Sikhism: Difference between revisions

{{Distinguish|Sikkim}}

{{for|adherents of Sikhism|Sikhs}}

{{EngvarB|date=November 2020}}

{{Infobox religion

|native_name=ਸਿੱਖੀ

|native_name_lang=pa|image=Hamandir Sahib (Golden Temple).jpg

|imagewidth=250px|caption=The [[Golden Temple]] in [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India]], the holiest site of the Sikh religion  

|type=[[Universal religion]]

|founder=[[Guru Nanak]]

| headquarters = [[Akal Takht]]

}}

The religion developed and evolved in times of [[Religious persecution#Persecutions of Sikhs|religious persecution]], gaining converts from both [[Hinduism]] and [[Islam]].<ref name="Singh2008">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Pritam |title=Federalism, Nationalism and Development: India and the Punjab Economy |date=2008 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-134-04945-5 |quote=A large number of Hindu and Muslim peasants converted to Sikhism from conviction, fear, economic motives, or a combination of the three (Khushwant Singh 1999: 106; Ganda Singh 1935: 73).}}

The persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the ''[[Khalsa]]'' by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as an order to protect the [[freedom of conscience]] and [[Freedom of religion|religion]],<ref name="pashauraarjan" /><ref name="Gandhi" /> with members expressing the qualities of a ''[[Sant Sipahi|Sant-Sipāhī]]'' ('saint-soldier').<ref name="Chanchreek 2007 142" /><ref name="Dugga 2001 33" />

| style = padding:8px;

}}

The basis of Sikhism lies in the teachings of [[Guru Nanak]] and his successors.  Sikh ethics emphasize the congruence between spiritual development and everyday moral conduct. Its founder Guru Nanak summarized this perspective as: "Truth is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living."<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|234}} Sikhism lays emphasis on ''Ėk nūr te sab jag upjiā'', 'From the one light, the entire universe welled up.'{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

===Teachings===

In a literal sense, God has no gender in Sikhism, though metaphorically, God is presented as masculine and God's power as feminine. For example, God is repeatedly referred to by the name ''akaal purkh'' ('beyond time and space') and ''[[nirankar]]'' ('without form') by the tenth guru Guru Gobind Singh Ji, but he also refers to God as his father, and God's creative power as his mother. Similarly, another example is that the scripture and eternal guru, the Guru Granth Sahib says that all humans are soul-brides who long to unite with their husband Lord.<ref>{{cite book |last=Guru Nanak Dev Ji |author-link=Guru Nanak |url= http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=17&english=t&id=719#l719 |title=Gurū Granth Sāhib|page=17 |quote=If you long for your Husband Lord, O soul-bride, you must know that He is not met by falsehood. |access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref> In addition, the gurus also wrote in the Guru Granth Sahib that there are many worlds on which the transcendental God has created life.<ref>{{cite book |last=Guru Nanak Dev Ji |author-link=Guru Nanak |url= http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=15&punjabi=t&id=632#l632 |title=Gurū Granth Sāhib|page=15 |quote=You are the One True Lord and Master of all the other beings, of so many worlds. |access-date=15 June 2006}}</ref>

{{blockquote

{{fs interlinear|lang=pa

|ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥

|"There is one supreme being, the eternal reality, the creator, without fear and devoid of enmity, immortal, never incarnated, self-existent, known by grace through the true Guru."}}

|author=''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]'' (17th c.), p. 1}}

===Worldly Illusion===

[[File:Akalees Emily Eden PDL.jpg|thumb|upright|A sketch made in 1844 by [[Emily Eden]] of the "Akalees or Immortals". Digitized by the [[Panjab Digital Library]].]]

===Timeless Truth===

[[File:Sikh.man.at.the.Golden.Temple.jpg|thumb|An [[Nihang singh|Akali-Nihang Sikh Warrior]] at [[Harmandir Sahib]], also called the [[Golden Temple]]]]

[[File:Kattar Dhal Talwar.png|thumb|The original Sikh Symbol, or flag called the Nishan Sahib]]

===Liberation===

===Power and Devotion (Miri and Piri)===

{{Main articles|Miri piri}}

Some Sikh sects outside the [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] region of India, such as those found in [[Maharashtra]] and [[Bihar]], practice ''[[aarti]]'' (the ceremonial use of lamps) during Bhakti observances in a Sikh [[gurdwara]].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Karen |last1=Pechilis |first2=Selva J. |last2=Raj |title=South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BsbfCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA243 |date=2012 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-136-16323-4 |page=243}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Michael |last2=Hawley |title=Re-imagining South Asian Religions |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4SLhLakpsNsC&pg=PA42 |date=2012 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-90-04-24236-4|pages=42–43}}</ref> But, most Sikh gurdwaras forbid ''aarti'' during their Bhakti practices.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|201}}

