Author: · G.S. Sidhu

. A F.I.L (London) M . ,

A challenge to Sikhism

Author: G.S. Sidhu M.A.; F.I.L. (London)

Published by :

Ram~rhia Sikh Gurdwara (Temple)

Charity Regn. No. 263287 10/14 Neville Road, Forest Gate, London E7 9QX

Tel.: 081-471 0335,081-472 3738

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A challenge to Sikhism

Author : Gurbachan Singh Sidhu M.A.; F.I.L. (London)

1st Edition : 15,000 ; March 1999

Distributed free on the occasion of the tercentennial celebrations of Khalsa Panth on 14th April1999

Publisher : Ramgarhia Sikh Gurdwara (Temple)

Charity Regn. No. 263287 10/14 Neville Road, Forest Gate, London E7 9QX Tel.: 081-471 0335,081-472 3738

Printer : Mohindra Art Press Near Clock Tower, Ludhiana Ph.:744376

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Preface

After the establishment of The Sikh Missionary Society in Gravesend (Kent) we were flooded with demands· for literature and for representing Sikhism on various functions. It was on one such function organised by the Interfaith group in the South of England that I spoke on Sikhism. The function was attended by people of many different faiths. At ~e end of the function we sat down for snacks and a cup of tea. Some Muslim participants ap­proached me to congratulate on my presentation and since they were Punjabi Muslims we soon got ingratiated. At the end of the day we exchanged addresses and parted with promises to keep meetin~ and exchanging views.

I had nearly forgotten about this meeting when one day I re­ceived a letter from one of tlu~ people I had met. The letter was a bit c;:austic in the sense that it rejected the validity of Sikhism as a religion and proclaimed that Sikhism contained nothing new. Patiently I answered the points raised in the letter but to my consternation another letter arrived. I had hardly answered this second letter when letters started arriving in quick succession day after day asking for explanations about the necessity of a· new religion when Islam had everything that Sikhism ever taught and when Guru Nanak himself had accepted Islam .My answers brought more and more letters and I was flooded with literature on Islam without my asking for it .Some of these let­ters are now untraceable but the others (from four different cor­respondents) are all available witll me. This book is based on the questions raised in the said letters and my replies to them .

With hindsight I now find that some statements in these letters needed more explanation and elaboration. I have therefore added footnotes where some explanation was needed or the · meaning was not clear. Some of the original letters were in Urdu and I had also sent my replies in Urdu. For the benefit of the next generation of the Sikhs, these letters have been abridged and partly sumn1arised in English.

Towards the end of the book I have added some extracts from various books published by the Muslims ab'out Sikhism. In these

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books history and philosophy of Sikhism have been corrupted with a vengeance. References have been taken out of context and given without quoting (or intentionally misquoting) the original sources. The reader is advised to exercise caution in accepting the references without proper verification.

While most of my replies have been published in full, the ano­nymity of the correspondents has been safeguarded. Names have not' been provided and the letters have been s~rised, al­though, direct quotations have also been given to substantially preserve the flavour and originality of the communications. De­spite some ·missing letters, care has been taken to ensure a smooth flow of dialogue. hitroductory courtesies have been omitted and selection ofmateria] is based on the main issues un­der discussion.

I hope this book will shed some light on the efforts afoot to mis­lead our next generation. I can. only hope that our Sikh scholars and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee will take due notice of this and take necessary steps before it is too late. Suggestions. would be most welcome.

G.S.Sidhu Nottingham 21.5.98

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Introduction

The purpose of this book is not to question the teachings of an­other great world religion, in .this case Islam, but to expose un_. fair attacks on Sikhism. Indeed the nature of these attacks is such that it should concern not only the Sikh community but the responsible Islamic leaders as well. False evidence has an un­canny way of recoiling on itself.

This book is for the- discerning reader. Young educated Sikhs will find it especially helpful in mtderstanding Sikhism while it alerts them to the ill intentioned attempts to misrepresent Sikh ideology and mis-present Sikh history. It is a collection of "real life" correspondence which is lively and informative. It exposes the web of falsehood being woven aromtd the life of Guru Nanak in particular, and aromtd Sikhism as a world religion in its own right, in general. There is also a great deal of well researched material here. Position of Sikhism an~ Islam regarding women,

. other religions, human dignity, and human equality etc. have been brought into focus. These are the areas where Sikhism shows the way for the next millennium while the world's socio­political systen1s (e.g. United Nations charters on human free­doms and rights) are catching up. ·

The main issues have been highlighted by selecting relevant ma­terial from letters received by the author, his replies, extracts from Muslim journals and other publications. Original corre­spondence is with the author and can be made available on re­quest: for perusal by the more serious students of Sikhism. The purpose of this publication is three fold. Firstly, without of­fending the sensitivities of any· other religion - for Sikhism re­speCts the underlying truth behind all religious thought - it strongly defends Guru Nanak's indisputable position as a socio­religious revolutionary ~and founder of a new whole-life doctrine relevant to the new age. Secondly, it exposes the rather crude at­tempts by some to distort and rewrite Sikh history. Thirdly, and more constructively, this correspondence contains a great deal of researched material on ·Sikhism, which.will be of interest to stu­dents of Sikhism.

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Extracts fr~m · Muslirit publications in the last part of this book show the one-sided nature of these attacks of a highly inflamma­tory nature. It is sad indeed that men of religion should find it necessary to resort to such tactics. No Sikh author would even dream of offending another world religion in this way; for Sik­hism stands for unity of the brotherhood of religious and cultural diversity of humankind under fatherhood of God by whatever name He be called. The author has effectively exposed the dis-:­honesty of these "nindaks" spreadirig false infonnation about Guru Nanak and Sikhism. Devious attacks on Sikhism have been repulsed (Nindaic pakar psharian SGGS p. 323).

The author's letters to Jatheda~ Tohra are important. Such timely warnings to our "leaderS" must remain on record for fu­ture reference.

The correspondence also exposes our biggest wealmess, which is lack of plentiful supply of authentic literature in western librar­ies. All Sikh organisations have a duty to devote resources to the creation and wide dissemination of such literature. Sikhism pro- · vides an apt response to the needs of the new age. It is a life phi­losophy which liberates the spirit through self-discipline b~sed on research and reason, for Sikhism is the· study of the Guru's teaching (Sikhi sikhia Gur vichaar SGGS'465). The message of Sikhism needs to be readily available 'ln all types of media world-wide.

This book, A ·Challenge to Sikhism, is alsq a challenge to the -Sikh reader and invites him to find out not only about the nature of the overt and oovert attac~ on Sikhism, but equally impor­tantly, to discover how these attacks cari be rmulsed.

Gunnukh Smgh. Retired Principal (Civil Service)

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Foreword

Sikhism is the youngest of wc;>rld religions. It traces its origin to Guru Nanak, 1he first Sikh Prophet .

It is a revealed religion and not an offshoot of one faith or a syn­cretic blend of different and often conflicting faiths. But it is pot a proselytising religion; it is not a missionary :taith because we never believed that ours was the only route to heaven. Unlike Christianity and Islam. Sikhs do not believe that you have to be a Sikh to find favour iir the eyes of God. That is why we do not seek to convert other people:. though we welcome converts.

Regrettably:. that cannot be said of some other religions some of which are more aggressive in their efforts to convert others; they consider it a divine duty. Those who sponsor religious propa­ganda in their zeal for the spiritual welfare oftheir fellowmen in­.dulge in a vulgar competition about the lmowhow· of salvation. Agencies for proselytisation which scramble for souls are not in keeping with the true sp~ ·of religion. There are still people who:. with a crusading zeal:. affirm that they have the monopoly of a final:. unique exclusive and incomparable revelation. 'Otese peo_ple are indirectly responsible for the eclipse of religion as communion with God and do not dismiss differences among re­ligions·as unimportant or irrelevant. We do not propose an un­differentiated universalism or indifferentism. We believe in part­nership among religions. We believe that all human beings are of the same essence an~ therefore:. of equal worth and entitled to the same fundamental rights; that the human individual ·is the highest:. most concrete embodiment of the spirit on earth and anything that hurts his individuality or damages his dignity is morally wrong . .Professor Arnold Toynbee writes: "I was brought up to believe that Christianity was a unique revelation of the \Yhole truth. I have now q:Jme to believe that all the historic religions and phi­losophies are partial revelations of the truth in one or other of its aspects. In particular, I believe that Buddhism and Hinduism (and SikhisM:. my addition) have a lesson to teach Christianity, Islam and Judaism in the 'one world' into whtch we are not be­ing carried by the annihilation of distance. Unlike the Judaic re- ·

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ligions, the Indian religions are not exclusive. They allow for the possibility that there may be alternative approaches to the mystery of Existence;. and this seems to me more likely to be the truth than the rival claims of Judaism, Chri~ianity and Islam to be unique and final revelations. For each of us, the easiest ap­proach to the mystery of the Universes, no doubt, is his ancestral religion; but this does not mean that he ought to rule out the other approaches that the other religions offer. And in comment­ing upon the Guru Granth Sahib he said "The Guru Granth Sa­hib is remarkable for several reasons. Of all the lmown religious scriptures, this is the most highly vene~ated. It means more to Sikh than even the Quran means to the Muslims, the Bible to ~

Christians and the Torah to the Jews. The Guru Granth Sahib is the Sikh's perpetual Guru (Spiritual Guide). In this coming re­ligious debate, the Sikh religion and its scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, will have something of special value to say to the rest of the world." And, just consider what some others say.about our religion.

1 Rabindranath Tagore:- Guru Nanak's noble religious ideology gave birth to a great nation of Sikhs whose great­ness is :reflected in their character and face.·

2 · Gokul Chand Narang:-Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab saved the Hindus from spiritual starvation and prevented them from crossing over religious boundaries from which their return was impossible .

3 Miss Pearl Buck:- The hymns in Guru Granth Sahib are an expression of man's · loneliness, his aspirations,· his longings, his cry to God and his Hunger for communica­tion with that being. I have studied the scriptures of other great religions, but I do.not find elsewhere the ~e power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find in the Granth Sa­hib. It speaks to me of life and death, of time and eternity, of the temporal· human body and its need, of the mystic human soul and its longing to be fulfilled:

4 Sir Mohammed Iqbal:- Jndia was once again blessed by God with Guru Nanak, possessed of all attributes. of. a Prophet, a complete aml perfect human ·ti:eing. Guru Nanak's appearanCe in the world was no less than that of Prophet Abraham 5000 years ago.

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It is a matter of regret and some surprise that there are still peo­ple who either do not understand or choose deliberately to mis­understand the sikh religion; it is even more regrettable fhat there are people who not only call in_ question the basic philoso­phy and the fundamental beliefs of the S~s but also malign their prophets. This is apparent from the correspondence, the subject of this book, appropriately called "A Challenge to Sik­hism", that Sardar Gurbachan Singh Sidhu engaged in over a period of some years. He explains in the preface how this came about and, as one would expect from someone of his lmowledge and background, he has dealt with the issues raised, some highly provocativ~, some inflanunatory and even malicious, with the sensitivity and understanding that are characteristic of one who is imbued with the love of God and his creatures.

I commend this book to all, young Sikhs jn particular, whose duty it is to ensure that their faith is not wilfully ·misrepresented; it should also prompt them to be more determined, more abiding in their faith.

16 June 1998 His Honour Judge Mota Singh Queen's Counsel London

Acknowledgements

My sincere thanks are .. due to His Honour Judge Mota Singh ji Queen's Counsel for reading the manuscript, making valuable suggestion~ and adding a foreword to it. I am grateful to Princi­pal Gurmukh Singh Ji for editing ·and abridging the whole book and for writing an introduction. I am also indebted to Mr. Bakhtawar Singh Sehra who has very kindly typed the manu­script and made it ready for the press. Last but not least I must also thank those numerous Gursikhs Who have supplied funds for its publication: Without their financial support this book will not have seen the light of day.

