Sikhism: Muslim mortar, Hindu bricks

[Babur]

I am starting a thread on Sikhism to raise awareness of it:

ISLAM IN INDIA : PUNJAB

Muslim mortar, Hindu bricks

Sikhism is the finest blend of Islam and Hinduism, emerging with Guru Nanak and finding its best expression in Ranjit Singh, says Nirupama Dutt

While Punjab was being ruled by Mughal Emperor Babur, the souls of the people were under the spell of Guru Nanak, whose constant companion was a Muslim musician called Mardana. Guru Nanak (1469-1539 A.D), the first Guru of the Sikhs, witnessed the rise of the Mughal regime under the leadership of Babur. The tenth and last of the Sikh Gurus, Guru Gobind Singh (1675-1708), struggled against the rigid Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and opposed him for discrimination against Hindu and Sikh subjects. The history of the Sikhs thus runs parallel to the rise of the Mughals after the defeat of the Lodhis.

“The Sikhs were the most outstanding example of Hindu renaissance produced by Islam – an edifice built as it were with Hindu bricks and Muslim mortar,” says Khuswant Singh, the celebrated writer, who penned "The History of the Sikhs". He adds, “From A.D 780 onwards, almost year after year came the waves of Islamic conquest, vying with each other in the massacre of Hindus and destruction of their temples, and forcible conversions. The reaction was the emergence of an Indian consciousness which embraced all non-Muslims. It expressed itself in militarism and philosophically in the Hindu schools of thought, which borrowed the best of Islamic beliefs to combat it.”

However, it is pertinent to note that while opposing the injustice of the Muslim rulers, Sikhism was secular in nature and Nanak could not do without Mardana. There are many more examples that point to the secular nature of Sikhism. So much so, that the foundation stone for the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid by Mian Mir, a Sufi saint of Lahore and a close friend of Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs. "Guru Granth Sahib", the holy book of Sikhs, includes verses by five Sufi saints: Bhagat Beni, Bhagat Bhikhan, Baba Farid, Bhagat Sadhana and Bhagat Kabir. In Punjab, till date exists a mosque called Guru di Masjid, which was made by Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru of the Sikhs, for his Muslim disciples. The great Mughal Emperor Akbar, who had a broad secular and liberal outlook, established cordial relationships with the Sikh Gurus, but the goodwill did not last long, and Guru Arjun Dev was executed during Emperor Jehangir’s reign. Another painful chapter in the history of relationship of the Muslims and Sikhs was the execution of Guru Gobind Singh's two younger sons, who were bricked alive by the Nawab of Sindh after the Guru lost his last battle in 1705. The one protest to this ghastly act came from the Nawab of Malerkotla. He wrote a strong letter to Aurangzeb against this, hearing which, Guru said: "His roots will always remain green." During the partition bloodbath in 1947, when Sikhs butchered Muslims mercilessly, not a Mulsim in Malerkotla was touched. The town still comprises of 70 per cent Muslims and all religions live there in peace. Going back into history, the retribution and consolidation of the Sikhs began with Banda Bahadur, a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh in Nanded, carrying out raids against Muslim nawabs in Punjab. The kingdom of the Sikhs (1799 to 1839) came into being with Ranjit Singh taking the title of Maharaja on April 12, 1801, the day of Baisakhi. The coin minted on the occasion had an inscription in Persian: 'My largesse, my victories, my unalloyed fame / I owe to Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh." Well-known Sikh historian JS Grewal says: “The political struggle of the Sikhs can be appreciated not merely in the terms of growing weakness of the Mughal empire but also as an extrapolation of the pontificate of Guru Gobind Singh”.

The empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh extended from Tibet to the deserts of Sindh and from the Khyber Pass to the Sutlej. It was after many centuries that the reigns of power went into the hands of a non-Muslim. In contrast to the Muslim rulers, Ranjit Singh showed a spirit of secularism and openness and thus carried his Muslim and Hindu subjects along with him, showing benevolence at every step. When he first captured Lahore, he went to pay obeisance at Lahore’s Badshahi Mosque and also built a small mosque in the same complex. Such was his confidence that for the first time in Sikh history, he let non-Sikhs take part in military activity. Sikhs constituted 15 percent of his empire, Hindus 25 percent and the remaining 60 percent were Muslims!

Chandigarh-based historian GS Dhillon says: “The secularism of Ranjit Singh emerged with the basic tenets of Sikhism, which were against the forcible conversion or discrimination of any kind on the basis of religion. He thus participated in the rituals of all three religions and remained a devout Sikh.” Once he told his foreign minister Fakir Azizuddin, “God intended my looking upon all religions with one eye, that is why I was deprived of the other eye.”