===Singing and Music===

===Remembrance of the Divine Name===

The term for justice in the Sikh tradition is  Niāyā  <ref name="Justice" /> It is related to the term ''dharam'' which in Sikhism connotes 'moral order' and righteousness (derived from but become distinct from the etymologically related Hindu concept of [[dharma]]).<ref name="Justice" /> According to the Tenth Sikh Guru, [[Guru Gobind Singh]], states Pashaura Singh (a professor of Sikh studies), "one must first try all the peaceful means of negotiation in the pursuit of justice" and if these fail then it is legitimate to "draw the sword in defense of righteousness".<ref>{{cite book |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |editor-first=John |editor-last=Renard |title=Fighting Words: Religion, Violence, and the Interpretation of Sacred Texts |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=fCjVRqPD-HQC |date=2012 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-95408-3 |page=213}}</ref> Sikhism considers "an attack on dharam is an attack on justice, on righteousness, and on the moral order generally" and the dharam "must be defended at all costs".<ref name="Mcleod">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vTJhC_l1gksC |title=The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society (ACLS Lectures on the History of Religions) |publisher=Columbia University Press; Reprint edition |last=Mcleod |first=W. H. |date=1991 |page=56 |isbn=978-0-231-06815-4}}</ref> The divine name is its antidote for pain and vices. Forgiveness is taught as a virtue in Sikhism, yet it also teaches its faithful to shun those with evil intentions and to pick up the sword to fight injustice and religious persecution.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IntWqeMeU_oC&pg=PA202 |title=The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice |series=SUNY Series in Religious Studies |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |editor-last=Hadley |editor-first=Michael L. |chapter=Sikhism and Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice |date=2001 |pages=202–207 |isbn=978-0-7914-4852-6}}</ref>

===Ten Gurus and Authority===

The term [[Guru]] comes from the [[Sanskrit]] ''gurū'', meaning teacher, enlightener, guide, or mentor. The traditions and philosophy of Sikhism were established by ten Gurus from 1469 to 1708.<ref name="Panjab Publishers">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Darshan |title=Indian Bhakti Tradition and Sikh Gurus |date=1968 |publisher=Panjab Publishers |location=Chandigarh |page=158}}</ref><ref name="Nesbitt2005_a">{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Ai-rpcY-rrgC&pg=PT22 |date=22 September 2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-157806-9 |page=22}}</ref> Each Guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting in the creation of the Sikh religion. Guru Nanak was the first Guru and appointed a disciple as successor. [[Guru Gobind Singh]] was the final Guru in human form. Before his death, Guru Gobind Singh decreed in 1708, that the Gurū Granth Sāhib would be the final and perpetual Guru of the Sikhs.<ref name="granthfinalguru" />

[[Guru Angad]] succeeded Guru Nanak. Later, an important phase in the development of Sikhism came with the third successor, Guru Amar Das. Guru Nanak's teachings emphasised the pursuit of salvation; Guru Amar Das began building a cohesive community of followers with initiatives such as sanctioning distinctive ceremonies for birth, marriage, and death. Amar Das also established the ''manji'' (comparable to a [[diocese]]) system of clerical supervision.<ref name="p254" />

[[File:SikhGurus-LifeSpans-GurushipSpans.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3.65|alt=Graph showing Life Spans and Guruship Spans of Sikh Gurus|Approximate Life Spans and Guruship Spans of the 10 Sikh Gurus]]