G.S.Sidhu

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Letter No 1

Letter from Mr. A of8.f2.76 to the author.

This letter started in a deceptively conciliatory style. Mr. A ex­pressed a desire to learn more about Sikhism. He also enclosed a letter from Mr. B (see letter No. 2 below).· He wrote: "I respect Guru Nanak as I respect Ram Chander, Krishna, Budha etc. I have not read anything by Guru Nanak and accOrdingly I can not pass any judgement on his beliefs and teachings. I ·shall, therefore be grateful if you will please let me lmow any of the teachings of Guru Nanak which are not already in Islam or which are bett~r than Islamic teachings. Are there any new con­cepts or ideals that Guru Nanak gave to the world? Kindly en­lighten me on those aspects."

He then proceeded to show at length that Guru Nanak's "pilgrimage to Mecca'' proved that he was a Muslim. Referring to Mr. B's letter, he wrote that he was inclined~ agree with the latter: that. although a non-Muslim could infiltrate Mecca, he would have to disguise himself as a Muslim, contrary to his own beliefs and tell a lie about himself. Regarding Mr. B's quotation from Bhai Bala Janam Sakhi (see Letter No.2) he said that he could not comment as he had not read the Sikh literature. He be­lieved, how~ver, that the quotations were authentic as Mr. B had quoted the relevant pages.

Mr. A then wrote that Guru Nanak had a cloak (Chow/a) on which he (Guru Nanak) had written Kalima. He questioned "Why should a non-Muslim write the verses from the Quran on his cloak ? The only reason for this is that he held it in high es­teem and of spiritual and sentimental value. Guru Nanak's cloak also has the Kalima written on it. Belief in the Kalima (i.e. There· is no God but Allah. Mohammed is His messenger) is the basis of Islam. He could not have worn a cloak with the Kalima writ­ten on it had he not been inclined to Islam." The Sikhs accepted · the authenticity of the cloak. Therefore, this also showed that he ·was a Muslim.

However, he concluded in a deceptively conciliatory and inquisi~

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tive tone " In any event I am neither trying to prove "nor dis­prove. My only. interest is to learn as much as possible about this great saint. I trust that you will assist me in my pursuit of knowledge."·

Letter No.2

Note:- The following letter was enclosed with the above

This letter from Mr. B typifies the challenge to Sikhism based on dishonest quotations and false evidence. It gives audacious mis~ quotes from a Janam Sakhi (Biography of Guru Nanak). Guru Nanak went to Mecca at the request of his Muslinl minstrel companion,· Bhai Mardana. The latter was going there for holy· pilgrimage or Hajj. It is interesting how this. visit by Guru Nanak is misinterpreted as "holy pilgrimage or Hajj" by Mr. A (Letter No. 1 above) and Mr. B to suit own arguments. How­ever, the most significant aspect of this letter is the unashamed manner in which Mr. B has misquoted from a Janam Sakhi.

Mr. B accepted that it was possible for a non-Muslim to infil­trate into Mecca under the "p~etence of being a Muslim'' such as the Englishman referred to by the author. However, Mr. B ar­gued that "Sikhs agree that Guru Nanak was.a holy and right­eous servant of God of a high order. It cannot be thought .that a man of such high spiritual stature would resort to deceit and pre­tence by pretending to be a Muslim in order to participate in the pilg~ge." But he conceded that "Merely visiting Mecca is not pilgrimage."

He then went on " In one of the sacred books of the Sikhs 'Bhai Bala Janam Sakhi' can be found:, "Say sincerely that there is none to be worshipped but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet" (P.l39) "I have read and listened to the Torah, the Gospels, Zaboor aful the Vedas, only the Holy Quran is the means to salva­tion. " (P .143)

"Other references can be quoted. The Sikh scholar is mistaken in stating that Guru Nanak did not utter a single word in prais.e of

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Mohammed or Islam." Mr. B then continued "He owned a cloak on which are written verses from the Quran including the Ka­lirna which is among the sacred relics on view today at Dera Baba Nanak."

Letter No.3

The author's reply of 12.12. 76 to the points raised in Letters Nos.l and 2 "Thanks for your letter dated 8.12.76 in. which you write," "Please let me know any teachings of Guru Nanak which are no(already in Islam or which are better than Islam". I am afraid I can not answer this queStion unless I lmow what Islam had taught already before Guru Nanak.1 However the booklets I sent you last week may have given you some idea of what Guru Nanak preached. You can compare it with Islam and find out yourself what is different in his teachings . As for your assertion that non-Muslims cannot infiltrate into Mecca I cannot but disagree and I wrot~ to you in my last letter that a non-Muslim Englishman recently entered the Kaa'ba in Mecca and the whole world now lmows about it. Furthermore I hope you will agree that there is no restriction on visiting the city of Mecca. The restrictions . apply only to visiting the Kaa 'ba

1(Baitullah). Guru Nanak is mentioned as having visited Mecca not Kaa 'ba. The one thing clear from the historical evidence is that he visited Mecca as a companion of his Muslim friend and devotee Mardana and stayed somewhere probably in a nearby

, village or town. Pilgrims do not stay in the Kaa 'ba. They stay outside kaa'ba in villages, towns or tents. It is also clear from .the evidence that the Guru is mentioned as having· slept with his feet towards the Kaa'ba. Jf he were sleeping inside the kaa'ba (which is not possible when millions visit it), there would not have been the story that we read today.

1 Absolute newness in religion is inconceivable. ''No novehy is wholly novel" (Adventures of ideas by A~. Whitehead). "Nora~ in India has shown a braver and mote independatt spirit in thou~t or conduct than the Sikhs" (Oria1tal Religions by Samuel Johnson page 719). Dorothy Field in hec book "Religion of the Sikhs" writes as under. ''The religion of the Sikhs is one of the most interesting at present existing in India, possibly indeed in the whole world.·· (Page 9) It is essartially a practical religion. If judged from the pragmatical standpoint- whidl is a favourite stand-point in some quarters- it would rank almost first in the world. Of no other religion can it be said that it has made a nation in such a short time." (page 34 )

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There is no mention anywhere that he observed ihram, did twaf, ran between Sa.fwa and Marwa or sacrificed an animal. I hope you will agree with me that for pilgrimage all these rituals are absolutely essential As for saying Namaz, there is no evidence that he followed an Imam or uttered Quranic verses in a pew.

There is absolutely no evidence that the Guru read the Kalima. He will have said his prayers sitting among his Muslim friends. Who knows what one recites if the prayer is offered internally with deep conviction and not as a mere show? 2 When I join the Christians (and I do so frequently) I keep on reciting the Guru's words when the Christians say their own prayers. We all pray to the same God. I do not find anything wrong with saying prayers and opening our h~ to God in our own way. Don't forget that the Guru also visited the Hindu holy city of Jagan Nath and also joined the Hindus in prayers. He has recorded this incident in his own words. There is no pretence,· no hypocrisy and no falsehood involved in this. I am a teacher and I' have to attend the morning assemblies in my school everyday. But believe me I have not be­come a Christian. If we all follow in the footsteps of Guru Nanak, such prej~dices will vanish. Mecca is not the first place where the Guru joined the Muslims in prayer, he did this first at S~pur. The Kalima that you claim to have been uttered by the Guru is not recorded anywhere by him although his discus-

. sions and discourses with Hindu scholars and Sidh yogis are faithfully recorded in his own pen. You call him truthful. Would a truthful person conceal the very basic concept of his belief ? The Guru nowhere wrote La Allah //Iilah Mohammed Rasul Al­lah . If you still think that the Guru was a Muslim, would you accept such pretenders as Muslims who conceal their faith ? . The Guru never stated that he was a Muslim.

As for your question, ''Why should a nop-Muslim write the verses. from the Quran on his cloak ? . The answer is that he did !QL write them. The cloak was given to him by a Muslim friend who had devotedly written these hymns on the cloak. Such offer­ings were · given not only t~ Guru Nanak alone but also to the later Gurus who accepted them gratefully. r 2 "Mere mechanical repetition of Divine Name can result in a kind of numbed stupefaction that is· as much below analytical thought as intellectual vision is above it." (Huxley)

An awning and a Chaun offered by a Muslim can still be seen in the golden Temple at Amritsar. 3 Guru Hargobind, t:Qe sixth Guru caused a mosque to be built in Hargobind Pur for his Mus­lim followers at his own expense. Guru Atjan Dev was a great friend of Saaeen Mian Meer and they frequently stayed and prayed tOgether. The Guru offered his composition "Sukhmani" to the Meer who later sent it to Ajmer Sharif.· The Guru was sent a turban and Rs500 by the Sajada Nas~een· of Ajmer as a token of respect.· Examples can be given ad infinitum where gifts were exchanged between the Sikh Gurus and the Muslim divines. The most striking example. is that of Peer Budhu Shah of Sadhaura (still worshipped by the Muslims in India) who sacrificed his sons for Guru Gobind Singh. When asked to claim recompense, the Peer simply asked for the Guru's hair.and comb. These relics are still with the Peer's family in Pakistan. Last year a descen­dant of the peer brought these to England and they were openly displayed in Sikh temples. The Utensil given by Guru Gobind . Singh to Rai Kalah of Raikot is yet another example. If a -gift was offered to Guru Nanak with love and affection, why should he have spurned it? It is a question of common decency. If the Guru's cdmb, Sukhmani, and hair did not tum Muslims into Sikhs and the Awning, Chauri and the S8jada Nasheen·s turban did not turD: the Gurus into Muslims, how can you claim that Guru Nanak became a Muslim just by accepting a gift from a Muslim friend ?

You write, ''He could not have wom a cloak with the Kalima, had he not been inclined to Islam". I would say this argument· is futile. If you come to my house you will find three Bibles and a copy ofthe.Quran in mylibrazy.!_Would you .. say "I am inclined towards Islam merely because I happen to have The Quran in my library?" I visited Nanakana Sahib in 1953 and some Muslims of Nan~a Sahib offered us a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib. Were those Muslim~ turned into Sikhs by keeping the Sikh religious book at home?

3 Unfortunately these items were destroyed in the Military Action (Blue Star) when the Indian anny attacked the Golden Temple in June 1984 .

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The Guru was dressed as a Fakir when he visited Mecca. Dress in Sikhism, and in G~ Nanak's own words, carries no divinity or spiritual significance. He dressed as a Fakir so as not to be thought a novice and thus excluded from religious discussions of the Muslim Fakirs of his time. Moreover wearing a Fakir's dress does not necessarily make one a Muslim. Some Bangia· Deshi, Pakistani, Afghani, Turkish and Iranian Muslims wear turbans like the Sikhs. Would ·you call them Sikhs ? There is no such thing as a Musiim dress. You and I wear coats, pants· and ~ies but do not become Christians. Almost all the later Gurus wore their turbans in the Mughal style and the Sikh temple at Amrit­sar is partly in Mughal architectural style. No one can stop any­one from adopting what they like. Different countries have de­veloped different dresses to match climatic and social conditions and it is a common practice ''to do in Rome as the Romans do". Guru Nanak did not do anything unusual, He wore the dress of the Arabians in Arabia as you and I wear English dress in Eng­land. Without any pretence and in ordinary dress people can visit Mecca even today .

. In the end I wish to say a word about the appendix to your letter. It is a letter written by Mr. B. I reiterate that by no stretch of imagination can anyone prove that Guru Nanak was a Muslim and preach~ I~lam. Wherever he has mentioned the Quran in his writings, he has commented upon some belief which he did not agree with. He did this not only with Islam but also with Hinduism, Budhism and Jainism. You and your friend are as­suming without authority that the verses on the cloak were writ­ten by the Guru himself. If Mr. B has any evidence to prove that this is so I would be happy to consider it.