He was the first Punjabi ruler of Punjab and the Muslims were equally loyal to him. Governor General Lord Auckland asked Azizuddin, which of the Maharaja's eyes was missing. He replied: “The Maharaja is like the sun, and the sun has only one eye. The splendor and luminosity of his single eye is so much that I have never dared to look at his other eye.” As the story goes, a poor Muslim had written out the Quran and was going to Delhi to sell it in the court. Ranjit Singh asked him how much he wanted and was paid twice the amount.

Ranjit Singh’s rule was a chapter of glory in the history of Punjab that will remain unsurpassed, and it was for the Sufi poet Shah Mohammad of Wadala Veeram village in Amritsar district to say that the Maharaja converted the land of the five rivers from 'an abode of sorrow to a garden of paradise.'

The poet lived on much after the Maharaja to see the empire annexed by the British and recorded the bravery of the Sikhs in the Anglo-Sikh wars and cursed the British for being unjust to Punjab.

Nirupama Dutt

http://www.thesundayindian.com/04012...=6357&pageno=1

[Chaigidel]

very interesting read, the sikhs are a remarkable faith in that they were formed directly in response to conversion; strong religious tenets will always adapt in order to combat other tenets, they behave rather like great social amoeba.

[Babur]

Here are the ten Sikh Gurus:

Guru Nanak Dev

Guru Angad Dev

Guru Amar Das

Guru Ram Das

Guru Arjun Dev

Guru Har Gobind

Guru Har Rai

Guru Har Krishan

Guru Teg Bahadur

Guru Gobind Singh

And these are the five Ks of Sikhism:

1. Kesh Uncut hair and beard, maintained with the kanga and usually covered by a turban.
2. Kanga Wooden comb for hygiene and maintenance of the Kesh.
3. Kara Iron bracelet, a physical reminder that a Sikh is bound to the Guru.
4. Kachera Specially designed cotton underwear:- Naturally comfortable and dignified attire reflective of modesty and high moral character.
5. Kirpan Strapped sword: Worn to defend one's faith and protect the weak, reminding one of his or her duty as a Khalsa. It is worn to show bravery, not a mere weapon.

[The Noble Lord]

5. Kirpan Strapped sword: Worn to defend one's faith and protect the weak, reminding one of his or her duty as a Khalsa. It is worn to show bravery, not a mere weapon.

I find this pillar of Sikhism to be remarkable. To protect the faith and weak. It is something that attracted people to this new religion when they were witnessing people around them being oppressed by tyrants and unjust rulers. Plus, it's diametrically opposite of Hindu caste system which institutionalized oppression and humiliation.

[Heinz Guderian]

I like Sikhs.

[ShADoW]

they're yur avg nerds lol.

[Wilder]

Yes, very cool religion. Did you know that Guru Nanak was the person that first turned down drugs because he was "high on life"? No joke, lol.

[jankren]

My boss is a Sikh so cant complain LOLZ!

[Warchamp84]

nice work im a Sikh myself and good work on what you have done so far.
Check these out
Sikh pack
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=262048
This mod is quite accurate in history
STARTPOS MODS beta 0.1/0.2
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=288139

[Bwaho]

Don't know much about Sikhs, but I saw one of Michael Palins documentaries where he visits a Sikh temple in India. In the temple they cooked free meals for the poor and homeless every day (other people were also welcome to eat in the temple).

[Atatürk]

Sikhism is certainly a very interesting and overlooked religion.

[white-wolf]

Were not that Sikh guards who gunned down their sworn president of India?

[Babur]

Were not that Sikh guards who gunned down their sworn president of India?

Sikh guards gunned down the Indian PM, Indira Gandhi.They were sadly massive riots in Delhi as revenge for it, my dad was one of the first people to find out that she was dead as was my grandfather since he taught at AIIMS (where her body was brought).

[The Noble Lord]

That was the revenge for her ordering security forces to storm Golden Temple in Amristar. The holiest site in Sikhism.

[Babur]

That was the revenge for her ordering security forces to storm Golden Temple in Amristar. The holiest site in Sikhism.

she had dictatorial tendencies lol

[The Noble Lord]

she had dictatorial tendencies lol

She sure did but she was still democratically elected and chosen by the people of India in a landslide. Her and her family were very popular because of the Gandhi legacy. But India at that time was experiencing upheavals and troubles, it was a very hard time to be PM.

[Warchamp84]

That is true she is the one who actually indirectly and directly the person who spread revolts between the Hindu people and the Sikh people. She made condition worse, and lead to total racism, and unjust againts the Sikhs. Now im not being racist to Hindus or anthing i'm just telling the truth and the truth can not be avoided. Another thing, read a book called The Gallant Defender It will basically tell you everything.

[Digbert]

Never forget Operation Bluestar

[★Bandiera Rossa☭]

I used to know a Sikh kid in elementary.. they make him put duct tape on his Kirpan..

[Dr. Oza]

sikh means in turkish.. minus the h but the same sound

and i find blending islam with anything is blasphemy and a wrong religion