===''Adi Granth''===

{{Main|Ādi Granth}}

The ''Ādi Granth'' was compiled primarily by [[Bhai Gurdas]] under the supervision of [[Guru Arjan]] between the years 1603 and 1604.<ref>{{cite book |last=Trumpp |first=Ernest |date=2004 |orig-year=1877 |title=The Ādi Granth or the Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers |isbn=978-81-215-0244-3 |page=xxxi}}</ref> It is written in the [[Gurmukhi|Gurmukhī]] script, which is a descendant of the [[Laṇḍā]] script used in the Punjab at that time.<ref>{{cite book |last=Grierson |first=George Abraham |author-link=George Abraham Grierson |date=1967 |orig-year=1927 |title=The Linguistic Survey of India |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-85395-27-2 |page=624}}</ref> The [[Gurmukhi|Gurmukhī]] script was standardised by Guru Angad, the second guru of the Sikhs, for use in the Sikh scriptures and is thought to have been influenced by the [[Śāradā script|Śāradā]] and [[Devanāgarī]] scripts. An authoritative scripture was created to protect the integrity of hymns and teachings of the Sikh Gurus, and thirteen Hindu and two Muslim bhagats of the [[Bhakti movement]] sant tradition in medieval India.<ref>{{cite book |first=E. |last=Nesbitt |date=2014 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |editor1-first=Pashaura |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=Louis E. |editor2-last=Fenech |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |pages=360–369}}</ref> The thirteen Hindu ''bhagats'' whose teachings were entered into the text included [[Ramananda]], [[Namdev]], [[Bhagat Pipa|Pipa]], [[Ravidas]], [[Bhagat Beni|Beni]], [[Bhagat Bhikhan|Bhikhan]], [[Bhagat Dhanna|Dhanna]], [[Jayadeva|Jaidev]], [[Bhagat Parmanand|Parmanand]], [[Bhagat Sadhana|Sadhana]], [[Bhagat Sain|Sain]], [[Sur (poet)|Sur]], [[Bhagat Trilochan|Trilochan]], while the two Muslim ''bhagats'' were [[Kabir]] and Sufi saint [[Fariduddin Ganjshakar|Farid]].<ref name=shapiro924>{{cite book |last=Shapiro |first=Michael |date=2002 |title=Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth |publisher=Journal of the American Oriental Society|pages=924, 925}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Mahinder |last=Gulati |date=2008 |title=Comparative Religious and Philosophies: Anthropomorphism and Divinity |publisher=Atlantic |isbn=978-81-269-0902-5 |page=302}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=H. S. |last=Singha |date=2009 |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=978-81-7010-301-1 |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mann |first=Gurinder Singh |date=2001 |title=The Making of Sikh Scripture |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-513024-9 |page=19}}</ref> However, the bhagats in context often spoke of transcending their religious labels, Kabir often attributed to being a Muslim states in the ''Adi Granth'', "I am not Hindu nor Muslim."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eraly |first1=Abraham |title=The Age of Wrath: A History of the Delhi Sultanate |date=2015 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-93-5118-658-8 |quote=The main thrust of Kabir's mission was to unite Hindus and Muslims in a common quest for god realisation. 'Hindus and Muslims have the same god,, he held. 'God is the breath of all breath&nbsp;... Look within your heart, for there you will find [God]&nbsp;... All men and women in the world are his living forms.' Although many of his sayings had a strong Hindu flavour in them—presumably because of Ramananda's influence—he made no distinction between Hinduism and Islam Similarly, though he usually referred to god as Hari or Rama, he used those words as synonyms of god, and not as the names of particular deities. 'I am not Hindu nor Muslim; Allah-Ram is the breath of my body,' he stated, and went on to declare that All that lives and dies, they are all one. The this and that haggling, is done.}}</ref> The Gurus following on this message taught that different methods of devotion are for the same infinite God.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Susanne |first1=Scholz |title=God Loves Diversity and Justice |date=2013 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-7318-3 |page=16 |quote=The Sikh Divine comprises every imaginable theological ideal! Hindu, Buddhist, Tantric, and Islamic views that were current in medieval India come together in the wide-ranging literary spectrum of the GGS. The stereotypical oppositions between the Indic and Abrahamic worldviews of the day are transcended: "Some call it Rama, some call it Khuda; some worship it as Vishnu, some as Allah" (GGS: 885). Interestingly, even the atheistic Buddhist Nirvana is not omitted: "Itself Nirvana, It itself relishes pleasures" (GGS: 97). "God" or "gods" or "no god" alike are recognized as part of the infinite One! "Always, always you alone are the One Reality&nbsp;– ''sada sada tun eku hai''" (GGS: 139). Persian terminology is used to emphasize the unity of being: "''asti ek digari kui ek tui ek tui''&nbsp;– Only the One is, there is none other; Only you, you only" (GGS: 144). Again, "''hindu turk ka sahib ek'' &nbsp;– Hindus and Muslims share the One sovereign" (GGS: 1158). (The term "Turk" referred to all Muslims in this period.) Since everything is a manifestation of That One being, all the manifestations would be a part of it. No god, no body, and no thing is excluded from this all pervasive being}}</ref>

===Guru Granth Sahib===

[[File:Guru Granth Sahib.jpg|thumb|upright|Gurū Granth Sāhib – the primary scripture of Sikhism]]

The Guru Granth Sahib is the holy scripture of the Sikhs, and is regarded as the living Guru.