Again he writes , "In one of the sacred books of the Sikhs Bhai Bala Janam Sakhi is written, "say sincerely that there is none to be worshipped but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet" (page 139) "1 have read and listened to the Torah, Gospels, Zaboor and the Vedas. Only the Holy Quran is the means to salvation" (page. 143)

Let it be understood that no Janam Sakhi (The word literally · means biography. There are many of them writt~n by different

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authors and are still being written under modem names) is a sa­cred book of the Sikhs and no sanctity is accorded to any Janam Sakhi. 4 Our sacred book is Guru Granth Sahib. It is better if you quote from it. The Janam Sakhi of Bhai Bala quoted by you is not written by any Guru.5 It is an account of the Guru's life sup­posedly produced by the Guru's companion Bhai Bala. The old­est copy was discovered in my own town Jagraon (District Lud­hiana) in a Hindu Dharamshala. Copies are now available and in some cases are slightly different from the original text. Your friend has not quoted the edition of the Janam Sakhi he used nor has he given the year of publication for me ~ check-the details: At present I haven't got any Janam Sakhi with me but if your friend can lend me his copy· I would be in a better position to an­swer your point.

4 Janam Sakhis are biographies of Guru Nanak. whici) are partly legendary and partly based on fa<:ts. For the first time the name of Bbai BaJa appears only in the Bhai Bala Janam Sakhi. Others, including Bhai Santokh Singh, simply capied it from this Janam Sakhi. The same Janam Sakhi states that one day Bala thought to himself who it was · whom the master appointed his successor. He enquired about it from the people. Again Guru Angad is reported as asking Bala whose disciple be was and what were his religious convictions. This only proves that if Bhai Bala existed neithec the Ouru knew Bhai Bala nor Bbai Bala knew ·ouna Angad Dev. Again it is remarkable that Bhai Ourdas when mentioning the names of Guna Nanak.'s followers does not include Bhai Bala 's name among them. Blfai Mani Singll does not include the name of Bhai Bala amoug Guru Nanak.'s friends and followers in Gyan Ratnawali. h appeais that wboevec produced the Janam Sakhi used Bala 's name to give aedence to his narrative by inventing the name of a person who had stayed all his life with Guru Nanak

' ci;rc;cr lpl'U, m faPJf'?i' ffrW ,S JfcJt!1CJ ~ fftur tit "History of the

Sikhs" ~ fev trc'))f R'lf1 f1m ~ * fBtit. Jit I mit h 11"§ ~ ~ ift ~ ,rnn rcmr 1f'a' ~ t!' iw Rt w ~ a- t#a .~ ,s ura fri' Ha'R<! U' BUll"" tn * tH9 tgfcPw at tR * ~- ~ ~ rM '9"'f 'Q ~I 'tfirn fftur ~ trc'))f wtft tR* 15 9 7 .t.\1) fh fBtit (~ £rnt 1 1) 1 m ~ 'irc'))f .wtit t!' JJf"b m:r aat ~ a-= -"trc'))f wt1t m ri O'ncr en ufDG' 15 82 a rrtrau fr ~ u Ma m B"ii iRnfl' D QQl fiM a· .. in}.MQ ~ ct tGC(I D CQ ~ ~ D \i:p Rtf ri~ ~ ?)15 arM ft i!l ~ ~ ~· ~-~ tft g p "i W JJf'i' I 1il'tJ eta fa' (1 ) 15 82 ftHa' fh q}f. ~ U'Cm'C1 {in Fil p fh na mr; <2) "R CfO m 11'B' m tHcr ~ O'ncr h ;n (I)'B' faur ~ at v ~ h m ~ "n t • "f'iJ' " m -am ~ m ~ ~~ mmcr fffur ~, ~ ~ fftur, ilifn fftur ~ ,s cbrcJ fftur fthcf ~ t!' ~ a- fa' m trB' m at ~ CHi m ~ m mr; w t«')lf wt1t t?1 i!l ~ ncft' JrcJr 1f1tfe tit fa'ao' a-1 'i"' ~ * 1 s 82 tit Qt 15 9 2 era ~a- w 1592 #a' CQ ~ ~ qJJ nrncr ~ m U'R ~ ~ ncna _FI?)I

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fu the end your friend says, "Other references can be quoted". I would be glad to hear about the other references but with each reference, please give the name of the publication and if possible the name of the publisher.

Letter No.4

This letter from Mr. A of 14.12.76 refers to a letter from the author which is not available. However, the points raised in the missing letter are repeated here.

fu this letter, Mr. A began to reveal his true agenda. He wrote "So you do not believe in any prophet before Guru Nanak. Why was the world deprived of the blessings of prophet-hood from the day of creation till the advent of Guru Nanak ? Why did God leave humanity in darkness? If mankind could live happily with­out the guidance, the teachings and the blessings of the prophets what was the need of the advent of Guru Nanak, his teachings and those of the later Sikh Gurus ? Could not the world live without them? This inquiry has arisen in view of your belief that you do not believe in any prophet before Guru Nanak . "

He referred to earlier communication and wrote " .. various sects in Islam have written on and advocate their beliefs in Islam. All these Muslim sects, with the exception of none, are based on the metaphysical philosophies and dogmas which are absolutely use­less and inostly have no Islamic basis. 6 I do not adhere to the sectarian philosophy. Neither the Quran nor the Sunnah allow the creation of sects. The true picture of Islam can only be ob­tained from the Quran and the Sunnah (Hadith: sayings of the prophet, traditions and precedents etc). I am reluctant to recom­mend books written by sectarian writers as they, in my view, do not represent Islam properly and correctly." "Islam is the last of the. great religions. A Muslim must believe in all prophets who were raised before the Holy prophet Muhammad (Pbh) (2:4)"

• a An .1\rab Muslim did not fmd a single true Mohammedan in Kashmir" (The India we ; saved by Sir Walter LaY. renee)

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"A Muslim, therefore, is one who believes in the prophets and the scriptures of all the nations wherever they may be. Islam is an all comprehensive religion within which· are included all the religions of the world. The Holy Quran says, "This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed my favour on you and chosen Islam as a religion" (5:3). The great mission of Islam is to bring about peace in the world by establishing a brother­hood of all the religions of the world, to correct their errors and lift the true from the false."

"Islam is liberal in its outlook. It is a triumphant religion which WI1l · dominate all other religions. The fact that some Muslim rulers or authorities 7 have behaved contrary to the prin­ciples of Islam does not mean that Islam sanctions their acts. Those authorities or individuals are to be blamed not only for those acts but also for transgressing the limits of Islamic law."

Letter No.5 Author's letter of 20.12.76 in response to Mr. A's of 14.12.76.

Dear Mr. A

"When I wrote that we do not believe in prophets before Guru

Namik, I used the word believe not existence. Of course there were

prophets. Your question as to "Why did God deprive the world of

prophet-hood before the advent of Guru Nanak is puerile ?" My

religion simply teaches me to accept what God does and not to

question His dispensation.11

7 Killinga were always ordered by the rulerS wtder Fatwas issued by religious leaders. For example Tarlkh-1-Daudi mentions the case of a Brahman named Bodhan of village Kaner (near Ludcnow) who said, "Hinduism and Islam are both equally acceptable tO God if fol­lowed sincerely". He was sentenced to death by the Fatwas issued by Qazi Piyara and Shaikh Bader of Lakbnauti . Ahmed Khan the Governor of Ludcnow pardoned the Brah­man but the Qazis obtained ordets fi'om 1he king for the Governor's dismissal and arrest for supporting an infidel. . (See also Elliot Tarlkh-1-Mubarak Shaht pages 464-465 , Briggs Voll page 576-77 and Medieval India page 487 .Farishta also reoords this stos:y but gives the name ofthe victim as Budhan of village Katacn ) •

' 8 The idea ofthe acceptance of God's will is not only foWld in Islam but is also found in Christianity (See Dan 4:7:35 Rom 9:19 Eph 1:5 and Jas 1:18,4:15). This is the ceatral theme in Sikhism .

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However if we do accept a prophet Oet us say Moses), the ques­tion could still be asked. why was a prophet not sent before Moses? Perhaps you can explain it better than I why God waited for 632 years after He had created Jesus Christ and why he left the world without a prophet after Muhammad? We Sikhs believe that men of GOd (Whatever their religion) are always present amongst us and try to guide u.s but we either do not know about them or do not act upon their instruction. In the end I must say once more that the Sikhs respect all religions and p(pphets but they believe only in the philosophy preached by their Gurus. This philosophy is enshrined in the Guru Granth- Sahib. Al­though we disagree with other religions ·in many respects, we do not ~~correct their errors" which according to you Islalt_l does.

I

I value your views on Islam and pray to God ~o bless you with true knowledge. I do, however, differ with you--on some points. Please take the following comments a.s.perspnal.

You write, "A Muslim is one who believes in the prophets and scriptures of all nations wherever they may ~e" If you really be­lieved in the Christian scriptures (The Bible- or the corrected Bible) you did not need any other book or prophet. There must have been something in the Bible that did not appeal to the prophet and he had to offer' it in the Quran. You seem to agree with this view at the end of your letter where you say Islam tries to "correct their errors and to sift the true from the false" Er­rors occurred in Torah, Zaboor and the Bible which you believe were the words of God. This only proves that God is helpless be­fore man ·and what happened to these religious books must sooner or later happen to the Quran as well. You admit already that this is happening when you say "All these Muslim sects, _yvith the exception of none, are .based on the metaphysical phi­losoppies and dogma~ which are absolutely useless and mostly haye no Islamic basis". So even your own ~uslim scholaFs do not agree with the Quran and have been falsifying and misinter­preting it. If you.r belief is accepted then I can say that the ad­vent of a prophet h~d become necessary and this might have compelled God to send Guru Nanak.

Again if you really believe in the scriptures of ~o many religions

23

(I do riot lmow how many reli8ions are .in the world), then you are sailing in many boats at the same time. You do not put a TeeKa (Qishka) on your forehead like the Hindus and the Hin­dus do not undergo circumcision like the Muslims. Beliefs differ.

