Author: Muhajer Azizi
Sikhism; Its Origins and Fundamental Beliefs (The 23rd and Final Part)
Conclusion
The summary and key points of this research are listed below:
Sikhism, founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century CE in the Indian subcontinent, presents a blend of Islamic and Hindu teachings with an independent identity. The religion emphasizes monotheism, human unity, rejection of religious and caste-based discrimination, and personal and social ethics. Distinct features include avoiding practices like cutting hair and using drugs, and adhering to honesty and justice. Sikhs preserve their identity through distinctive symbols such as long hair and iron bracelets.
Guru Nanak was born in Punjab in 1469 CE. From an early age, he was inclined toward learning and established a new faith by combining Islamic and Hindu teachings. After a profound spiritual experience, he began promoting the message of unity, monotheism, and rejection of religious and social discrimination. His extensive missionary journeys (Udasis) across various parts of India and the Middle East played a crucial role in spreading Sikhism. Toward the end of his life, he settled in Kartarpur and appointed a successor before passing away in 1539. His death became associated with legends that his followers viewed as signs of his divinity.
After Guru Nanak, nine other Gurus each played a vital role in shaping and expanding the Sikh faith. Guru Angad introduced the Gurmukhi script and the Langar system; Guru Amar Das rejected the caste system and supported women’s rights; Guru Arjan compiled the sacred scripture Granth Sahib and completed the Golden Temple. Guru Hargobind militarized the Sikh community, and Guru Gobind Singh gave Sikhs a distinct identity and emphasized resistance to oppression. After Guru Gobind Singh, religious leadership passed to the Sikh holy scripture, which solidified Sikhism as an independent religion with a unique identity.
Sikh sacred texts include two main books: the Adi Granth and the Dasam Granth. The Adi Granth, considered the principal scripture, comprises hymns from the Gurus and mystics and is venerated with special rituals. Sikh worship includes daily recitation, remembrance, hymn singing, and meditation—all centered around the remembrance of God and sacred texts.
From the Islamic perspective, worshipping a book or object (such as the Adi Granth) as a manifestation of God is considered shirk (polytheism), as only Allah is worthy of worship, and no text or object can replace His unique essence. Moreover, the teachings of Sikhism—which blend Islam and Hinduism—contradict pure Islamic monotheism. Islam rejects any belief in God’s incarnation within creation or scriptures.
While Sikhs believe in monotheism, this form differs fundamentally from Islamic monotheism (Tawhid), which includes belief in God’s Lordship, Names and Attributes, and exclusive right to be worshipped. According to Islam, Sikh monotheism is incomplete, as it includes worship of the Adi Granth and teachings laced with elements of shirk. Islam asserts that true monotheism requires sincere devotion to God, denial of all partners, and adherence to the teachings of the Prophets—standards that Sikhism does not fully meet.
Sikh beliefs in “the indwelling of God in creatures” and “the necessity of intermediaries between Creator and creation” contradict Islamic monotheism. Islam holds that God is exalted above any resemblance to creation and rejects intermediaries in worship. Furthermore, the Sikh notion of the “absolute indescribability of God” conflicts with Islamic doctrine, which defines God’s attributes clearly in the Qur’an and Sunnah. These differences show that Sikh monotheism is incomplete and mixed with shirk, while Islam insists on pure and unadulterated monotheism.
Islam, based on the Qur’an, Prophetic Sunnah, and scholarly consensus, affirms that Prophethood ended with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and any claim of Prophethood after him is false and an act of disbelief. Sikh views on Prophethood—as something attainable through asceticism and spiritual experiences—are rejected. Islam emphasizes that Prophethood is a divine gift granted only to God’s chosen individuals.
Sikhs believe in reincarnation—the idea that after death, the soul enters another body, and this cycle continues until salvation is attained. Islam rejects reincarnation as incompatible with Qur’anic teachings about the afterlife, Barzakh (intermediate life), and resurrection. Numerous Qur’anic verses clearly deny the possibility of returning to this world after death and stress reward and punishment in the Hereafter. Hadiths and Islamic scholarship affirm that reincarnation is a false and illogical belief rooted in misguided religions and contradicts the definitive principles of Islam.