====Language and script====

The main language used in the scripture is known as ''[[Sant Bhasha|Sant Bhāṣā]]'', a language related to both [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Hindi language|Hindi]] and used extensively across medieval northern India by proponents of popular devotional religion ([[bhakti]]).<ref name="parrinderp259">{{cite book |last=Parrinder |first=Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Parrinder |date=1971 |title=World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present|publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-87196-129-7|page=259}}</ref> The text is printed in Gurumukhi script, believed to have been developed by Guru Angad.<ref name=shacklexvii/> The language shares the Indo-European roots found in numerous regional languages of India.<ref>Shackle, Christopher; Mandair, Arvind (2005); ''Teachings of the Sikh Gurus''; Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Routledge; {{ISBN|978-0-415-26604-8}}, pp. xxi–xxxii</ref>

The vision in the Guru Granth Sahib, states Torkel Brekke, is a society based on divine justice without oppression of any kind.<ref name=brekke673/>

:One God exists, truth by name, creative power, without fear, without enmity, timeless form, unborn, self-existent, by the Guru's grace.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mandair |first=Arvind |editor-last=Pemberton |editor-first=Kelly |date=2008 |title=Shared Idioms, Sacred Symbols, and the Articulation of Identities in South Asia |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-95828-8 |page=61}}</ref>

====As guru====

The Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji, named the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib as his successor, terminating the line of human Gurus and making the scripture the literal embodiment of the eternal, impersonal Guru, where Gods/Gurus word serves as the spiritual guide for Sikhs.<ref name="WH McLeod 2014 page 17" /><ref name="William James 2011 pages 241-242" /><ref name="granthfinalguru" /><ref>Jane Bingham (2007), Sikhism, Atlas of World Faiths, {{ISBN|978-1-59920-059-0}}, pp. 19–20</ref>

:({{lang-pa|ਸੱਬ ਸਿੱਖਣ ਕੋ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੈ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਾਨਯੋ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ । |Sabb sikkhaṇ kō hukam hai [[Guru Maneyo Granth|gurū mānyō granth]]}})

The Sikh scriptures use [[Hindu]] terminology, with references to the [[Vedas]], and the names of gods and goddesses in Hindu bhakti movement traditions, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Rama, Krishna, but not to worship.<ref name=brekke673>Torkel Brekke (2014), Religion, War, and Ethics: A Sourcebook of Textual Traditions (Editors: Gregory M. Reichberg and Henrik Syse), Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-521-45038-6}}, pp. 673, 675, 672–686</ref><ref>Sinha, A. K. (2013), ''Glimpse of Scriptures of Religions of Indian Origin'', Xlibris, {{ISBN|978-1-4836-6308-1}}, pp. 204–216{{self-published source|date=December 2017}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Christopher |last1=Shackle |first2=Arvind |last2=Mandair |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |pages=xxxiv–xli}}</ref> It also refers to the spiritual concepts in Hinduism (''[[Ishvara]], [[Bhagavan]], [[Brahman]]'') and the concept of God in [[Islam]] (''Allah'') to assert that these are just "alternate names for the Almighty One".<ref>Singh, Nirbhai (1990); [https://archive.org/details/philosophyofsikh0000nirb/page/n134 <!-- pg=115 --> ''Philosophy of Sikhism: Reality and Its Manifestations''], New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London.-->; pp. 115–122</ref>

===Dasam Granth===

The Dasam Granth is a scripture of Sikhs which contains texts attributed to the Guru Gobind Singh. The ''Dasam Granth'' is important to a great number of Sikhs, however it does not have the same authority as the ''Guru Granth Sahib''. Some compositions of the ''Dasam Granth'' like [[Jaap Sahib]], ([[Amrit Savaiye]]), and [[Chaupai (Sikhism)|Benti Chaupai]] are part of the daily prayers ([[Nitnem]]) for Sikhs.<ref>Robert Zaehner (1988), The Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Living Faiths, Hutchinson, {{ISBN|978-0-09-173576-0}}, pp. 426–427</ref> The first verse of the [[ardās]] prayer is from [[Chandi di Var]]. The ''Dasam Granth'' is largely versions of Hindu mythology from the [[Puranas]], secular stories from a variety of sources called ''Charitro Pakhyan'' – tales to protect careless men from perils of lust.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Christopher |last1=Shackle |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |last2=Mandair |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |page=xx}}</ref><ref>William McLeod (2009), The A to Z of Sikhism, Toronto: Rowman & Littlefield, {{ISBN|978-0-8108-6828-1}}, p. 151</ref>