You write, ''The great mission of Islam is to bring about peace in the world by establishing a brotherhood of all religions of the world" In ~e same letter you write , "Islam is a triumphant re­ligion and will dominate all other religions" I. wonder how you ju~fy the two statements. What kind of brotherhood are you creating in which one brother calls another a Kajir and claims to dominate others? One brother does not permit .another to visit G()d's house 9 (Kaa'ba)r Such brotherhood is speculated under duress not in love. ~ow long can such a broth.erhood last ?If ul­timately Islam is to dominate then why try to form a brotherhood at all ?10 Brotherhood will materialise when Islam is finnly es­tablished.· Obviously the word triumph used by you connotes war and violence. You· seem to have intentionally avoided to use the word Jihad . Perhaps ·you would like to explain the tenns JaziaiJ , Zimmis , Dar-ul-lslam and Dar-ul-hilrb in your next letter. You condemn the Muslil)l kings for having acted un­Islamically in ~eating non-M~ims . They were· simply following your philosophy in establishirig· the triumph of Islam. I quote from page. 108 of Maasir-e-Alamgiri by Saqi Mustad Khan (Auranpeb's daily diarist-) English.edition 19~7 He writes," 9 Ai' ~ chB @ Qlrat '" Uil' ·jttl a-. ri @ ~ tfcl1f fh-~ crB' Wa 'ftfar ~ ~ \·a·Aa' fbr jw tJj ~fer~~ CJn I

iJrcl' WcJ ~ '" ~ fthJ :, ftmeT c;t. ·~ ~. U5it feR ~ tR ~ (1)15 ~ CJnl

10 ''Say to the infidels that if they give up the.pa1h of their irreligious belie&, they will be forgiven. but ifthey persist and follow the same path thea fisJn against them till strife be at an end and the religicn be all of Allah's" (The QUian VIii pp39-40)

11 Feroze Shah ·TurJdaqproudly sates," I bad issucid a proclamaticn that whosoeva- from amon~ the Kafirs repeated the Kalima and einbraced Islam would be exempted ftom the payment of Jazia (fatubat~Fa-oze Shabi page 20) · . · · "IfMusalmans in an intiddi ~besiege a fort or a town. their filf!l duty is .to offa- noo­Muslims the choice of Islam. If they filii to aa:ept Islam. they should be compellcid to pay Jazia .If they decline to accqrt eitba- of these altematives, thea fi~J~t against them "(See , Fakhar~Mudabbir abab-ul-Harb page 155) ·

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"As. all the aims of the religious Emperor were directed ·to spreadi~g the law of lslam·and the overthrow of the practices of the infidels, he issued orders to the high diwani officers that from Wednesday,_ the 2nd April, 1679/161 Rabi. A. in obedience to the/ Quranic injunction till they pay commutation money {Iazia) with their hand in humility and in agreement with theca­nonical traditions, Jazia should be collected from the infidels (Zimmis) of the capital and the provinces............ On Sunday, the 25th May/24th Rabi. S.Khan Jahan Bahadur came from Jodh­pur, after demolishing the temples and bringing with himself some cartloads of idols, and had audience of the Emperor, who highly praised him and ordered that the idols, which were mostly jeweled ,golden, silvery, bronze, copper or stone should be cast in the yard (jilaukhanah) of the court and under the steps of Jama Mosque to be trodden on. "12

When these un-Islamic acts were taking place, no Muslim Scholar or religious leader in the world spoke against Aurangzeb which is what one would expect from a truly religious person. 13

The only people who spoke against such injustices and repres­sion were the Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak called Babbar cntel ( Jabar)14

, Guru Tegh Bahadur opposed Aurangzeb and was be­headed, Guru Gobind Singh stood against Aurangzeb as a r~k and lost his four sons. He wrote to him, "Cheh mardi keh Akhgar Khamoshan Kuni, Keh Aatish Dumara Ferozan kuni" 15

Instead .the topmost and highly respected Muslim divine of the time Mujaddid16

12 Most ·Muslim sd!olar& are of the view that for the human race, the king bas been caUed a vioegennt of $3od. He is Zilla-fi-ul-Arz (Shadow of Allah) and the heart of the king is Monzor-1-rabbani {scene of beatitude)

13 Virtue iS knowledge and attion bdh . No me can be virtuous without attion.

14 U'U c:n ~ s ~~,-~A-Ir 'e'O t n 15 i HCfiit Rl ~ lSRB' ~, (if Jlf'fcnr WCI' ~ ~ What bravery is there in extinguishing four sparks (killing four innocent scm). By doing so you have only started a ccaflagratica ·

25

Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi had been adding fuel to the fire by incit­ing intolerance and writing highly insensitive things like "Muslims are mtder Ouranic order that they should be inimical towards the Kafirs and treat them cruelly" (Letter No. 23 to Ab­dul Rahim).17 Obviously either the said Ouranic order was in your Holy book or the Mujaddid was corrupting Islam. Could you tell me which one is correct?

I do not (and this is what Sikhism has taught me) believe in bringing about dominance of one religion over another nor do I claim that Sikhism is superior to other religions. Their methods, principles and concepts being not convincing for me I do not ac­cept them. My Guru is not prescriptive and does not foist his ideas on me without my conviction.18 He does not assume dicta­torship to find errors in other religions but instead advises me, "Do not brand the vedas and the Quran.as false19

. As to prayer he does not demand from us to say, "Peace be on such and such Guru" instead he advises us to say," The world is on fire 0 Lord, save it in thy mercy irrespective of religion"20

You write that the true picture of Islam can only be obtained from the Quran. I do appreciate this but wonder why you do not understand that the true picture of Sikhism is likewise found only in the Holy Granth Sahib. I thank you once again for offer­ing me lmowledge in Islamic concepts and sending me unsolic­ited literature on Islam .

17 'Mu~~-o-Amam Rab~ani' (Urdu Edition) Published by Medina Publishing Com· pany (1976) ~akistan. ·

18\lfust ~ ~ 'i at~~ <fl"oY 1410)

t9 te ~ ~ Ha" f5 JoY ~ c; mra <~ ci1itcJ m irn'13s o)

20~ ~ aftf g ~ fciaur ~,.. fml ~~faa Bg ~I

26

Letter No.6 Author's letter o£28.12.76 in response through Mr. A to Mr. B's quotations from Janam Sakhi ~etter No.2). This letter is given in its entirety as ,t exposes the dishonesty of Mr. B and also ~ontains some very useful information about Guru Nanak's position vis a vis Islam.

Dear Mr. A, Kindly refer to your l~er dated 8.12. 76 wherein your mend Mr. B referred to the Janain Sakhi of Bhai Bala and quoted page-139 and 143 to prove that Guru Nanak was a Muslim. I have now obtained a copy of the Bhai Bala Janam Sakhi and am in a position to respond.

I Your friend is indeed correct in quoting those lines. They do oc-cur in the Janam Sakhi but your friend has taken them out of context and quoted what suited his pumose. I reiterate that Guru Nanak _never said a word in praise of Muhammad or the Quran. I will use the Janam Sakhi Published by Jawahar Singh Kirpal Singh and Co. Amritsar which they claim to. have checked with the original. It has 518 pages in 12 by 9 inch size. I hope you wiD agree with me that deliberate misrepresenta­tion in quoting can never be Islamic. It certainly isn't a Sikh trait. I will serid photocopies of the relevant pages for your friend if he still disagrees with me after reading this letter. The references your friend quotes are from the Chapter "Journey to Mecca''. I will also quote from the same chapter.

Purpose of the Journey: Guru Nanak's life~long. companion and close-bosom· Muslim disciple Bhai Mardaila requests the Guru to· visit Mecca so that he could perfonn his Hajj. The Guru replies, "Dear friend, M~cca and Medina are in your heart. Enshrine God in your heart which Will then become Kaa'ba. There is no need to travel · (Lines 4-6 page 98i1

11 lfCI'lf }fer, Mn MeW, fRa Hfrw, HRifCl MRS I

(')a' CiJ'IUJ • Wi ~ ft!wH, CI'8W WB' ~ i.N'O I iJH')f ,;tar mcrcm, ~ ))fBg a ~ ,

21

Mardana insists and requests the Guru to accompany him to Mecca. The Guru agrees and says,. "Alright Mardana, I will travel as a Fakir and visit Mecca with you. This will afford me the opportunity to converse with Qazi Rukan Din about relig­ion". (Lines 15-16 page 98)

Travellers ask questions: A Haji named Shah Sharaf questioned the Guru about his dress and said, "Being a Hindu why are you dressed as a Fakir?" The Guru replied, ''Hear me sir, asking a fakir about his dress is in­sulting. Men of God care little for dress or worldly traditions". (Lines 23-24 page 98) Again the Hajis ask, "Why should a Hindu Fakir visit Mecca? DQ you know there is a place on the way where Hindus are slaughtered? Even the Muslims who escort Hindus to Mecca are molested." The Baba said, "Dear Mardana let these Hajis go. Do not accompany them. If you must visit Mecca, I will ar­rang~ for you differently" (Line 13-18 Page 102) Programme at Mecca: On reaching Mecca the Guru said, "Dear Mardana, I would like to have a discussion with Qazi Rukan Din. Then I wish to pro­ceed to King Hamid of Medina. I believe I can· make him God fearing. He is extremely cruel and once anybody goes into his prison, only his dead body comes out". (Line 18-21 page I 03) Then there follows a story wherein the Guru sleeps with his feet towards the Holy Kaa 'ba and a sweeper named Jiwan kicks him. He· calls him a Kajir and asks him why he was ·sleeping with his feet towards the God's. house. The Guru replied, "Drag my feet towards the direction in which God is not" The Qazi drags his feet and to his amazement finds that the Kaa 'ba moves East,

·.west, North and South with the Guru's feet. In utter amazement he infonns other religious leaders. When they arrive the Guru sings " Nau sat chaudha teen char kar, muhlat char ba-· hali ..... "Line 7 page 104).22

.

n at mr ~· m m qfif ~ m .~ ri ~ 'Eli cmr d­~~W«fl•. J)f'R: ~ fm'." Rn. ~ h <wa. 1S'8. acm> ~ " 1pr it ))fJit Aoe at ~ ~ * cit ~HIW- ~ ~> fh fwcr ~ lJ'B .. iJaf -e iiN' <~, .~ .. m, ~> ~~an a- fap,rn ~ iat 1Ja1' ~ II'Cft weft '9'CJ ~ 'fit QR tit faoU' n'5 finl CJn I

28

The story then continues . ''When the Baba sang this hymn at Mecca, the amazed Hajis asked, "Haji Darvesh, you uttered something in your Hindi language. We could not understand a word of it. Did you praise Mecca ? The Baba said dear Mullahs my hymn is addressed to God~ He it is who I praise and who un­derstands my language as he understands every other language of the heart."

Discussion with Rukan Din and others:

Rukan Din asked, ''Which religion is true and will dominate oth­ers?"

The Guru's reply, "Every religion is true in its own right pro­vided Brahmans, Kashatryas ,Shudras and others follow their scriptures devotedly. Do not decry other religions. Everyone loves his/her own religion. No one religion is better than the oth­ers. All are good provided they are faithfully followed. In God's court religion will not be referred to. There only your aq.ions will count 23

." (Lines II-I4 page I 08)

The argument continues and covers a few more pages. I am quoting below some of the Guru's answers .

I "There is only one God. The second is never born." (Lines 5-6 page I09)

2 ''Neither the Hindus follow their scriptures nor do the Muslims follow theirs. Both have gone astray and are governed by Satan." (Lines I5-I6 page IlO) 24

3 "Present day Hindus and Muslims will find no place in God, s court because they practise religion merely as a show. In this dark age both deserve to be condemned. I will ease the situation by making a third religicin cur­rent." (Lines 25-27 page II 0)25

23 ~ ~ -e; il'a' R6'd HiiiCM 'hl ~ O"'dt *ctl m ~ 24 chr (I)' ~ ~ #or (I)' HJIBH'O, ~ f8 O'V :3' ~ ~ D7o 25 ~ UJI8lf'O ~ ~ Bfuc! '0' tn- b ~ trcJ'(') fh ~ ~ Cirio ~ ~ ~~ fflv ~. 3iw ~ ~ HB<m Uw )){W(I) I

29

4 ''They study the Quran and the Puran but care little to r~-tionalise them. Muslims refer to four books and the Hin­. dus refer to four vedas but both leave this world crying . The Mullah utters a call (Azaan) after Namaz day and night and instructs others but he seldom searches his own heart". Lines 32-33 page 113i6

5 "Hindus and Muslims are both sons of the same father but the fools are wrangling over the words 'Ram' and 'Rasul' (lines 9-10 page 114)27

6 "In this dark age Nanak starts a pure religion. I do not ac­cept the Vedas or the Quran. I accept only God." (Lines 14-15 page 118)28

Rukan Din: "Let me have your views 0 Nanak about the people who use Bhang (cannabis) and intoxicants (the actual words used in the Janam Sakhi are wines and narcotics) (Lines 27-28 page 122)

Guru Nanak: "Rukan Din ,I think the answer is clearly written in your scriptures. However I think such people deserve no grace and will suffer in the court of God" (Lines 5-6 page 123). In reply to another question from Rukan Din the Guru passes some very unwelcome remarks as follows: "Hindus behave like centipedes and Muslims behave like cobras. Hindus practise de- ,. ceit and the Muslims practise tyranny. I instruct everyone to fol­low God and deserve His grace. I wonder if the argument over 'Ram' and 'Rasul' is recorded in their sacred books" (Lines 13-16 page 124i~

21 • i!O'n yawn Bt! (')' w tM, -vrcJ ~ ~ '8'CJ ~ ~ fi: fi'

Hst Wor nw;if ~ ~ at Fa', tf5CrO ¥ ~ ~ (';" )Jf'tfc!

wen

27 fA} fR ~ ~ FcJv ~, ~ O'H Clp' aCJ Ba'@ trnPn I

21 CfBUiJT ?i'n<f fooH8' w ~ ri', ttl riW VcJa' M ;:d\p)fr ~ 1

Ill fflv t=rer ~ ~ ri O'OJ' ffii aJ ~ ~ b iil'a'1!1 ud· CJ'V lfiM 'e' ~ ~ •, en fBftpw mr ~ ·~ 9QJS' CMf

otm?

