Sikhism: Difference between revisions

|image=Hamandir Sahib (Golden Temple).jpg

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

|main_classification = [[Indian religion]]

| scripture= {{plainlist|

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|theology={{plainlist|

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|founder=[[Guru Nanak]]

|founded_date=15th-16th century [[Common Era|CE]]

{{Sikhism sidebar}}

 

 

Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of [[Guru Nanak]] (1469–1539), the faith's first [[guru]], and the nine [[Sikh gurus]] who succeeded him. The tenth guru, [[Guru Gobind Singh]] (1666–1708), named the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], which is the central religious scripture in Sikhism, as his successor. This brought the line of human gurus to a close. Sikhs regard the Guru Granth Sahib as the 11th and eternally living guru.

[[File:Tarn Taran 1.jpg|thumb|[[Tarn Taran Sahib]] – The World's Largest Sarovar (sacred pool)]]

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).}}

 

==Terminology==

 

==Philosophy and teachings==

{{Main|Ik Onkar}}

 

 

Sikhism is a [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] and [[Panentheism|panentheistic]] religion. Sikhs believe that there exists only one God and that God is simultaneously within everything and is all-encompassing. The oneness of God is reflected by the phrase ''[[Ik Onkar]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rose |first=Tudor|date=2015|title=Agree to Differ|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Mg91CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |page=97 |isbn=978-92-3-100090-4}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/ataglance/glance.shtml Sikhism at a glance |Religions: Sikhism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902132011/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/ataglance/glance.shtml |date=2 September 2017 }}." BBC (2014).</ref> In Sikhism, the word for God is ''[[Waheguru]]'' ({{Literal translation|wondrous teacher}}). The ''Waheguru'' is considered to be ''[[Nirankar]]'' ("shapeless"), ''Akal'' ("timeless"), ''Karta Purakh'' ("[[Creator deity|the creator being]]"), ''Akaal Purkh'' ("beyond time and death") and ''Agam Agochar'' ("[[Divine incomprehensibility|incomprehensible]] and invisible").<ref>{{cite web |title=There is One God |url=https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Spiritual/2018-09-01/There-is-One-God/409124 |last1=The Hans India |date=1 September 2018 |work=[[The Hans India]] |access-date=10 July 2019 |archive-date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710164237/https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Spiritual/2018-09-01/There-is-One-God/409124 |url-status=live }}</ref>

 

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

|{ikk ōankār} sat<small>(i)</small> nām<small>(u)</small> karatā purakh<small>(u)</small> nirabha'u niravair<small>(u)</small> akāl<small>(a)</small> mūrat<small>(i)</small> ajūnī saibhan gur<small>(a)</small> prasād<small>(i)</small>

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

 

 

===Singing and Music===

 

===Remembrance of the Divine Name===

The Sikh gurus taught that by constantly remembering the divine name (''[[Simran|naam simran]]'') and through selfless service (''[[Seva (Indian religions)|sēvā]]'') the devotee overcomes egotism (''[[Haumai]]''). This, it states, is the primary root of five evil impulses and the cycle of birth and death.<ref>{{cite book |first1=W. Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |title=A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vcSRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA9 |date=2005 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-135-79760-7 |pages=9–10}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Michael L. |last=Hadley |title=The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IntWqeMeU_oC&pg=PA202 |date=2001 |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |isbn=978-0-7914-4851-9 |pages=202–203}}</ref>

 

 

===Justice and Equality===

[[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:Interior of Akal Takht.jpg|thumb|The interior of the [[Akal Takht]]]]The Sikh gurus established a mechanism which allowed the Sikh religion to react as a community to changing circumstances. The sixth guru, [[Guru Har Gobind|Guru Hargobind]], was responsible for the creation of the concept of [[Akal Takht]] (''throne of the timeless one''), which serves as the supreme decision-making centre of Sikhism and sits opposite the [[Harmandir Sahib]]. The Akal Takht is located in the city of Amritsar. The leader is appointed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Pabandhak Committee (SPGC). The ''[[Sarbat Khalsa|Sarbat Ḵẖālsā]]'' (a representative portion of the Khalsa Panth) historically gathers at the Akal Takht on special festivals such as [[Vaisakhi]] or [[Hola Mohalla]] and when there is a need to discuss matters that affect the entire Sikh nation. A ''[[Gurmata|gurmatā]]'' (literally, 'guru's intention') is an order passed by the Sarbat Ḵẖālsā in the presence of the Gurū Granth Sāhib. A ''gurmatā'' may only be passed on a subject that affects the fundamental principles of Sikh religion; it is binding upon all Sikhs.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sgpc.net/sikhism/tankah.asp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020606154817/http://sgpc.net/sikhism/tankah.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 June 2002 |title=Sikh Reht Maryada&nbsp;– Method of Adopting Gurmatta |access-date=9 June 2006 }}</ref> The term ''[[Hukamnama|hukamnāmā]]'' (literally, 'edict' or 'royal order') is often used interchangeably with the term ''gurmatā''. However, a ''hukamnāmā'' formally refers to a hymn from the ''Gurū Granth Sāhib'' which is given order to Sikhs.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