===Janamsakhis===

==Observances==

[[File:InsideSikhGurdwara.jpg|thumb|The [[Darbar Sahib Hall|Darbar Sahib]] of a [[Gurdwara]]]]

Worship in a gurdwara consists chiefly of the singing of passages from the scripture. Sikhs will commonly enter the gurdwara, touch the ground before the holy scripture with their foreheads. The recitation of the eighteenth century ''[[ardās]]'' is also customary for attending Sikhs. The ardās recalls past sufferings and glories of the community, invoking divine grace for all humanity.<ref name="p260">{{cite book |last=Parrinder |first=Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Parrinder |date=1971 |title=World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present |publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-87196-129-7|page=260}}</ref>

Vaisakhi is one of the most important festivals of Sikhs, while other significant festivals commemorate the birth, lives of the Gurus and Sikh martyrs. Historically, these festivals have been based on the moon calendar [[Bikrami calendar]].<ref name=nesbittbc>{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |date=2016 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-874557-0 |pages=122–123}}</ref> In 2003, the [[SGPC]], the Sikh organisation in charge of upkeep of the historical gurdwaras of Punjab, adopted [[Nanakshahi]] calendar.<ref name=nesbittbc/> The new calendar is highly controversial among Sikhs and is not universally accepted. Sikh festivals include the following:

{{wide image|Yuba City Nagar Kirtan 2011.jpg|760px|[[Nagar Kirtan]] crowd listening to [[Kirtan]] at [[Yuba City, California]].}}

* [[Hola Mohalla]] is a tradition started by Guru Gobind Singh. It starts the day after Sikhs celebrate [[Holi]],<ref name="McLeod2009p95">{{cite book |first=W. H. |last=McLeod |title=The A to Z of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC&pg=PA95|date=2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6344-6|page=95}}</ref> sometimes referred to as ''Hola''.<ref name="Roy2005p192">{{cite book |first=Christian |last=Roy |title=Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IKqOUfqt4cIC&pg=PA192 |date=2005 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-089-5 |pages=192–193}}</ref> Guru Gobind Singh modified Holi with a three-day [[Hola Mohalla]] extension festival of martial arts. The extension started the day after the Holi festival in [[Anandpur Sahib]], where Sikh soldiers would train in mock battles, compete in horsemanship, athletics, archery and military exercises.<ref>{{cite book | first1=James K. Jr. |last1=Wellman |first2=Clark |last2=Lombardi |title=Religion and Human Security: A Global Perspective|url= https://archive.org/details/religionandh_xxxx_2012_000_10856028 |url-access=registration|date=2012|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-982775-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/religionandh_xxxx_2012_000_10856028/page/n125 112] note 18}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Nikky-Guninder |last=Kaur Singh |title=Sikhism: An Introduction|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=e0ZmAXw7ok8C&pg=PA93|date=2011 |publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]] |location=London / New York |isbn=978-1-84885-321-8|pages=93–94}}</ref>

===Ceremonies and customs===

===Political advancement===

In 1644, Guru Hargobind named his grandson [[Guru Har Rai|Har Rai]] as the Guru. The Mughal Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] attempted political means to undermine the Sikh tradition, by dividing and influencing the succession.<ref name="mandair49" /> The Mughal ruler gave land grants to Dhir Mal, a grandson of Guru Hargobind living in Kartarpur, and attempted to encourage Sikhs to recognise Dhir Mal as the rightful successor to Guru Hargobind.<ref name="mandair49" /> Dhir Mal issued statements in favour of the Mughal state, and critical of his grandfather [[Guru Arjan]]. Guru Hargobind rejected Dhir Mal, the latter refused to give up the original version of the Adi Granth he had, and the Sikh community was divided.<ref name="mandair49">{{cite book |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BEP0Ty-GuVEC&pg=PA49 |publisher=[[A & C Black]] |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-4411-1708-3 |pages=48–49}}</ref>