30

Another question from Rukan Din: "Hindus bum their dead and therefore deserve hell fire. Muslims (the actual words used here a.re ummat paak Muhammedi) bury their dead and when the doomsday (actual word used is OvamatJ comes Muhanunad will raise the Muslims With his own hand and save them. What are your views ?" (Lines 20-22 page 126)

Guru Nanak: "The truth is that the Hindus bum only once but the Muslims undergo burning many times. The buried Muslim may become a brick or a sugar ame to bum or boil again and who knows how often it will happen to him. The remains of the Muslim may become clay· and brick again and again. I wonder how Muhammad will search for Muslims if he can do so at all. In my view the dead are gone for ever and their souls are ad­judged according to their actions. They are never raised by any­body." (Lines 30-34 page 126)30

Such questions and answers between Rukan Dm and Guru Nanak continue up to page 129. Another religious ·scholar Imam Karim Din then asks Question No. 38 which is quoted by your friend Mr. B. I am quoting below the question and the answer in full ..

Question: ''Nanak Shah. I doubt if non-believers who bum the1r dead can ever deserve grace. The souls of the burnt relatives raise cries. They will find peace only if they accept Nabi Rasul. Without a belief in Muhammad no one can find· a place in heaven. ~e Hindus are ka.firs and say that the dead cannot be brought back to life and that Muhammad can render no help tO the souls. I reject this view entirely./ have read and listen'ed to the Torah ,the .Gospels and the Zaboor and /_ reject them along with the vedas. At this time only the Quran 'iNhe sover­eign and. can ·lead to salvation Those who reject ihe Quran are Satans. They will suffer perdition and Muhammad will not intercede on their behalf. Please consider your answer again and clarify your stand point."

10 ~~~ad' h ~. ffli ~ Mt '@'CJ ~ ri ~ ftrel UJIBH'n ~ ~ t (l;lR, tmn· 01f'Cit alnr ~ ,-fafr • cm'R

1mVB ttm *' m ~ ~ 0'5. rat ~ HRa6' ftrcJe'r ern n ;.

31

Guru Nanak's reply: "Karim Din, I respect your belief and surely you can quote the scriptures to support it. I re-iterate that the dead cannot be raised. Only names survive after death. Lakhs of Krishanas and millions of Muhamrnads have born and gone. Death comes to Emperors and prophets as it comes to or­dinary mortals. Their bodies perish and no distinction remains between the dust of the princes and that of the paupers. All come and go. This is the divine law. Only God is immortal. Just as the leaves fall off and trees perish and give rise to other trees so do humans. Those who do· not enshrine God in their hearts will bum even fu their graves because their souls will suffer hell ..... "

. . The second quotation of your friend is also a question asked by the same Karim Din Sura. He asks, "Instead of worshipping one God why do the Hindus worship Brahma, Vishnu, Mahadev and Bhawani? You know, sir, that the truth is undivided and the Holy Quran says that God is one .We are commanded by the Quran to say sincerelJ' that there is none to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet. Only one of them can be correct. You tell us which one is correct."

Guru Nanak's reply: "Kc,.rim Din you believe in four Noori Far­ishtay. The Hindus have given them different names. It does not make an iota of difference if you forget all about them and only remember God sincerely ..•....•.... (The answer continues on the nextpage) ·

After this questions are asked by Fakir Baha UdDin and in re­ply to one of them the Guru remarks, "Muslims undergo circum­cision,31 Hindus make holes in their ears. Both are sinners be­cause· they find fault with the God-given body and try to improve upon Him."

31 Muslims foil~ Prophet Muhammad and consider him as the ideal person. His aas and imtruciions are known as sunnah. Although cirauncision is not mentioned in the Quran,

. prophet Muhammad was cirrumcised and therefore Muslims consider circumcision ~ sacy. Tradition has it that circumcision started from Abraham (born in the lllh generation of Noah) and is mentioned in the Bible (See Galesis and Joshua). Muslims descend from Abraham's son Ishmael (son of Abraham's second wife Hagar) and follow the tradition. In 1997 a case went to court-in Eg.vpt and the court aocep~ that circumcision was not a by· gicnic requirement but a religious ritual.

32

As for the cloak, I think you are presuming too much. For exam­ple you presume that the Guru wrote it, wore it and held it in high esteem. I can only say that all this is untrue. If you have any proof of all this please do quote chapter and verse .

I think this letter will answer most of your questions. Please send a copy of this letter to Mr.B and ask him to comment giving line numbers and pages of the books he quotes from .But please do not quote references out of context. All religions teach sincerity and truthfulness and I expect that from you too unless your re­ligion teaches otherwise . Yours sincerely, G.S.Sidhu

Letter No.7 Letter of 29.12.76 from Mr. A in response the author's let­ter No.3.

"Thank you for your letter. I regret I do not share your views. The onus is on the Sikhs to prove that all other religions and Is­lam (Islam is not a religion. It is a deen) have everything infe­rior to Sikhism and that Sikhism has the best ideals .It is up to the Sikhs to prove the need for a new religion and that Islam can not solve the problems of humanity but Sikhism can,

"I am not competent to make comparisons. Comparative study needs unbiased research and perusal of original material. Moreo­ver I am aware of the limitation of my own knowledge, even of my own religion" and so he rambles on that Guru Nanak dressed as a fakir and visited Mecca because he was inclined to Islam. If not. then he was being dec~itful. He also repeats his points about the cloak presented to Guru Nanak with Kalima written on it. All this despite the author's comprehensive response with examples at Letter No. 3 about the nature of Guru Nanak's visit to Mecca as indeed to other religious places. The question of dress is also fully addressed in that letter as the question of gift and presents given and received (like the cloak) by the Sikh Gu­rus. Mr. A then retracts or re-phrases some of his earlier comments

33

about Islam. "When I say triumphant I mean in the spiritual sense and not military sense for we believe that Islam is a ra­tional religion and has the best to offer." Again "Jihad is a tenn which is not only misunderstood by non­Muslims but also by many Muslims." This is a remarkable ad­mission l He goes on "The basic rule in Islam is that "There is no compulsion in religion" (The Quran).32 The greater Jihad is fighting one's animal tendencies. AnOther type of Jihad- the lesser Jihad is fighting on behalf of the community in its defence.

He writes that any non-Muslim like the author can keep the Quran at home but ''this does not make you a Muslim because your purpose is not to act on its teachings for you can not do so unless you are a Muslim." 'We believe Islam is the true religion-best religion and the only religion necessary for the salvation of mankind. All other relig­ions have been corrupted by their followers. I do not see any fun in preaching a religion which itself does not consider to be the best."

Letter No.8 Author's letter of2.1.77 to Mr. A's letter of29.12.76.

"At the outset you write, "The onus is on the Sikhs to prove that all other religions and Islam have everything inferior to Sikhism, that Sikhism has the best ideals". Surely you are putting words into my mouth. The Sikhs do not call any religion superior or in­ferior and·neither do they claim monopolies. On the other hand, it is you who write, "Islam is the best religion and the only re­ligion necessary for the salvation of mankind. All other relig­ions have been cornlpted by their followers." Wouldn't you ac­cept that the onus of proof always lies with the one that claims to be the best and superior ? After all it was you who wrote in your letter dated 11.11. 76 (Not available) "Guru Nanak was a Muslim" and that the later Gurus "Corrupted his message" The onus is on you to prove it.

32 After the conquest of Persia by Muslims in the seventh cattury AD the Parsees were declared as Gabars (infidels) .Millions were killed. Descendants of those who saved their lives by escaping to. India still live in Bombay. The same fate awaited Baha-ud-din and Muhammed Ali Baab and their followers.

34

Again you write, "I do not see ~Y fun in preaching a religion which itself does not consider to be the best." My dear friend people all over the world stick to their religions only because they are convinced that theirs is the best religion and the Sikhs are no exception. If I am not convinced of the truth of my relig­ion then I would not remain a Sikh even for one minute. How­ever I do· accept that we are really funny people. We do not claim superiority as you do. We believe in our Guru's word and preach only what he wrote. It is for others to judge if we are su­perior to other beliefs or not. From 1469 AD when there was only one Sikh (Guru Nanak) we multiplied under severe persecu­tion by your co-religionists, defeated the foreign invaders, estab­lished our own kingdom and now number nearly 12 million. Isn't this a miracle of history in spite of the fact that we do not claim . superiority? It is a heresy for a Sikh to boast. Our Gurus teach us to remain humble. Therefore we declare with Guru Nanak , "I am the lowliest of the Jowly"33

. We repeat after Baba Farid, "Be as humble as the reed growing on a footpath. It is trampled and smothered under the feet, then woven into a Saf (Muslim mat- Mussalah). Only then it reaches the mosque for the faith­ful to sit on it imd say their prayers "34

• The onus, therefore, is · not on the Sikhs. After all what has the humble person to prove? We make no claims and therefore we do not have to prove any­thing. If your religion was as good as you claim, the Jews and Christians living cheek by jowl in the Middle East. would have discarded their religions long ago in favour of Islam. It will not be out of place to write here that our Gurus were asked this question again and again. For example according to the available records this is what happened at Mecca : The Muslim Scholars said, " Open the book you carry and read out your views to prove whether the Hindus are superior or the Muslims., Guru Nanak 's reply: "The Baba replied to the Hajis they both sujfor because they lack meritorious acts" Js

33 cmr-~ ~ tmr olel u )){fer ~ ~ fan t Afar wfq ~ mt ~em< fro! 15) •

34 ~ ~ W'iit 'el, "R R'1!l Bsfu Jli Mq fs'iffiJ fip,r ~ at R'1!l @' tffif ~~<• me ~ 1378)

35 yse 95 ~ ~ ffiv ~ fcl ~ ·"' ~ ~ p ))JHB' w ~a-it

35

Guru Arjan Dev (the 5th Sikh Guru) replied to the same question as follows: ''The best of all religions is to remember the Lord and .involve in meritorious actsn36

The first part of Guru Atjan Dev's reply would be acceptable t~ every religion. The second partie. --"Acting righteously" may be·.· difficult for a Muslim to practise who as you say "Believes in all religions of the world". What is right for one religious group may not be right for another. For example One religion does not allow women to enter religious places and values the statement of one man equal to that of two women, the other calls the women "the conscience of men "37 One believes in miracles, the other says, "Miracles are the refuge of the weak". One butchers· millions of animals on re~~gious days and considers it a highly meritorious act, the other preaches, "You kill the innocent ani­mals in cold blood and still claim yourself to be religious, .who would you call a butcher ? "38 One stipulates that at lea~ one . pilgrimage a life is absolutely necessary, the other attaches no importance to it. One says that fastifig in a particular .month brings merit, the other says, "There· is little merit in remaining hungry"39 One does not permit pebple of other faiths to enter God~s house (Baitullah= house of God), the other offers open . invitation to everybody day and night. One does not permit women to dress as men, the other does not propaga~ this fetish. One believes that human beings will be brought back from their graves, the other considers such ideas a fallacy. Beliefs and righteous acts are diametrically opposed and I wonder how the Muslims can believe in all prophets and follow all. religions at the same time. ·

18 RCPr trcDf Hfu ~ tlalf, CJfo i' ?i'H trN fn'aJm CfaH I <GJtSt ){: 5 On' 266) '

37~ ~tr.~folrnal

38 tiPJr q B ooH. qfij 1i'Ug, ))ftfcJ}f qug qa-~ ~ at ~~ Qfo 1!'tlil, a" cril qug mm D

<Wi m ;:nOn' 11 o3)

39~(1)'~~~. ~w~vw~ a

38

I have a humble request to make to you. When you happen to visit Mecca next please do try to conduct some research in the local libraries about the visit of Guru ·Nanak and his discourses. The Guru ~yed in or near Mecca from 11.12.1518 to 23.12.1518.0n or about 24.12.1518 the Guru and his Muslim friend Mardana ate supposed to have left· for Medina because Mardana' s Ha.ij would have been incomplete without offering his prayers there. On their way back they passed through Basra, Karbla, Baghdad, Kabul,. Jalalabad ana numerous other places and reached Hasan Abdal in June-July152l.Should you find any information, however small and anti-Sikh, please let me know. Truth must be known.