 

==Scripture==

 

===Ādi Granth===

{{Main|Guru Granth Sahib}}

 

 

====Compilation====

The Granth begins with the ''[[Mul Mantra|Mūl Mantra]]'', an iconic verse which received Guru Nanak directly from Akal Purakh (God).{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} The traditional Mul Mantar goes from Ik Oankar until Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

 

:({{lang-pa|ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ |Ika ōaṅkāra sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabha'u niravairu akāla mūrati ajūnī saibhaṅ gura prasādi}})

 

====As guru====

:All Sikhs are commanded to take the Granth as Guru{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

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

{{Main|Dasam Granth}}

 

 

Many versions of ''Dasam Granth'' exist, and the authenticity of the ''Dasam Granth'' has in modern times become one of the most debated topics within Sikhism. The [[Nihang|Akali Nihangs]] consider the Dasam and [[Sarbloh Granth]] as extensions of the [[Guru Granth Sahib]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sethi |first=Chitleen K. |date=21 October 2021 |title=The 3 granths in Sikhism & the debate surrounding Sarbloh Granth & Dasam Granth |url=https://theprint.in/theprint-essential/the-3-granths-in-sikhism-the-debate-surrounding-sarbloh-granth-dasam-granth/754060/ |access-date=22 February 2023 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222223640/https://theprint.in/theprint-essential/the-3-granths-in-sikhism-the-debate-surrounding-sarbloh-granth-dasam-granth/754060/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The text played a significant role in Sikh history, but in modern times parts of the text have seen antipathy and discussion among Sikhs.<ref name=jdeol31/>

 

=== Sarbloh Granth ===

 

===Janamsakhis===

{{See also|Sikh rites}}

[[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 prostrate before the holy scripture when entering a gurdwara. 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]] which includes Parades and Nagar Kirtan and occurs on 13 April or 14 April. Sikhs celebrate it because on this day, which fell on 30 March 1699, the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, inaugurated the [[Khalsa]], the 11th body of Guru Granth Sahib and leader of Sikhs until eternity.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

** [[Nagar Kirtan]] involves the processional singing of holy hymns throughout a community. While practiced at any time, it is customary in the month of Visakhi (or Vaisakhi). Traditionally, the procession is led by the saffron-robed Panj Piare (the five beloved of the guru), who are followed by the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikh scripture, which is placed on a float.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

* Band Chor Diwas has been another important Sikh festival in its history.<ref>{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=128–130 |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308160619/https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> In recent years, instead of Diwali, the post-2003 calendar released by SGPC has named it the [[Bandi Chhor Divas]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4ysRDAAAQBAJ |date=2016 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-106276-6 |pages=6, 124}}</ref> Sikhs celebrate [[Guru Hargobind]]'s release from the [[Gwalior Fort]], with several innocent [[Raja]]s (kings) who were also imprisoned by Mughal Emperor [[Jahangir]] in 1619. This day continues to be commemorated on the same day of Hindu festival of [[Diwali]], with lights, fireworks and festivities.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

* [[Gurpurb]]s are celebrations or commemorations based on the lives of the Sikh gurus. They tend to be either birthdays or celebrations of Sikh martyrdom. All ten gurus have Gurpurbs on the Nanakshahi calendar, but it is Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh who have a gurpurb that is widely celebrated in Gurdwaras and Sikh homes. The martyrdoms are also known as a Shaheedi Gurpurbs, which mark the martyrdom anniversary of [[Guru Arjan]] and [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

 

Upon a child's birth, the Guru Granth Sahib is opened at a random point and the child is named using the first letter on the top left hand corner of the left page. All boys are given the last name [[Singh]], and all girls are given the last name [[Kaur]] (this was once a title which was conferred on an individual upon joining the [[Khalsa]]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Loehlin|first=Clinton Herbert|date=1964 |orig-year=1958 |edition=2nd |title=The Sikhs and Their Scriptures |publisher=Lucknow Publishing |page=42}}</ref>