Guru Har Rai is famed to have met Dara Shikoh during a time Dara Shikoh and his younger brother Aurangzeb were in a bitter succession fight. Aurangzeb summoned Guru Har Rai, who refused to go and sent his elder son Ram Rai instead.<ref name="McLeod2014p260" /> The emperor found a verse in the Sikh scripture insulting to Muslims, and Ram Rai agreed it was a mistake then changed it. Ram Rai thus pleased Aurangzeb, but displeased Guru Har Rai who excommunicated his elder son. He nominated his younger son [[Guru Har Krishan]] to succeed him in 1661. Aurangzeb responded by granting Ram Rai a [[jagir]] (land grant). Ram Rai founded a town there and enjoyed Aurangzeb's patronage; the town came to be known as Dehradun, after ''Dehra'' referring to Ram Rai's shrine. Sikhs who followed Ram Rai came to be known as [[Ramraiya]] Sikhs.<ref name="McLeod2014p260">{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ |date=2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=260–261}}</ref><ref>{{Britannica|490354|Rām Rāiyā}}</ref> However, according to rough estimates, there are around 120–150 million (12–15 [[crore]])<ref>[http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx Ram Rai], ''Encyclopedia of Sikhism''. Harbans, Singh (ed.). Punjab University.</ref> Guru Har Krishan became the eighth Guru at the age of five, and died of smallpox before reaching the age of eight. No hymns composed by these three Gurus are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shackle |first1=Christopher |last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |page=xvi}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">

File:Interior-view-Gurudwara-Sis-Ganj-Sahib.jpg|[[Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib]] in Delhi. The long window under the marble platform is the location where [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] was executed by the Mughals.

The Sikh Khalsa's rise to power began in the 17th century during a time of growing militancy against Mughal rule. The creation of a [[Sikh Empire]] began when Guru Gobind Singh sent a Sikh general, [[Banda Singh Bahadur]], to fight the Mughal rulers of India and those who had committed atrocities against [[Pir Buddhu Shah]]. Banda Singh advanced his army towards the main Muslim Mughal city of Sirhind and, following the instructions of the Guru, punished all the culprits. Soon after the invasion of Sirhind, while resting in his chamber after the Rehras prayer Guru Gobind Singh was stabbed by a [[Pathan]] assassin hired by [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]]. Gobind Singh killed the attacker with his sword. Though a European surgeon stitched the Guru's wound, the wound re-opened as the Guru tugged at a hard strong bow after a few days, causing profuse bleeding that led to Gobind Singh's death.{{cn|date=January 2023}}

The Sikh empire, with its capital in [[Lahore]], spread over almost {{convert|200000|mi2|km2|abbr=off}} comprising what is now northwestern [[Indian subcontinent]]. The Sikh Empire entered into a treaty with the colonial British powers, with each side recognizing Sutlej River as the line of control and agreeing not to invade the other side.<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Khushwant |author-link=Khushwant Singh|date=2006|title=The Illustrated History of the Sikhs |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-0-19-567747-8 |pages=47–53}}</ref> Ranjit Singh's most lasting legacy was the restoration and expansion of the [[Harmandir Sahib]], most revered [[Gurudwara]] of the Sikhs, with marble and gold, from which the popular name of the "[[Golden Temple]]" is derived.<ref>{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA64 |date=2016 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-874557-0 |pages=64–65}}</ref> After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, the Sikh Empire fell into disorder. Ranjit Singh had failed to establish a lasting structure for Sikh government or stable succession, and the Sikh Empire rapidly declined after his death. Factions divided the Sikhs, and led to [[First Anglo-Sikh War|Anglo-Sikh wars]]. The British easily defeated the confused and demoralised [[Sikh Khalsa Army|Khalsa forces]], then disbanded them into destitution.<ref name="Oberoi1994p207">{{cite book |first=Harjot |last=Oberoi |title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dKl84EYFkTsC |date=1994|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-61593-6 |pages=207–208}}</ref> The youngest son of Ranjit Singh, named [[Maharaja Duleep Singh|Duleep Singh]], ultimately succeeded, but he was arrested and exiled after the defeat of Sikh Khalsa.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx |title=Jind Kaur, Maharani (1817–1863) |last1=Hasrat |first1=B. J. |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University Patiala}}</ref>

====Singh Sabha movement====

{{Main|Singh Sabha Movement}}

The last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Duleep Singh, converted to Christianity in 1853, a controversial but influential event in Sikh history. Along with his conversion, and after Sikh Empire had been dissolved and the region made a part of the colonial British Empire, [[Proselytism|proselytising]] activities of [[Christians]], [[Brahmo Samaj]]is, [[Arya Samaj]], Muslim Anjuman-i-Islamia and Ahmadiyah sought to convert the Sikhs in northwestern Indian subcontinent into their respective faiths.<ref name=barrierssm/><ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online" /> These developments launched the [[Singh Sabha Movement]].<ref name=barrierssm/><ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online" />