In Islam, knowledge of the unseen (‘ilm al-ghayb)—awareness of hidden matters and the future—is solely God’s domain, and only with His permission may Prophets access a portion of it. This is a core tenet of Islamic faith. In contrast, Sikhism claims that Gurus (spiritual leaders) can access hidden knowledge and foresee future events. This contradicts Islamic teachings, which reject all claims to unseen knowledge by ordinary individuals—even Prophets, without divine revelation—and regard such claims as disbelief and shirk. Even the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) never claimed knowledge of the unseen without divine revelation. Any similar claims—by soothsayers, astrologers, or Sikh Gurus—are false and misleading.
Previous Part
Sources and References:
The Holy Qur’an
Al-Alusi, Tafsir Ruh al-Ma‘ani, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1415 AH
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1419 AH
Al-Qurtubi, Al-Jami‘ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an, Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah, Cairo, 1384 AH
Wahbah al-Zuhayli, Tafsir al-Munir, Dar al-Fikr, Damascus, 1411 AH
Al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Dar Tuq al-Najat, Beirut, 1422 AH
Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, Dar al-Tiba‘ah al-‘Amirah, Turkey, 1334 AH
Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad, 1st ed., Mu’assasat al-Risalah, 1421 AH
Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, Al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1411 AH
Al-Hindi, Kanz al-‘Ummal, Mu’assasat al-Risalah, 1405 AH
Al-Tahawi, Al-‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, Al-Maktab al-Islami, Beirut, 1414 AH
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Ma‘alim Usul al-Din, Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi, Lebanon
Nasser bin Abdulkarim al-‘Aql, Sharh al-‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah
Abd al-Rahman al-Barak, Sharh al-‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, Dar al-Tadmuriyyah, 1429 AH
Various Authors, Encyclopedia of Religions and Doctrines, Durr al-Saniyyah, 1433 AH
Madinah University, Man-Made Religions, Madinah University, 1433 AH
Various Authors, Al-Mawsu‘ah al-Muyassarah fi al-Adyan wa al-Madhahib wa al-Ahzab al-Mu‘asirah, 4th ed., Dar al-Nadwah, 1420 AH
Ra’uf Shalabi, Ancient Religions in the East, Dar al-Shuruq
Al-Shahrastani, Al-Milal wa al-Nihal, Dar al-Ma‘rifah, Beirut, 1982
Nadir bin Saqr al-Suhayl, The Sikh Sect: Presentation and Critique, King Saud University, Riyadh, 1425 AH
Muhammad Said al-Turayhi, The Beliefs and History of the Sikhs, Syria-Damascus, 1430 AH
Hammam Hashim al-Alusi, The Sikhs in India: A Struggle of Geography and Belief, 1st ed., 2001
Bassam al-‘Amush, The Sikh Sect and Islam’s Position on It, 2003
Muhammad al-Khatib, Reincarnation of Souls: Origins and Islamic Judgment, University of Jordan, 1992
Mustafa al-Kayyik, Reincarnation of Souls, Alexandria, 1971
Ahmad Amin, Duha al-Islam, Cairo, 1938
Dr. Irfan Abd al-Hamid, Islamic Philosophy: A Study and Critique, Mu’assasat al-Risalah, Beirut, 1984
Abu al-Haytham, Islam vs. Esotericism, Dar al-Sahwah, Cairo, 1985
Dr. Abdullah Sallum al-Samarrai, Extremism and Deviant Sects in Islamic Civilization, Dar Wasit, Baghdad, 1982
Dr. Muhammad Said Ramadan al-Bouti, Universal Certainties, Dar al-Fikr
Ahmad ‘Abd al-Ghafur ‘Attar, Religions and Beliefs Throughout the Ages, Mecca, 1981
Ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Furqan bayna Awliya’ al-Rahman wa Awliya’ al-Shaytan, Dar al-Bayan, Damascus
William Owen Cole, The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, trans. Mahmoud Firouznia
Muhammad al-Shaybani, The Hindus and the Sikhs
Robert Ernest Hume, Living Religions of the World, trans. Abd al-Rahim Gawahi, Center for Religious Studies, Tehran, 2007
Fayyaz Quraapi, Religions of India, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, 2005
N. Fakhr (2014), Journey into the Heart of Religions
‘Umar bin Sulayman al-Ashqar, The Messengers and the Messages, Kuwait, 1410 AH
Qadi ‘Iyad, Al-Shifa’, Dar al-Fayha’, Amman, 1407 AH
Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-‘Arab, Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi, Lebanon
Al-Fayyumi, Al-Misbah al-Munir
Arabic Language Academy, Philosophical Lexicon, Beirut, 1979
Arabic Language Academy, Al-Mu‘jam al-Wasit, Dar ‘Imran, Beirut, 1979
