostile to Islam and in what ways? In Guru Granth Sahib Ji nothing is written against Mohammad only against the doctrine of ritualism that was prevalent at the time.
When the Muslims king Akbar came to Guru Ji to check if anything in Guru Granth Sahib Ji was written against Islam, he found nothing. He flipped the pages himself and told Guru Ji to read that page and this was the Shabad that Guru Ji read. Read it yourself and see the truth.
Raamkalee, Fifth Mehl: Some call Him, 'Raam, Raam', and some call Him, 'Khudaa-i'. Some serve Him as 'Gusain', others as 'Allaah'. ||1|| He is the Cause of causes, the Generous Lord. He showers His Grace and Mercy upon us. ||1||Pause|| Some bathe at sacred shrines of pilgrimage, and some make the pilgrimage to Mecca.| Some perform devotional worship services, and some bow their heads in prayer. ||2|| Some read the Vedas, and some the Koran. Some wear blue robes, and some wear white. ||3|| Some call themselves Muslim, and some call themselves Hindu. Some yearn for paradise, and others long for heaven. ||4|| Says Nanak, one who realizes the Hukam of God's Will, knows the secrets of his Lord and Master. ||5||9|| (Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 885)
The king was pleased by the message given by the Gurus and bowed his head at the feet of Guru Ji and left. But some fanatic Muslims wanted the fifth Guru to write good words about Mohammad which He rejected because Guru Granth Sahib Ji talks only about one God not human beings. Also, during this time Muslims and Hindus in large numbers were becoming Sikhs. Muslims wanted to put stop to this. For this Guru Ji was tortured to death. It was only after the death of the fifth Guru that Sikhs took up arms but that was only to fight oppression and injustice. Had Sikhism been hostile towards Islam, Sikhs would have destroyed Muslim temples but this did not happen. Sikhs took up arms and used their might only to protect the weak and in many cases the oppressor and aggressors were Muslim.
“The congruence of the teachings of Baba Nanak with those of the Holy Quran is so perfect that one cannot escape the conclusion that the Guru had accepted Islam as his religion.”
Not true. Guru Ji’s bani clearly show that His only Guru was God not a human being. Also the word “Guru” is not used by Muslims at all. Guru Ji taught that everyone is equal including women which directly conflicts with the teaching of Islam. Guru Ji taught that there are millions of heavens, hells, solar systems, galaxies, skies and earths but Muslims believe that there are only seven layers of sky up and down totaling fourteen. Guru Ji rejected the idea of priesthood, fasting and many other rituals practiced by Muslims. Therefore, Islam could not have been Guru Ji’s religion because he openly rejected its backward teaching.
Muslims give some quotes from Bhai Bala Ji’s Janam Sakhi to prove that Guru Nanak Dev Ji believed in Islam. Guru Ji’s writing clearly shows that He never accepted Islam. There is nothing of higher status than Guru Ji’s Bani itself. You can read yourself what Guru Ji thought of “real Kalima” and “Hajj”.
Keeping your fasts, reciting your prayers, and reading the Kalma, the Islamic creed, shall not take you to paradise. The Temple of Mecca is hidden within your mind, if you only knew it. ||2|| (Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 480)
Guru Ji rejected Islamic beliefs and practices. Another important point to be made is that many beliefs of all major religions will be similar and in tune with one another. For instance, monotheism or the belief that there exists only one God; because Christians believe it and Muslims believe it, it does not make Christians Muslim…nor does it make Sikhs Muslim.
“In Bala's Janam Sakhi, we also read that during his pilgrimage to Mecca, Baba Nanak met Qazi Rukn-ud-Din, the Imam and had long conversations with him. It is reported that Nanak said, Rukn-ud-Din, it is written in the Book (i.e., the Quran) that those who drink wine or 'Bhang' shall be punished on the Day of Judgment.
The book Guru Ji referred to is not Quran. The book he referred to was the book of the truth which included the message He received directly from God. Bhai Gurdas Ji refers to this book in his writing.
Qazi and maulvis got together and began discussing religion. A great fantasy has been created and no one could understand its mystery. They asked Baba Nanak to open and search in his book whether Hindu is great or the Muslim. Baba replied to the pilgrim hajis that, without good deeds both will have to weep and wail. Only by being a Hindu or a Muslim one can not get accepted in the court of the Lord. (Bhai Gurdas Ji, Var 1, page 1)
Now you can clearly see that the book is referred to as “His Book” not the “Quran”. If Guru Ji told their highest priest what’s written in “the book” then it means their highest figure of authority was ignorant of this message written in Quran. Guru Nanak Dev Ji never believed in Judgment Day because everyone is judged based on their good and bad deeds right after death. Read what Guru Ji says about this.