[[File:Sikh Light Infantry.jpg|thumb|[[Sikh Light Infantry]] personnel march past during the [[Delhi Republic Day parade|Republic day parade]] in New Delhi, India]]

When the partition line was formally announced in August 1947, the violence was unprecedented, with Sikhs being one of the most affected religious community both in terms of deaths, as well as property loss, injury, trauma and disruption.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=108–111}}<ref name="Mann2014p81" /> Sikhs and Muslims were both victims and perpetrators of retaliatory violence against each other. Estimates range between 200,000 and 2&nbsp;million deaths of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=108–111}}<ref name="Mann2014p81" /> There were numerous rapes of and mass suicides by Sikh women, they being taken captives, their rescues and above all a mass exodus of Sikhs from newly created Pakistan into newly independent India. The partition created the "largest foot convoy of refugees recorded in [human] history, stretching over 100 kilometer long", states Banga, with nearly 300,000 people consisting of mostly "distraught, suffering, injured and angry Sikhs". Sikh and Hindu refugees from Pakistan flooded into India, Muslim refugees from India flooded into Pakistan, each into their new homeland.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=108–111}}<ref name="Wolpert2010p9" />

==Sikh people==

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===Sikh sects===

Sikhs originally had only 5 orders, or [[Sampradaya|sampradas]] (not to be confused as deviant sects). These include:  

[[Damdami Taksal|Gyaaniyan Samparda]] - the university of Sikhi, whilst technically not an order, it essentially serves as one.<ref name="Nirbhai Singh 1990 1–3" /> Made up from individuals belonging to all of the above sects. Many branches within this order.[[File:Ustad Baljit Singh Luxmi Namdhari and Fateh Singh.jpg|left|thumb|[[Namdhari|Namdhari Sikhs]], also called the ''Kuka'' Sikhs are a sect of Sikhism known for their crisp white dress and horizontal ''pagari'' (turban).<ref name=britsikhssects>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism/Sects-and-other-groups "Sects and other groups: Sikhism"], ''[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] Online''.</ref><ref name="HaarKalsi2009p10">{{cite book |first1=Kristen |last1=Haar |first2=Sewa Singh |last2=Kalsi |title=Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YOI1nB_zTyAC |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-1-4381-0647-2 |pages=10–11}}</ref> Above: Namdhari singer and musicians.]]

After the collapse of Mughal Empire, and particularly during the rule of Ranjit Singh, Udasi Sikhs protected Sikh shrines, preserved the Sikh scripture and rebuilt those that were desecrated or destroyed during the Muslim–Sikh wars. However, Udasi Sikhs kept idols and images inside these Sikh temples.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78" /><ref name="Fenech2014p375">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |date=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=375–377}}</ref> In the 19th century, [[Namdhari]]s and [[Nirankari]]s sects were formed in Sikhism, seeking to reform and return to what each believed was the pure form of Sikhism.<ref name="fenech273">{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA273|date=2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=151, 273}}</ref><ref name="SinghFenech2014p28" /><ref name="Mandair 2013 85–86"/>

===Sikh castes===

In 1953, the government of India acceded to the demands of the Sikh leader, [[Tara Singh (activist)|Master Tara Singh]], to include Sikh Dalit castes in the list of scheduled castes.<ref name="Harish K. Puri 2004">{{cite book |title=Dalits in Regional Context |first=Harish K. |last=Puri |isbn=978-81-7033-871-0|date=2004}}</ref> In the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee]], 20 of the 140 seats are reserved for low-caste Sikhs.<ref name="Harish K. Puri 2004" />

