Introduction to Sikhism - Sikhism

	Sikh Missionary Society U.K. (Regd) 10, Featherstone Road. Southall, Middx, U.K. UB2 5AA Tel: +44 020 8574 1902 Fax: +44 020 8574 1912 Email: info@sikhmissionarysociety.org Reg Charity No: 262404

Introduction to Sikhism

Sikh Missionary Society: Publications: Introduction to Sikhism:

Sikhism - The Universal Faith

Sikhism - The Universal Faith

The universally accepted function of religion is to protect society from social and moral degradation and to guide its destiny in such a way as to achieve the greatest good of the largest number of people. Whenever the universal human values are on the decline, religion is thought to have failed in doing its duty of guiding the Society. The more a religion tends to unite people and to strive for the service of humanity, the nearer it is to its aim. The world has seen many religions at different times. Sikhism is one of them and perhaps the latest.

Sikhism is an endeavour to create a union of all those who love God and serve humanity. A devout Sikh respects the adherents of all other faiths irrespective of the differences of creed and ways of worship. The example was set by Guru Nanak who made friend with an untouchable (low caste) Muslim named Mardana and kept his friendship till death without even once asking him to renounce Islam and to accept the Guru's religion. The same is reflected in the religious book(Guru Granth Sahib) of the Sikhs which is an anthology of poetry not exclusively written by the Sikh Gurus and for the Sikhs. Side by side with the Guru's hymns are recorded the hymns of a king, a Brahman, a barber, a Muslim and an untouchable (so-called shudra) all professing different religions. Its message, as the Guru himself put it: "is for all the four castes" *and the whole of humanity. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, had a number of Muslims in his army fighting against the tyrannical Mughal empire. Last but not the least the foundation stone of the Holiest Temple of the Sikhs was laid by a Muslim, Sayeen Mian Mir. For the Sikh the whole humanity is a united family, a brotherhood under one God. Duncan Greenless has summed up Sikhism as "the religion taught through Guru Nanak in the forms of the Ten Gurus and now through the Guru Granth Sahib and the whole community of disciples. It is a practical way of life, leading man straight to his goal, and does not involve itself in verbose theorising."

Table of Contents

Next Chapter - What is Sikhism

Return to the top of the page.