Good deeds and bad deeds-the record is read out in the Presence of the Lord of Dharma.
According to their own actions, some are drawn closer, and some are driven farther away. (Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 8)
But they shall come to regret their actions - they create their own karma. (Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 315)
“It is also reported that Baba Nanak kept fasts for a whole year at Mecca and put his fingers in his ears and gave the call to prayer. It is also related that Nanak recited the Khutba of the Prophet and became happy.”
Baseless. They are saying the same thing again and again. This question has been answered earlier. But just make a note that such a big thing happened and all historians failed to mention it in their books? This is totally wrong. Where is it reported? What book and who wrote it? Bhai Gurdas Ji never mentioned it. Bhai Mardana Ji never mentioned it. Keeping fasts and saying Khutba is out of the question. Guru Ji saw Mohammad as nothing but a mere human being.
“No Muslim disciple of Nanak is known to have given up his belief in Islamic principles nor to have acted against any Islamic injunctions regarding prayers and fasting.”
Just because they don’t know anyone does not mean it never happened. No proof is provided here, like in every other part of this article which upholds the statements made. Thousands of Muslims became disciples of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and were called Sikhs. Guru Ji baptized them all in a Sikh way and gave them strict guidelines to follow. Even today you can find many Muslims in India following the way of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. There are some people who are Muslims but follow Sikhism because of the beautiful message of the Gurus and all those people do not fast nor go to Hajj.
“Nanak's disciples were not harmed in any way let alone being stoned to death. This clearly shows that Nanak was looked upon as a Muslim sufi by his contemporaries.”
This is not true. Guru Ji or his followers were not harmed because everyone Hindus and Muslims alike respected Guru Ji. Just because you are not stoned, does not make you a Muslim. Hindus called Him their Guru and Muslims their Pir. He was dear to both. In the north he had made much influence on the majority of the community and when this movement started growing rapidly Muslim rulers decided to destroy it because large number of Muslims and Hindus were converting to Sikhism. This is why fifth Guru was tortured to death. Why else would Muslims do it if Sikhism was considered part of Islam? Clearly Muslims did not regard Sikhism as part of Islam and this is why they were always out to kill Sikhs. How Muslim Sufis looked upon Guru Ji is different than the reality. If I look upon all Muslims being terrorists does it mean it is the truth? Of course not!
They need to get one fact straight. None of the Gurus were Hindus or Muslims. Sikhism is a completely different religion. If only they took some time to study the religion and its teachings but I don’t think they would want to know the reality. They need to consider some facts about their religion and Mohammad. Read some of the facts about Islam to see if Guru Ji would really follow Mohammad’s teachings.
Muslims and Jews come from the same origin. Jews existed first and Mohammad was born into a Jewish family thus making Mohammad Jewish. At that time Buddhism was the largest religion in the Asia and Arabic countries. It is believed that Mohammad was highly influenced by Buddhism and spent much time studying Buddhism. This must make him a Buddhist.
It was Mohammad who got so scared from the visions he was having. He would get so scared that he would run back to his house and hide under the bed. His wife who was thirteen years older than him took him to his uncle. Then his uncle told Mohammad that he would become a prophet. But ironically it was the same uncle who said to Mohammad, “I rather die than have faith in you.”
Mohammad practiced polygamy. There is sufficient amount of evidence that shows that he had 13 wives. He married the 6-year-old Ayesah, the daughter of his best friend Abu Bakr and thus the prophet became the son-in-law of his best friend. The prophet then married the young daughter, Hafsa, of his another great comrade, Umar who also married the four-year-old half sister of Ayesha (the posthumous daughter of Abu Bakr). Mohammad also made his adopted son to divorce his wife, Zainab, so he could marry her. To him a woman was property of a man which is the basic belief of Islam.
Mohammad was total illiterate which shows why there are so many grammatical errors in Quran. Why are they overlooking this fact? Also he was not accepted by other communities as prophet especially Jews which is why he wrote these lines against non-believers (those that did not believe him).
"Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number. Allah does not guide the wrongdoers." (5:49, Quran)
Now you tell me if greatest of all Guru Nanak Dev Ji would follow this Mohammad and his teaching? There is no way in hell. Muslims just want to attack Sikhism and misrepresent it. Just remember one thing: Sikhism is a completely independent and different religion.