===Sikh diaspora===

{{Further|Sikhism in India|Sikh diaspora|Sikhism by country}}

Sikhism is [[Major religious groups#Religious demographics|the fifth-largest amongst the world religions]], and one of the youngest.<ref name="Partridge2013">{{cite book |first=Christopher |last=Partridge |title=Introduction to World Religions|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3AjAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA429|date=1 November 2013|publisher=Fortress Press |isbn=978-0-8006-9970-3|pages=429–}}</ref><ref name="McDowellBrown2009">{{cite book |first1=Michael |last1=McDowell |first2=Nathan Robert |last2=Brown |title=World Religions at Your Fingertips |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=K0_dHrRY3gIC&pg=PA232 |date=2009 |publisher=Alpha Books |isbn=978-1-59257-846-7 |page=232}}</ref><ref name="Teece2005">{{cite book |first=Geoff |last=Teece |title=Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kJO1WIABhPQC&pg=PA4|date=2005 |publisher=Black Rabbit Books |isbn=978-1-58340-469-0 |pages=4–}}</ref> Worldwide, there are 30&nbsp;million Sikhs, which makes up 0.4% of the world's population. Approximately 75% of Sikhs live in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], where they constitute 57.7% of the state's population. Large communities of Sikhs migrate to the neighboring states such as Indian State of Haryana which is home to the second largest Sikh population in India with 1.1&nbsp;million Sikhs as per 2001 census, and large immigrant communities of Sikhs can be found across India. However, Sikhs only comprise about 1.7% of the Indian population.<ref name="Singh Kalsi 2007 12">{{cite book |title=Sikhism |last=Singh Kalsi |first=Sewa |date=2007 |publisher=Bravo Ltd |location=London |isbn=978-1-85733-436-4 |page=12}}</ref>

  | url = https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Religion%20Article~80

  | title = 2071.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016   

  | publisher = Australian Bureau of Statistics

  | date = 28 June 2017

==Prohibitions in Sikhism==

{{further|Prohibitions in Sikhism|Diet in Sikhism}}

4 major transgressions:<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, i.]; [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, p. 1.-4.]</ref>

* Hair removal – [[Hair]] [[cutting]], trimming, removing, [[shaving]], [[Plucking (hair removal)|plucking]], [[Threading (epilation)|threading]], [[Dyeing hair|dyeing]], or any other alteration from any body part is strictly forbidden.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, i.]; [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, p. 1. & q. 3.]</ref>

* [[Intoxications|Intoxication]] – A Sikh must not take [[hemp]] ([[cannabis]]), [[opium]], [[liquor]], [[tobacco]], in short, any [[intoxicant]].<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, j.]</ref> Consumption of [[tobacco]] and [[intoxicants]] ([[hemp]], [[opium]], [[liquor]], [[narcotic]]s, [[cocaine]], etc.) is not allowed.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, p. 4. & q. 1., q. 5.]</ref>{{sfn|Macauliffe|1909|p=[[s:Page:The Sikh Religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors Vol 1.djvu/27|xxi]]}} [[Cannabis and Sikhism|Cannabis is generally prohibited]], but ritually consumed in edible form by some Sikhs.<ref name="SinghFenech2014">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA378 |date=March 2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=378–}}</ref><ref name="SinghHawley2012">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Michael |last2=Hawley |title=Re-imagining South Asian Religions: Essays in Honour of Professors Harold G. Coward and Ronald W. Neufeldt |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4SLhLakpsNsC&pg=PA34 |date=7 December 2012 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-90-04-24236-4|pages=34–}}</ref> Some Sikh groups, like the [[Damdami Taksal]], are even opposed to drinking [[caffeine]] in [[Tea|Indian tea]]. Indian tea is almost always served in Sikh [[Gurdwara|Gurudwaras]] around the world. Some [[Nihang|Akali Nihang]] groups consume [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis-containing]] shaheedi degh ({{lang|pa|ਭੰਗ}}), purportedly to help in [[meditation]].<ref>{{cite book

   | last = Richard Beck

   | year = 2002

   |page= 64

Other mentioned practices to be avoided, as per the Sikh Rehat Maryada:

* Female infanticide: A Sikh should not kill their daughter; nor should they maintain any relationship with a killer of daughter.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, l.]</ref>

* A Sikh shall not [[Theft|steal]], form dubious associations or engage in [[gambling]].<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, o.]</ref>

* It is not proper for a Sikh woman to wear a [[veil]], or keep her face hidden.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, s.]</ref>

* Hereditary priest – Sikhism does not have priests, as they were abolished by Guru Gobind Singh (the 10th Guru of Sikhism).<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |url= http://www.sikhs.org/summary.htm |title=Sikhism Religion of the Sikh People |publisher=sikhs.org}}</ref> The only position he left was a [[Granthi]] to look after the Guru Granth Sahib; any Sikh is free to become Granthi or read from the Guru Granth Sahib.<ref name=autogenerated2 />

* [[Hari Singh Nalwa]]

* [[Indian religions]]

* [[Turban training centre]]

* [[Women in the Guru Granth Sahib]]

{{div col end}}

* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism "Sikhism"]. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online''.

* {{Curlie|Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Sikhism/}}

{{Sikhism|state=expanded}}