Again you write that I keep the Quran and my ~'Purpose is not to act on its teachings for you can not do so unless you are a Muslim" I am not conversant with Isla,n but I think Islam teaches devotion, truth, honesty, fel~ow-feeling, compassion and charity. Do you really believe that I can not practise these vir­tues without putting a label of Islam on my forehead ? .... i.·. One last w~rci. On page 3 of your letter dated 14.12. 7 6 you wrote, "The true picture of Islam can be obtained only from the Quran and the Sunnah". I am glad you said it. The true picture of Sikhism is in the Guru Granth Sahib which unlike the Ouran , was '\tritten compiled, edited. checked and revised by the Sikh Gurus during their life time. When you write next I would appreciate if ·you qu~ from the Guru Granth Sa­hib.43,

43 Philosophy purifies the will but philosophy is to bo ·lUldeistood in mrperimge and thougJJt and n« as mere reacting and paSsing study. The first COUDSel then is 'Life before booby and the seoond is 'Text before commentary'. Read the c:restor rather·thm the ex­positors and critics. Only ftom the authors themselves can we receive philosophic thougJrts., (Scbopcnhaur)

39

Letter No. 9 · Letter from Mr. A of5.1.77 to the author.

Realising that his tactics had failed, Mr. A beats an ignomini­ous retreat to a more conciliatory position in this letter and his Letter No. 11 below (which responds to the above Letter No.8 of 2.1.77).

He writes "The contents of your letter are interesting and infor-·mative. May I please repeat that my purpose in communicating with you is not to argue or debate the issues. My purpose is to learn about Sikhism. I have said earlier that I am not competent . to comment on or criticise your religion nor is it my intention to do so. The only comments that I can make on your letter are that Mardana, Shah Sharaf, Rukan Ud Din and Imam Karim Din are no authorities on Islam. I had never heard about them before I contacted you. Moreover from the questions asked, it appears that they were not aware of Islam." He then asked the author to explain the Sikh con_cepts of 'Guru' and 'Transmigration'

Letter No. 10 The author's lette.r of 9.1.77 to Mr. A in response to .his of 5.1.77 (Letter No.9). This letter contains useful information about some prominerit•charaCt~rs mentioned in the Janam · Sakhis of Guru Nanak.

"You state that "Mardana, Shah Sharaf, Rukan Ud Din and Imam Din are no authorities on Islam. I had never heard of them before." I agree with you entirely. I can not speak for their ec­clesiastical or spiritual achievements or authenticate whether all of them were real characters that existdd in flesh and bleod on this earth or were fictitious. However I can give you a little bit of information about some of them whose existence is beyond doubt and is confirmed in contemporary and semi-contemporary records. .

Mardana: Mardana was a Mirasi by caste and Muslim by faith. His original name is recorded as Dana. At the age of 18 he be­came the Guru~ s friend when th.e later was 16 years old. The

42

Guru : Literally an enlightener. Guru in Sanskrit means, "A p.erson leading from darkness to light" The Sikhs have reserved this word for their ten Gurus. When spiritually advanced a Sikh can reach the standard of a Guru. 46 Our second and third Gurus demonstrated this. · From being ordinary Sikhs they rose to b~­come the Gurus .The Guru is a guide. About our second Guru, Mohsin Fani in his Da~istan -e- Mazahib writes, "Thus Aogad himself became Nanak. After that at his death Angad's·spirit de­scended into the body of Amar Das in the same manner as men­tioned above. In the same manner the spirit of Guru Amar Das descended into the body of Ram Das and that of Guru Ram Das descended into Atjan Mal. Each was given the name of a Ma­hal.:. First Mahal being Nanak, second Angad till Guru Arjan who was the fifth Mahal. The Sikhs say that Whoever does not accept Guru Arjan as Baba Nanak- his real self- is a Manrnukh or Kafir. ,, ·

I must mention here that the word 'spirit' used by.Mohsin Fani. ~imply mean~ "Spiritual knowledge". We the Sikhs believe that the philosophy of the Gurus remained the same up to Guru Go­bind Singh, our last Guru. This I say to counteract your charge that the later Gurus "corrupted" Guru Nanak,s message (see your first letter page 2). We can discuss this point further when you quote concrete examples where such corruption has been de­tected by you and other scholars.

The Guru offers spiritual guidance and leaves the disciples a free choice. Guru Nanak said, "Hear 0 gazelle-eyed, hear the words of deep importance, assay the commodity thoroughly be­fore you trade in"47

• Sikhism is not foisted on anybody. It is deep inner conviction through the Guru, s word.

46 It is in virtue of his absorption in God and just because be has not identified his being with the inborn and acquired elements of his private personality that the saint is able to exen:ise hi& entirely non-coercive and therefore entirely beneficent influence on individuals and even on whole societies. To be more accurate, it is because he has purged himself of selfuess that divine reality is able to use him as a dtannel of grace and power. (Aldus Hux· ley)

47 ~ Sir ~ F ~ ~,tffin¥ ~ ~ t il' cttt ~ n (iR;T 1 41 0) .

43

Re-incarnation and transmigration: For a Sikh the past is a part Qf the- present and the present is the foundation-stone of the future. The current of evolution flows continuously and the soul may ascend to spiritual \inion with God or descend into endless births and deaths. The Sikhs therefore, believe in re-birth. The Spiritually poor take birth but the spiritually enlightened break the cycle of birth and death and merge in God as ·water mingles with watet: and loses its identity. The Guru helps in attuning the soul of the disciple to God and therefore, is considered as very necessary. The idea is very close to the Hindu belief but we cate­gorically reject the fatalistic predestination . Our Guru says, "Mil Jagdish milan ki Baria, Chirankal eh deh sanjaria "48 (seek the grace of God now, this is the opportunity you have received after a long sojourn)".

Letter No. 11 Mr. A's letter in response to the author's letter (No.8)

"Thank you for all that you have said. We must not embark on an aggravating trail by entering into useless controversial argu­ments. I have made my purpose clear to you in previous con;e­spondence. Whether Guru Nanak was a Muslim or not is not my investigation. What he said and taught is important. Please ac­cept my apologies if my last letter led you to conclude something different from my original purpose. I never believed (and. do not even now) that Guru Nanak was a Muslim. I heard this statement from Mr. B who is an Ahmedia scholar. I had also read a short chapter on Sikhism in the Hugh's Dictionary of Is­lam." But then Mr. A, yet once again, goes on to contradict himself. "My belief is that either Guru Nanak may have been a Muslim or inclined to Islam or very close to Islam. This statement is the result of the fact that he visited Mecca I have not read Guru Granth Sahib and cannot be definite .. I can be wrong. Guru Nanak is to be respected for all that he said. My purpose is to learn what Guru Nanak __ and the other Gurus taught. I wish to lmow him as you lmow hiin".

48 fin2 ;::rare\r fi.tB?; c:il ~ ~ ~ ;ro ~ (~ H: 5 UO'

176)

46

Every prophet said that the aim of religion was to bring man closer to God. The moral teachings of all prophets are similar. Islam says that the messages of the prophets which came before Muhammad (PBH) have not come down to us in their pristine purity. They were intentionally or un-intentionally distorted and reversed in many ways by their respective followers. The scrip­tures were repeatedly revised and altered: The mission of the prophets who came before Muhammad (PBH) was for their re­spective nations and times only and not for the whole mankind and· for all ages. The Holy prophet revised the original message of the earlier prophets and corrected their errors. Thus the prophets of all the religions are the prophets of Islam. ''We have not sent thee (0 Muhammad) but as a mercy to all the nations". The religions revealed to earlier prophets were not complete and final, being suited only for the needs of the age and nation for which each prophet was sent. Islam claims to be complete and universal. Moreover the Quran was written down in the life time of the prophet52 and has come down to· us exactly as it was re­vealed to him by God.

Letter ]So. 14 Author's letter of 15.1.77 to Mr. A The author wrote "I never requested infonnation about Islam al­though I appreciate what you write and send to me. So far I have simply tried to answer your questions about Sikhism .

In your letters you have asked me to express my views on many topics. I hope you will understand that this is not possible through letters. I am attaching herewith a list of books and sug­gest that you read these books in your local library. However I will express my views briefly on some points. You have asked me about the 'status of women' in Sikhism. In­cidentally I wrote an article on this topic sometime in 1967 when I was at the University of Nottingham. I am sending you a pho­tocopy of that article in the hope that it will answer your ques­tions.

52 The Holy Quran was colleaed from stones, bones, leaves and hides by Caliph Abu Ba· kar after prophet Mohammed's death and the first copy was ready round about 662 AD . Mr. A is concealing-this fa<t deliberately.

47

You also ask me about the Gpru' s poetry and specifically if it is 'lhe word of God". 53 Here the opinions differ even among the Sikhs. Personally I .am of the opinion that God never speaks in person to anyone. He graciously fills the heart and soul of a devotee with beatitude who then sp~ out spiritual truths. The Sikh Gurus always claimed themselves to be 'slaves of God'. Although they claim rapport with God, they nowhere say that on such ~d such a day God or an angel came and spoke to them.

If we believe that God spoke to Moses, then to Christ, Then to Muhammad and then to Nanak etc, then that God cannot be God because He forgets every time what he said previously. For ex­ample He said to Moses, "Thou shah not kill" but He said to Muhammad, "It is not for any prophet to have prisoners until he makes wide slaughter in the land" (Quran 8:68). He said to Muhammad that it is meritorious to remain hungry for 30 days but He said to Guru Nanak that keeping fasts is futile. He told

, the Parsees ·and the Hindus to worship fire and He told the Mus­lims and the Sikhs not to do so. Do you really think God was out of His mind and could not express his views once for all?