Now we come to Bhagat Kabeer Ji being a Muslim.
Bhagat Kabeer Ji was a great poet and spoke without discrimination. His message was for all not only for Muslims. His Guru was Rama Nand who was a Hindu. If Bhagat Kabeer was a Muslim then why would he have a Hindu Guru? All other Muslim sufi saints had Muslim Mentors. Therefore, Kabeer Ji was not a Muslim. Furthermore, when Guru Nanak Dev Ji met Kabeer Ji, He was almost forty years old and Kabeer was almost 110 years old. One note readers must make is that when this meeting took place Guru Nanak Dev Ji had already received the revelation from God when He was 30. This shows that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had been commanded by God to preach the truth. Also, Kabeer have more followers from Hinduism and today there are no Muslims who follow Kabeer's message so how is Kabeer a Muslim? These are all false statements made by Muslims. Read some of Kabeer's writings and you will see that Kabeer Ji was neither a Muslim nor a Hindu.
"O Mullah, why do you ascend the minaret of the mosque for loud announcement? The Lord is not deaf. He for Whom you make loud announcements, see Him within your heart." (Bhagat Kabir, pg. 1374)
Let your mind be Mecca, and your body the temple of worship. Let the Supreme Guru be the One who speaks. ||1|| O Mullah, utter the call to prayer. The one mosque has ten doors. ||1||Pause|| So slaughter your evil nature, doubt and cruelty; consume the five demons and you shall be blessed with contentment. ||2|| Hindus and Muslims have the same One Lord and Master. What can the Mullah do, and what can the Shaykh do? ||3|| Says Kabeer, I have gone insane. Slaughtering, slaughtering my mind, I have merged into the Celestial Lord. ||4||4|| (Bhagat Kabir, pg. 1158)
If the Lord Allah lives only in the mosque, then to whom does the rest of the world belong? According to the Hindus, the Lord's Name abides in the idol, but there is no truth in either of these claims. ||1|| O Allah, O Raam, I live by Your Name. Please show mercy to me, O Master. ||1||Pause|| The God of the Hindus lives in the southern lands, and the God of the Muslims lives in the west. So search in your heart - look deep into your heart of hearts; this is the home and the place where God lives. ||2|| (Bhagat Kabir, pg. 1349)
The Brahmins observe twenty-four fasts during the year, and the Muslims fast during the month of Ramadaan. The Muslims set aside eleven months, and claim that the treasure is only in the one month. ||3|| What is the use of bathing at Orissa? Why do the Muslims bow their heads in the mosque? If someone has deception in his heart, what good is it for him to utter prayers? And what good is it for him to go on pilgrimage to Mecca? ||4|| (Bhagat Kabir, pg. 1349)
O Mullah, tell me: is this God's Justice? The doubts of your mind have not been dispelled. ||1||Pause|| You seize a living creature, and then bring it home and kill its body; you have killed only the clay. The light of the soul passes into another form. So tell me, what have you killed? ||2|| And what good are your purifications? Why do you bother to wash your face? And why do you bother to bow your head in the mosque? Your heart is full of hypocrisy; what good are your prayers or your pilgrimage to Mecca? ||3|| You are impure; you do not understand the Pure Lord. You do not know His Mystery. Says Kabeer, you have missed out on paradise; your mind is set on hell. ||4||4|| (Bhagat Kabir, pg. 1350)
Because of the love of woman, circumcision is done; I don't believe in it, O Siblings of Destiny. If God wished me to be a Muslim, it would be cut off by itself. ||2|| If circumcision makes one a Muslim, then what about a woman? She is the other half of a man's body, and she does not leave him, so he remains a Hindu. ||3|| Give up your holy books, and remember the Lord, you fool, and stop oppressing others so badly. Kabeer has grasped hold of the Lord's Support, and the Muslims have utterly failed. ||4||8|| (Bhagat Kabir, pg. 477)
Keeping your fasts, reciting your prayers, and reading the Kalma, the Islamic creed, shall not take you to paradise. The Temple of Mecca is hidden within your mind, if you only knew it. ||2|| (Bhagat Kabir, pg. 480)
These quotes are enough to prove that Bhagat Kabeer Ji never accepted any practices of Islam and He never followed the teaching of Quran and Prophet Mohammad.
Neither Guru Nanak Dev Ji nor Bhagat Kabeer Ji were Muslims.