 

 

Upon death, the body of a Sikh is usually cremated. If this is not possible, any respectful means of disposing the body may be employed. The ''kīrtan sōhilā'' and ''ardās'' prayers are performed during the funeral ceremony (known as ''[[Antam Sanskar|antim sanskār]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url= http://sgpc.net/sikhism/antam-sanskar.asp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020406164549/http://sgpc.net/sikhism/antam-sanskar.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 April 2002 |title=Sikh Reht Maryada – Funeral Ceremonies (Antam Sanskar) |access-date=8 June 2006 }}</ref>

{{blockquote|Few Sikhs would mention these Indic texts and ideologies in the same breadth as the Sikh tradition, let alone trace elements of their tradition to this chronological and ideological point, {{em|despite the fact}} that the Indic mythology permeates the Sikh sacred canon, the ''Guru Granth Sahib'', and the secondary canon, the ''Dasam Granth''&nbsp;... and adds delicate nuance and substance to the sacred symbolic universe of the Sikhs of today and of their past ancestors.}}

 

 

===Growth of Sikhism===

Guru Angad, before joining Guru Nanak's commune, worked as a ''[[pujari]]'' (priest) and religious teacher centered around Hindu goddess [[Durga]].<ref name="Fenech2014p36" /><ref name="ColeSambhi1995p18" /> On Nanak's advice, Guru Angad moved from Kartarpur to Khadur, where his wife [[Mata Khivi|Khivi]] and children were living, until he was able to bridge the divide between his followers and the Udasis. Guru Angad continued the work started by Guru Nanak and is widely credited for standardising the [[Gurmukhī script]] as used in the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.<ref name="ColeSambhi1995p18">{{cite book |first1=William Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |title=The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zIC_MgJ5RMUC&pg=PA18 |date=1995 |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |isbn=978-1-898723-13-4|pages=18–20}}</ref>

 

 

 

 

Guru Arjan is remembered among Sikhs for many accomplishments. He built the first [[Harimandir Sahib]] (later to become the [[Golden Temple]]). He was a poet and created the first edition of Sikh sacred text known as the [[Adi Granth|Ādi Granth]] (literally "the first book") and included the writings of the first five gurus and other enlightened 13 Hindu and 2 Muslim Sufi saints. In 1606, he was tortured and killed by the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] [[Jahangir]],<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 |pages=xv–xvi}}</ref> for refusing to convert to Islam.<ref>{{cite book |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |title=Life and Work of Guru Arjan: History, Memory, and Biography in the Sikh Tradition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbPXAAAAMAAJ |date=2006 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-567921-2 |pages=23, 217–218 |access-date=25 October 2017 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328171959/https://books.google.com/books?id=FbPXAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=pashauraarjan/><ref>Louis E. Fenech (2006), Martyrdom in the Sikh Tradition, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-19-567901-4}}, pp. 118–121</ref> His martyrdom is considered a watershed event in the history of Sikhism.<ref name=pashauraarjan/><ref>{{cite book |first=W. H. |last=McLeod |date=1989 |title=The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-06815-4 |pages=26–51}}</ref>