When some one says the messages have been corrupted I do not agree. ~f all messages received over the ages have been cor­rupted, what guarantee is there that the one you now have ~11 not be corrupted? You admit that prophet Muhammad has cor­rected the other's messages which in other w~>rds can be inter­preted that prophet Muhammad corrupted other religions. 54

53 There are four views about revelation. God descends on the earth as incarnate ~). This is the Hindu view. The Sikh Gurus reJect it. (2) God communicates His teachin~ in His own words which are repeated by the prophtt like a gramophone record. The Jews and the Muslims accqrt this view. The Gurus reject this. (3) God does not speak words or phrases to man. Just as the mowtain peak catches the light of the sun first, the man of God imbibes communion with God before oth­ers can and passes on His divinity to others. ( 4) The man of God identifies his self with the universal self and thus sanctified utters universal truths throufil)t his own words. The Sikh Gurus accept the last mode.

s• "Islam in fact , mifil)tt be counted almost a Christian 'heresy· apart from the new direct . revelation supplementing and completing that vouchsafed througJJ Christ and the Hebrew

prophets since the founder got most ofhis material from the forms of Judaism and Christi­anity, often curiously distorted and garbloo" ( History of Religions by E.O. James page 190)

so

You ask me if other prophetS will come. If by prophet you mean 'people guiding us to God' then surely there will be many. This in my view does not belittle the importance of the earlier proph­ets. It is a natural course of history. You _consider Muhainmad to be the final prophet but that would mean that Gum Nanak was a spurious prophet or an impostor. We hate sucll notions. You can never stop people from claiming prophet-hood and you know Mirza Ghulam _Ahmed, Mr.Baha Ullah and Muhanunad ~i Baab all claimed prophetship after Prophet Muhammad. PersOn­ally I feel talking about the finality of prophethood is sheer mad­ness. I am sorry if my ideas sound heretic to you and injure your susceptibilities but I must be true to my belief.

The concept of God in Sikhism is more or less the same as it is in Islam. 58 We do not however think that he live~ on the seventh sky, sends angels and prophets and speaks to people. As well as being transcendental he is also immanent. He is with u~, at all times. To us he has no rival like Satan. All who reach spiritual attainment (Whether Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians or oth-ers) are angels and others who commit sins are Satan. ·

Then you ask me about law. There is no ~uch thing as 'Sikh Law'. Law is the field of secularism. As the Society evolves, its laws also undergo. changes. No law can hold good at. all times. ·The Gums s~ply deal with spiritualism. They do, however, talk about democracy and ~mr tenth Gum demonstrated it practically when he asked His five belove4 ·ones to baptise him for admis- . sion into the Khalsa which was his own creation. Within Sikh parlance puriishments are meted out by our five Jathedars for transgressions of the Guru's inStructions. You may call it the 'Sikh Jury'.

58 The fundamental truths of religion are everlasting and indestruaible. There have ~ periods of progress and regress &ut the great faa of God as the First Mover of Universe, which partakes of His divinity, has always been reoo'gnized. (Arutotle)''The Wliversallaws of nature and the eternal decrees of God Are one and the same thing. God means un­changeable order of nature." (Spinoza)

51

Letter No. 15 Mr. A's letter of 19.1.77 in response to the author's of 15.1.77. Mr. A felt that the author's ·criticism ~flslam arose out of mis­understanding Islamic concepts. He wrote, ''I believe that you will have a better view of Islam after reading the books that I have recommended." Mr. A sent Maulana Moudoodi' s book 'Understanding Islam' and wr¢e " He is respected all over the world and has written 80 books including Tajheem -ul-Quran. Please read his book carefully and ask as many ·questions as you like."59

Letter No. 16 Author's letter of i9.1. 77 in reply to Mr. A's of 19.1. 77 The author clarified "Again I wish to let you know that at no stage did I ask for any books on Islam neither have I got any time to study them. You have sent me a lot of literature which I will study when I find time .I have no questions on Islam and neither do I intend to ask you in future. I wish you all happiness· with your religion."

Letter No. 17 Mr. A's letter of25.2.77 in reply to the author's of29.1.77. Clearly, Mr. A was not prepared to t~rminate the correspon­dence! Disregarding the author's touch of finality in his last let­ter, Mr. A re-opened the debate. He went on "In your article your statement about women is not eorrect. I do ·not under~d your following sentence, "In Islam too, the position of women is more or less the same." Do you mean the women in Islam are subservient to men and that they are not allowed even to marry according to their choice? kindly explain .. I do not know on :What authority you have based your view.

s9 Mr. A. intentionally omits to mention that Maulana Moudoodi was arrested in 1953 and semenoed to death by a special oouit in Pakistan for inc4ing fund8mentalism and commu­nal riots. The sentence was later commuted. In 1979 (tinder Zia-Ul-Haq) Maulana advo­cated that (a) Men and women must work &q)arately (b) Women are inferior to men. They must wear Burqa, remain in doors and not be appointed to decision-making bodies (c) Men have a rigtrt to many more than once and to divorce their wives.

.52

Surely no verse from the Quran or Hadith prohibits women to say Azan or lead congregation. Islam has no priesthood. Any competent person can lead the congregation. For a number of practical, moral and domestic reasons women are n.ot encour­aged to come to the mosque because they have their duties at home. But nothing can stop them from coming to the mosque if they so desire. It was for this reason that women were not asked to perform the duties of the Muazzin (One who calls Azan) in the mosque. However both the sexes will not be allowed to mix in the mosque. Both can pray in the same mosque partitioned by a curtain or by some other m~s. Both males and females are subject to the same rules. It is true that if there is a mixed gath­ering_ (both sexes sitting separately) then women are not allowed to lead the prayes·. I enclose a copy of 'Women in Islam' which explains the correct position. ,,oo

"I shall be interested to know to what extent you have changed your views. l am also awaiting quotations from writers profess­ing different faiths but claiming Guru Nanak to be their prophet."

''Kindly let me know the reasons which the Guru gave for the necessity of the new faith Sikhism. I am only interested in the reasons given by the Gurus tliemselves. n

Letter No.18 Author's letter of 27.2.77 in reply to Mr. A's ofl5.2.77. ''The lines you have quoted from my article refer to a part of the ·paragraph preceding this quotation where I mention that Eve transgressed and brought about the fall of Adam. I am sure the Muslims believe the story of Adam and Eve and it is recorded in the. Holy Quean. Secondly I made a point that women are not al~ lowed to be priests in mosques. I still think this is correct. 60 Saudi Arabia is the c:radle of·Jslam. It the reader is intemted in knowing more about the status ·of women in Islam.· be/she is c:!ircded to read two books "Princess" and "DautJrters of Arabia" wriUal by a Saudi Royal Family female member and translated in English by Jean P. Sasson (Publisbcn: Bantum Books London). An<Wba- book_Oftthetopic titled "Two steps .fotward. One stqJ badavard" by Miss Khawar Mumtaz and Begum Farida Rashid also deals fUlly with the subject (Published in Pakistan). The ideas and inci· dents Cllpresscd in these books do nc:l agree with interpnutions of the Ulema or of Mr. A.

I

~

I

S3

Can you please correct me by giving an example where women are working as priests or ever have worked ~as such in the past? In Sikhism women can lead the congregation, perform h~ singing in a mixed assembly, organise religious functions, read the Granth ~men and perform Ardas (Congregational prayer equivalent to your Azan). There does· not have to be a curtain· between men and women. Perhaps you will ask for exampl&: You willlmow that the Sikh Temple of Smethwick has been run by women for a considerable length of time. I can see no in­stance where women have managed and run a mosque and ut­tered Azan in a minaret. Our third Gut:U even appointed w.omen · as missionaries. Can you give me an ~xample where this has happened in Islam.? The role of religion is to fashion the min4 of all human-beings irrespective of sex. If even at the time ~f prayer you are distracted by. fair sex·then it has to be admitted that religion has failed to inculcate in you the basic requirement; In the article under reference I am comparing Sikhism with world religions and not criticising any particular religion. If you have views on this, I would be only too glad to read your views and adjust my contentions.

You write, "For a number of moral and .domestic reasons w~men are not encouraged to come to the Mosque". I think by doing so you are admitting disparity among sexes. ·women are as much God's creatures as men then why shouldn't they be eneouraged

·to come to God's house? If other religions do not find anything morally wrong in this, what moral obstructions stand in the way of Islam to ban nearly half the human race from imbibing God's love? Is the Quran only written for men? Why do morals only affect women and not men? Are men ·morally stronger ~ women? 61 If WDmen are considered more wlnerable then they are being labelled as inferior. Handsome ~ can also tempt women erotically then why imprison only woiben in a Burqa?

On page 22 B. Aisha Lemu in the book .sent by you quotes the Holy Quran tO say women inherit half than men. Isn't this "dis­crimination? Any husband can divorce a woman by saying the w~rd Talaq three times, do you allow the WomeJ:l to do the

61 Moralit.y is the unCDUditianal OODDIImld of out QClft&Cimcc. We know i1 n~ by reason but by inner feelintp." ~)

54

same ? I think men are treated preferentially in Islam and this is admitted by Aisha as well when she writes (page 43), ~'Women have the same rights in relation to their husbands as are expected in all decency from them while men stand a step above them. Would this be called equality before God whose sons and daugh­ters we all are ?

Again you write, "BotH cannot be allowed to pray in the same mosque unless partitioned by a curtain or by some other means''. Does this mean that the teachings of the Holy prophet fail to in­culcate in Muslims a healthy attitude between sexes?. Sikhism believes that what needs to change before walking in the way of God is the heart and soul of the devotee. The devotee must con­trol his/her sex, anger, greed, undue attachment and pride.62 Re­ligion to be successful must survive in all circumstances and situations63

. If Muslim women are temptresses and must remain covered, do the Muslim males close their eyes when gazing at women of other religions ? Isn't there more freedom for men than women ? Is moral laxity and sexual perversity more detri­mental to Islam if it is found in women than in men? ·In spite of all this abductions, premarital and extra-marital relations have not diminished in Islamic countries .A truly devoted man or woman would not even think of any danger from the opposite sex.

Perhaps you will kindly explain to me why a Muslim man can have four wives. Has this number any significance? Is it correct that the statement of a man is to be taken as correct even if two ·women contradict it ? 64 Is it not an affiant to women?

In the book you have sent certain points are not very clear to me. Would you kindly clarify ? For example. on page 20 B. Aisha Lemu writes, "When a girl or \Voman is married it is an essen­tial part of the IIUI"iage for the bridegroom to give her a dowry (Mehar ) which may be of any value agreed upon" In the

62qt){ ~ Bs flU~ 63 "Reli~on must exist and rise up in the soul of man prior to fmding expression in his words and deeds, customs and institutions" (The living God by Nathan Soderblom ) ~ According to The Islamic Law of evidence passec;l by Pakistan Assembly on 28.10.84

r

ss

same paragraph she writes, "The Muslim dowrv is a gift from the bridegroom to the bride and becomes her exclusive prop­erty". First she calls it 'essential' and has to be 'agreed upon' but having said all this then she says that it is a 'gift'. I hope you will agree with me that a gift is given as a token· of love. It is neither essential nor has to be agreed upon as a bargain. Again a gift once given is not claimed back but Mehar has to be returned on divorce even when it becomes the woman's 'exclusive prop­erty'.

You· ask me about the reasons given by the Gurus for starting a new religion. I hope you will agree that no human being has to explain to another human being what idea$ he/she stands for or why he/she starts a new religion. If you read the Holy Granth you will yourself find that the ideas of our Gurus do not match up with many of the ideas and concepts preached in other faiths. In the case of Islam the Gurus did not accept Islamic ideas on women; fasting, angels, Jinns, pilgrimage, kissing black stone, driving Satan, sacrificing animals and a host of other beliefs.

Once again you ask me about the writers of other faiths who equally claim the Sikh Gurus to be members of their religions. I need time for this and will write more in my next letter but I give you some idea from Hinduism in this letter. 65 Most Hindus be­lieve that Guru Nanak was a Hindu by birth and belief66 I give · below some quotations from Gokal Chand Narang's "Transformation of Sikhism" about the Sikh Gurus and their philosophy.

