Abstract
Sikh religion has its origin in the land of Punjab. It is the youngest of the major
religions of the world. This religion was an attempt to reform Hinduism and Islam.
It believes in the idea of monotheism and its roots can be traced back into the
tradition of Sant and Sufis1
. Encyclopedia of religion defines it as a religion of
Sikhs who lives in Punjab and adjoining areas. Its prominent character is the
concept of brotherhood based on religion not on race or ethnicity.
The word 'Sikh' is derived from Sanskrit 'Shishya' means 'disciple'. A.S. Sethi
claims that the word is 'Sekho' which means a person who is dedicated to truth.
Sikhs follow ten Gurus beginning with Guru Nanak and ending with Guru Gobind
Singh2
. In 1708, after the death of Guru Gobind Singh, personal Guruship ended.
From there onward, the Sikhs revered the Adi Granth (Holy Book of the Sikhs) as
their Guru3
.
Sikh uses two words interchangeably, one is Sikh and the other is Singh. Loehlin
observes that "Sikh means learner, and Singh means Lion
4
. He believes that these
two terms aptly describe the difference between them.
The Unity of God, brotherhood of man, rejection of caste and the futility of idol
worship were the main tenants of the preaching of Nanak. Nanak tried to unite
both Hindus and Muslims into one brotherhood. Nanak's main claim/utterance
was "There is no Hindu; there is no Mussalman.
Sumaira Safdar, Fatima Riffat, Robina Shoeb, Anam Iftkhar. (2018) Reimagining Sikh Religion, Origin and Growth: An Overview, Journal of the Punjab University Historical Society, Volume 31, issue 1.
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