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 Tegh Bahadur]], the uncle of Guru Har Krishan, became guru in 1665. Tegh Bahadur resisted the forced conversions of [[Kashmir]]i [[Pandit]]s<ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=236–445}}, Quote:"This is the reputed place where several Kashmiri pandits came seeking protection from Auranzeb's army.", Quote:"this second martyrdom helped to make 'human rights and freedom of conscience' central to its identity."</ref> and non-Muslims<ref name="Mandair2013p53">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=53–54 |access-date=25 October 2017 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811005234/https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |url-status=live }}, Quote: "The Guru's stance was a clear and unambiguous challenge, not to the sovereignty of the Mughal state, but to the state's policy of not recognizing the sovereign existence of non-Muslims, their traditions and ways of life".</ref> to [[Islam]], and was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]] in [[Delhi]] for refusing to convert to Islam.<ref name=cs2013>{{cite book |last=Seiple |first=Chris |title=The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Security |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |date=2013 |isbn=978-0-415-66744-9 |page=96}}</ref><ref name="pashauraarjan" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Pashaura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |last2=Fenech |first2=Louis E. |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |pages=236–238 |access-date=4 July 2017 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811005306/https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Louis E. |year=2001 |title=Martyrdom and the Execution of Guru Arjan in Early Sikh Sources |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=121 |issue=1 |pages=20–31 |doi=10.2307/606726 |jstor=606726}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Louis E. |year=1997 |title=Martyrdom and the Sikh Tradition |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=117 |issue=4 |pages=623–642 |doi=10.2307/606445 |jstor=606445}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=McLeod |first=Hew |author-link=William Hewat McLeod |year=1999 |title=Sikhs and Muslims in the Punjab |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |volume=22 |issue=sup001 |pages=155–165 |doi=10.1080/00856408708723379}}</ref><ref name=fenech4>{{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=236–238 |access-date=4 July 2017 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811005306/https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }};<br />{{cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Louis E. |title=Martyrdom and the Execution of Guru Arjan in Early Sikh Sources |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=121 |issue=1 |year=2001 |doi=10.2307/606726 |pages=20–31 |jstor=606726}};<br />{{cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Louis E. |title=Martyrdom and the Sikh Tradition |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=117 |issue=4 |year=1997 |doi=10.2307/606445 |pages=623–642 |jstor=606445}};<br />{{cite journal |last=McLeod |first=Hew |title=Sikhs and Muslims in the Punjab |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |volume=22 |issue=sup001 |year=1999 |issn=0085-6401 |doi=10.1080/00856408708723379 |pages=155–165}}</ref> His beheading traumatized the Sikhs. His body was cremated in Delhi, while the head was carried secretively by Sikhs and cremated in [[Anandpur Sahib|Anandpur]]. He was succeeded by his son, Gobind Rai, who militarised his followers by creating the [[Khalsa]] in 1699, and baptising the ''[[Panj Piare|Pañj Piārē]]''.<ref name="MandairShackle2013p25">{{cite book |first1=Arvind-Pal Singh |last1=Mandair |first2=Christopher |last2=Shackle |first3=Gurharpal |last3=Singh |title=Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=D8xdAgAAQBAJ |date=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-136-84627-4 |pages=25–28}}</ref> From then on, he was known as [[Guru Gobind Singh]], and Sikh identity was redefined into a political force resisting religious persecution.<ref name=ws1981>{{cite book |first=Wilfred |last=Smith |date=1981 |page=191 |title=On Understanding Islam: Selected Studies |publisher=Walter De Gruyter |isbn=978-90-279-3448-2 |url= https://archive.org/details/onunderstandingi0000smit/page/191}}</ref>

====Sikh confederacy and the rise of the Khalsa====

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[[Guru Gobind Singh]] inaugurated the [[Khalsa]] (the collective body of all [[Amrit Sanskar|initiated Sikhs]]) as the Sikh temporal authority in the year 1699. It created a community that combines its spiritual purpose and goals with political and military duties.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shani |first=Giorgio |title=Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age |date=2008 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-42190-4 |page=24}}</ref><ref name="granthfinalguru" /><ref name="parrinderp259" /> Shortly before his death, Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed the [[Guru Granth Sahib|Gurū Granth Sāhib]] (the Sikh Holy Scripture) to be the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikhs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wolfe|first=Alvin|title=Anthropological Contributions to Conflict Resolution|date=1996|publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=978-0-8203-1765-6|page=14}}</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" />

The first meeting of the movement was in the [[Golden Temple]], Amritsar in 1873, and it was largely launched by the [[Sanatan Sikh]]s, Gianis, priests, and granthis.<ref>Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, Sikh History in 10 Volumes, Sikh University Press, Belgium, published in 2012; vol 4, pp 49–69</ref> Shortly thereafter, Nihang Sikhs began influencing the movement, followed by a sustained campaign by the [[Tat Khalsa]], which had quickly gained dominance by the early 1880s.<ref name="perplexed84" /><ref name="Oberoi1994">{{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&pg=PA382|date=1994|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-61593-6|pages=382–383}}</ref> The movement became a struggle between Sanatan Sikhs and Tat Khalsa in defining and interpreting Sikhism.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p28" /><ref name="Mandair 2013 85–86">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsburg Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=85–86}}</ref><ref name="fenech273" />

 

 

 

====Partition of India====

 

