The need for unity and solidarity

You created the 8.4 million species of beings, and provide for their sustenance.

Bhatt Gayandh, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p1403

‘God’s light is amongst all, You are that light. It is by this divine light that all are illuminated.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p663

Some call Him, ‘Raam, Raam’, and some call Him, ‘Khudaa-i’.

Some serve Him as ‘Gusain’, others as ‘Allaah’. He is the Cause of causes, the Generous Lord. He showers His Grace and Mercy upon all of us.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p88

From the very outset of the Sikh faith, the interfaith teachings eliminate all caste, social and religious inequalities. The teachings of the Gurus and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji provide an exemplary model for interfaith dialogue. All Gurudwaras have an open door policy because everyone is welcome in God’s House. The Nishaan Sahib, a saffron flag which proudly flies indicating the Gurudwara, is therefore a beacon of refuge to all.

God, through His divine Will, chooses what religion individuals are born into. It is therefore advocated that people should be strong in their own faith, and help others to follow their paths in the common aim of sarbat da bhalla – the welfare of all. Baptised Sikhs invoke blessings for the welfare of all of the Lord’s creation at every prayer.

God’s children are all equal and so they cannot be kafir or heathen because everybody plays a role within the Infinite context. This ensures that society is not just tolerant of others, but that it is prepared to accept and respect others’ beliefs enough to sacrifice oneself for others.

First, Allah created the Light; then, by His Creative Power, He made all mortal beings.

From the One Light, the entire universe welled up. So who is good, and who is bad?

Bhagat Kabeer Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p1349

‘Nanak sha Fakir - Hindu ka guru, Mussalman ka pir.’

“Guru Nanak, lord of renunciation, teacher of the Hindus, guide of the Muslims”.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539), the founder of the Sikh faith with his two life-long companions, Bhai Mardana Ji, a Muslim and Bhai Bala Ji, a Hindu.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji taught that ‘the highest virtue is truth, but higher still is truthful living’. He made four long interfaith journeys (udasis) to the north, south, east and west, within and beyond India to motivate humanity to walk the path of truth and to respect faiths other than one’s own. Guru Nanak Dev Ji entered into a dialogue with a whole spectrum of people, teaching an interfaith message of peace, love and respect for all - relevant more than ever today.

The Pathway of Dialogue

Guru Nanak Dev Ji covered incredible distances, almost exclusively on foot, through all kinds of terrain. Throughout these journeys, neither knowing where he would spend the night nor where he would eat, Guru Nanak Dev Ji demonstrated his unwavering love, commitment and trust in God. The first twelve-year journey was made eastwards across India, visiting cities sacred to the Hindus, such as Hardwar, Ayodya and Varanasi. This was followed by a fiveyear journey southwards to Sri Lanka, returning to the Punjab via Gujarat and Rajasthan. A further two years were spent going northwards into the Himalayas, as far as Tibet, and a final four-year journey was made westwards into the Middle East, visiting the sacred Islamic cities of Mecca, Medina and Baghdad, returning through Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Whilst these journeys have been widely documented, there are other journeys that are recounted through oral history with reports of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s visits to Africa, Europe and China. These journeys can be explained by Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s ability to travel by ‘Divine’ modes of transport. He travelled with two companions: a Muslim musician, Bhai Mardana, and a Hindu, Bhai Bala. In Kartarpur (now in present day Pakistan), it is evident that Guru Nanak Dev Ji was dearly loved as Pir (Muslim saint) and Baba (Hindu saint) by his followers. At the time of death, the Gurus body disappeared leaving behind only the shroud which was divided equally. The Muslims buried their half of the shroud and the Hindus cremated their half. A burial tomb and a cremation site of both lie within the same Gurudwara as a visible reminder of interfaith.

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth Guru, was martyred for standing against injustices being committed to Hindu Brahmins. This was unprecedented that the leader of one faith should sacrifice himself to save a different faith.

A ‘clash of civilisations’ occurs when people are caused to go away from God. Sikhs believe:

Come together as brothers, put aside your differences and remember the Lord.

In this manner you will find peace.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p1185

I am not good; no one is bad.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p728

No one is my enemy, and no one is a stranger. I am friend to everyone.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p1299

Tolerating others is not good enough. Accepting others is demeaning. To respect others is better.

Ultimately, one should be willing to sacrifice oneself for others.