When partition was announced, the newly created line divided the Sikh population. Along with Hindus, Sikhs suffered organized violence and riots against them in West Pakistan. As a result, Sikhs moved en masse to the Indian side, leaving behind their property and holy sites.<ref name="Abid2014"/> However, the anti-Sikh violence was not one-sided. As Sikhs moved to the eastern side of the partition line, they engaged in reprisals against Muslims there, forcing them into Pakistan.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–100}}<ref name="Mann2014p81" /> Before the partition, Sikhs constituted about 15% of the population in West Punjab, the majority being Muslims (55%). The Sikhs were the economic elite in West Punjab, however. They had the largest representation in West Punjab's aristocracy, and there were nearly 700 Gurdwaras and 400 educational institutions that served the interests of the Sikhs.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–103}} Prior to the partition, there were a series of disputes between the majority Muslims and minority Sikhs, such as on the matters of [[jhatka]] versus [[halal]] meat, the disputed ownership of [[Shaheed Ganj Mosque|Gurdwara Sahidganj]] in Lahore which Muslims sought as a mosque and Sikhs as a Gurdwara, and the insistence of the provincial Muslim government on switching from Indian [[Gurmukhi]] script to Arabic-Persian [[Nastaliq]] script in schools.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–100}} During and after the [[Simla Conference]] in June 1945, headed by Lord Wavell, the Sikh leaders initially expressed their desire to be recognized as a third community, but ultimately relegated these demands and sought a United India where Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims would live together, under a Swiss-style constitution. The Muslim League rejected this approach, demanding that the entire Punjab should be granted to Pakistan.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–104}} The Sikh leaders then sought the original partition instead, and the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution in support of partitioning Punjab and Bengal.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–104}}<ref name="Mann2014p81">{{cite book |first=Michael |last=Mann |title=South Asia's Modern History: Thematic Perspectives |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TBscBQAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-317-62446-2 |pages=81–83}}</ref>

 

 

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" />

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Canada is home to the largest proportion of Sikhs, as a ratio of the country's total population, in the world, at 2.1%.<ref name="canadareligion2021"/> Within Canada, Sikhs form 5.9% of the total population in the western province of [[British Columbia]], representing the third-largest Sikh proportion amongst all global [[administrative divisions]], behind only Punjab and Chandigarh in India. British Columbia, [[Manitoba]], and [[Yukon]] hold the distinction of being three of the only four [[administrative divisions]] in the world with Sikhism as the second-most followed religion among the population.{{refn|Sikhism is the second-largest religion in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Yukon.<ref name="canadareligion2021"/> Per the [[2011 Indian census]], Sikhism is the largest religion in Punjab and second in Chandigarh. These are the only two Indian states/UTs where Sikhism is one of the two most common religions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Population by religion community – 2011 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW03C-01%20MDDS.XLS |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230423/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW03C-01%20MDDS.XLS |archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/0401_PART_A_DCHB_CHANDIGARH.pdf |title=Census of India 2011 – Chandigarh |access-date=28 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821191248/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/0401_PART_A_DCHB_CHANDIGARH.pdf |archive-date=21 August 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>|name="ProvincePopulation"}}

 

 

===Sikh sects===

Sikhs originally had only five 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===

==Prohibitions in Sikhism==

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

 

* 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>

* [[Adultery]]: Cohabiting with a person other than one's spouse (sexual relations with anyone who you are not married to).<ref>{{cite book |last=Jakobsh |first=Doris R. |title=Relocating Gender in Sikh History: Transformation, Meaning and Identity |location=New Delhi |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2003 |pages=39–40}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=McLeod |first=W. H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC&pg=PA119 |title=The A to Z of Sikhism |date=24 July 2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6344-6 |pages=119 |language=en |author-link=W. H. McLeod}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fenech |first1=Louis E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA214 |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |last2=McLeod |first2=W. H. |date=11 June 2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1 |pages=214 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YDLNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT95 |title=Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708): Master of the White Hawk |date=25 July 2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-099038-1 |pages=95 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beckerlegge |first=Gwilym |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pgmNpPoYabwC&pg=PA456 |title=World Religions Reader |date=2001 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-24748-1 |pages=456 |language=en}}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|reason=Not an [[WP:EXTRAORDINARY]] claim, no need to [[WP:REFBOMB]]|date=May 2023}}

* [[Intoxications|Intoxication]] – 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_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, j.]</ref><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

|page= 64

| publisher = Heinemann

 

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

* 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>

* Sikhs cannot wear any token of any other faith, nor participate in idol worship (Idolatry) according to the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs must not have their head bare or wear [[cap]]s. They also cannot wear any [[Ornament (art)|ornament]]s piercing through any part of the body.<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, d.]</ref>

 

==See also==