65 Even the Christians claim that Guru Nanak was a Christian. For exa.nlple J.W. YoWlg­son writes. "Being in some degree ca1versant with the Mohammedan faith, he may have. known something of the revelation of God in His word, the true teacher, God incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ" )J{JfS cfr5 a+ ft:cr ij- fcf, "t:ra' U'a' )){(I' ))(H5

(I)Jf8" t qt! n' em ~, ~ ~ -eaRn lN RS ciel ~-~,; <m ~ ffrur ift) 00 Western scholars seem to be.confused on this issue. For example Tnampp first says that Guru Nanak was a 1horouflt Hindu but thm says that he rejeaed the Brahmans and the vedas. Similarly Bloomfield first writeS that Sikhism is univcnally Hindu (page 109) and thm in the same breath writes, "Sikhism is a new religion,. (page 176). Barth writes that Nanak was a Hiildu at·bdtom but is the same breath says that he rejeaed net only the Ve­das, Shashtras and the Puranas but also the Quran. Dordhy Field in her book "Religion of the Sikhs" writes, " Sikhism should be regarded as a new and separate world religion • rather than a refonned sect of Hindus." (Page 1 0)

S6.

uGuru Nanak seems to have thoroughly. diagnosed the case of the Hindu community of his time and found out that religious re­Vival was the only remedy which xouid save it from impending destruction" (page 18)

"As Tulsi's Ramayana in the United provinces so the Granth in the Punjab saved the Hindus from starvation and prevented them from crossing over the religious boundaries from which no return was possible. The resuh was that whereas the majority of twice born Hindus were saved, the majority of others fell an easy prey to. the proselytizing zeal o~ Islam (page 19)

"Nanak went to school with Gopal Pandit to learn accounts in Hindi when he was only seven years old and began Sanskrit when he was nine yeats old (page 23)

"Nanak had no doubt greatly succeeded in reviving the dying Hindu Society which was now fairly on the way· to convales­cence but environments were still so unfavourable, the orthodox priesthood being still so strong, that he feared a relapse uniess someone was appointed to look after t)te patient. Had· Nanak died without a successor there would have been no Sikhism to­day Qr:-at best s~ly an~er.Kabirism" (page 27)

· "Garisth mahin Udas ', renunciation while in the world, was the motto placed by the Guru· before the followers. See also Gita V .. lO" (page 32). . .· "Though Nana/f's mission was mainly the spiritual emancipa­tion of the Hindu~ he was not unmindful of their temporal wel­fare." (page 32).

· About a well (Bawli) dug by our 3rd Guru (in 1546 AD), Gokal Ch~d ~rites,~ "Titis place is still visited by crowds of people twice a year on the Hindu new year's day ana the death anniver-sary of Guru Amar Das" (page 34). . About the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (Ol.!f ninth Guru), by Aurangzeb in 1675AD, he writes, "The interval of peace was followed by the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur which stirred . ·up once more the d~g embers of Hindu hatred of the Muslim . rule." . /

57

About Guru Gobind Singh

"As the gift of poetry had been in the family, he developed a style of Hindu poetry"67

"He went through the whole range of literature in Sanskrit and stored his mind with the soul stirring legends of the Mahabharta and the Puranas. He seems to have been deeply impressed by the idea which runs through the Puranic literature, the idea of sav­iour appearing from time to time to uphold righteousness and de­stroy the unrighteousness, to uproot evil and ~stablish good, to destroy the oppressor and rescue the week _and innocent (Gita IV.7-8). The stories of Rama destroying the demon king of Lanka, the son of Devki crushing Kansha and specially the· ex­ploits of that personification of righteousness and· divine power called Durga breaking the skulls and drinking blood of Mahik­hasur and other de~ons filled his heart with hope and confi­dence .... made him feel that time was again ripe for the fulfil-

. ment of Sri Krishna's promise for the re-appearance to rescue the helpless and strike down the arrogant oppressors. (page 77)

''The object that the Gunt set before himself was to infuse a new l~{e into the dead bones of Hindus, to make them forget their differences and present a united front against the tyranny and persecution to which they were exposed, in one word, to make once more a living nation of them and enable them to re­gain their lost independence" (page 78).

"It can also be shown that in this matter of selection and empha­sis he follows, in most of the characteristic details, the line previ­ously adopted by the Bhagwatas and that in ·the metaphysical as­pects Sikhism preached the vedanta of the vaishnavite brand" (Evolution ofthe Khalsa By I.B.Bannerji page 280. Also read his "Hindu divinities in the Japz~ji ')

67 Westan scholars si&dl as Dr. Trumpp and Macinol say that Gwu Oobind SintJt brougJ!t into Sikhism Hindu elemeuts. Maloolm, Macauliffe. Curminglwn and Bloomfield· say that· "h is impossible to recxmcile the religion which Gobind SinfJ.t established with the belief of the Hindus" (Malootm•s A skddt of the Sikhs page 150). Dorothy ·Field in bee book 'Religion of the Sikhs' writes, "Sikhism is far above dependence on Hindu ritual md is capable of a distinct position 8JI a world religion." {Page 34)

58

If you are still not convinced please read "Guru 'Nanak -and Hindu Heritage" By Dr. K.L. Rae or "Guru Nanak and the Lo­gos of dlvine manifestation" by Sharda Chandra Verma pub­lished by Sunny view Allahabad.

I am sending you· a magazine published by Sindhi Hindus who, · though not baptised as Sikhs, venerate all the Gurus and believe

in Guru Graflth Sahib. They have centres at De1hi, Saprun (Simla), Calc~a, Bombay and some other places.

We the Sikhs, are proud that the message of Sikhism is so uni­versal that our Gurus are claimed by a.ll religions. You may call .Guru Nanak a Muslim but please do .not try to distort his teach-. ings 'and misquote texts to prove your point . "

Note: Following a break of a few months, a letter was received from another colleague of Mr. A referred to as Mr. C below. Unfortunately, his letter is not available but the author's reply which is given below brings out the issues raised

Letter No. 19 Author's reply to Mr. C's letter of3.5.77. You have invited me to-comment on som~ Isl~c tenets. My re-

. ligion forbids me frorri questi.oning the validity or veracity of any religion except when challenged and I must also say that· my knowledge of Islam is almost nil. Clarifications on such funda­mental ·issues .should be sought· from M~slim Scholars. What­ever I wrote about Islam to youi friend was in ·reply to his ques­tions arid was gathered either from ·his own statements or from. the books on Islam that he has so graciously been sending to me without my asking . • ~ ·

Our correspondence started with a letter from your friend· and passed through a period in which he questioned the very exis-tepce of Sikhism ·

Since you have asked me to 'investigate Islam' could you clarify the following points for my knowledge please?

1. Mr. A writes about women praying in a mosque, "Both (he /

\

59

means both sexes) cannot be allowed to pray in the same mosque unless partitioned by a curtain or some other means "68

On page 3 of your letter you give diametrically opposite views when you write, "There is no need to make a separate wall or screen in the mosque tor women. You have written that I ''have failed to understand tl\e teachings of Islam" I admit that I am a bit thick but the above contradic­tory remarks are not getting into my thick brain. I wonder if you and I are both sail~g in the same boat and groping in the dark. Is Mr. A an authority on Islam or you ?

2. Again on the question of a man~ s statement being more trust­worthy than that of two women you write about my interpreta­tion as ''Totally baseless and without foundation''. Muhammad Ashraf in his book uModem challenges to Muslim Families" discusses this so cal~ed 'baseless' point on page 19-24 under the Heading "women as witnesses". I wonder why he wasted his time on a baseless point69

· You write "Women are by God's command suited only for domestic duties". Mr. Ashraf writes, "If they take part in trade, commerce, indus­try and public service and thereby acquire sufficient wisdom then perhaps the words used in the Hadith will not apply to them''. To me it gives the impression that Islam accords womeri less wisdom than men and as soon as they acquire wisdom the commands of the Quran can be made flexible. With the change of circumstances Hadith becon1es inapplicable and obsolete. What I do not understand is. how to find that women have 'acquired sufficient wisdom ·. Again mark the word "perhaps". The writer is not sure. He is al­ready outlining the modem trends in women towards involve­ment in purs~its other than domestic and anticipating trouble if these trends are ignored.

3. Talking about dowry ( Mehar) you write on pageS of your letter, "Under no circumstances is she obliged to return it to the husband"

68 "Women are supposed to pray at home and seldom ,if ever, go"to the mosque" (History of religions By E.O. James page 196) · 651 For a fuller explanation read "Why two women witnesses ?" written by Shamshad M Khan and publi.Cihed by Ta- Ha Publishers London .

60

B. Aisha Lemu in her book ''Women m Islam", sent to me by your friend Mr. A writes, "In the case of uKhu/"70 she may be required to pay back all or part of the dowry". If B. Aisha Lemu is correct then it would mean that a woman will suffer untold mental agony at the hands of her oppressive, profligate, lecherous, impotent , drunkard or cruel husband and suffer starvation for fear of paying back dowry if she divorced her husband .If your version of"Under no circumstances" is cor­rect then B.Aisha Lemu is certainly wrong. I value your suggestion that we should stop writing if we can not discuss religion with an open mind. I accept your suggestion. I was not the one who started this correspondence. If Mr. A has no more questions to ask me about Sikhism, I will certainly not write back."

Note:- In the next letters Giani Abadullah s name is mentioned. Giani Abadullah is a well known Ahmedia Scholar and has over the .J'ears contributed to many magazines in Punjabi .His articles in "Punjabi Dunya ·· were much appreciated in the fif­ties. When the author visited Nankana Sahib in 1953. Giani Abadullah spoke on the l{fe (}f Gunt Nanak in the Janam As­than Gurdwara. 111e author was very impressed by his speech and spent a full day with him at his residence in Nankana Sa­hib. Later the author came to know that Mr. Abadullah had also criticised Sikhism in his books. His hook ''Hamara Nanak .. is quoted in the following letters.

Letter No. 20 Author's letter of 28.11.78 to Mr. D "Thank you very much for your letter and the ·toan of "Hamara Nanak" by Giani Abadullah. I have read the book with interest and would not.be truthful if I do not sincerely tell you that Giani Abadullah has forfeited aiJ the love and affection that I had once in my heart for him. I met him in Pakistan· in 1953. My friend and· I were so impressed by his speech in the Janam Asthan Gurdwara that w~ stayed with h'im all day and parted only with a heavy heart. A~ that time he appealed to me a lot but now this book has revealed to me a very different Abadullah.

··~ "Khur· i~ a divor~'\! r~u~oo by a woman against h'-'1· hu~band . /

61

I have neither the time nor the resources to examine all his state­ments critically. However I will take up some points for com­ments which I hope you will pass on to Giani Abadullah. Most of the references quoted in this book by Giani Abadullah are from (a) Janam Sakhi Bhai BaJa (b) Janam Sakhi Meharvan (3) Janam Sakhi Urdu 1902 writer not known (4) Satiarath Parkash and (5) Sachi ~oj.

None of them is accepted by the Sikhs as authentic record of the Guru's life or "revered sacred literature" as claimed by the writer. For the Sikhs the Holy books are (1) Sri Guru Granth Sahib (2) Parts of Dasam Granth (3) Waran Bhai Gurdas. and ( 4) writings of Dhai Nand Lal. The last two can be quoted but are not the ~ork of our Gurus. I give you a short history of each so that you know more about these sources.

'Janam' ~s birtlL or life and lSakhi ' means story. Janam Sakhis are biographies. They are not written by any Sikh Gurus. The ideas of their writers cannot, by any Stretch of imagination, be tenned as Sikh faith. Giani Abadullah does not simply. con­sider them as sacred Sikh literature but quotes out of context. Fairness demands that he quotes honestly and accepts either that the whole Janam Sakhi is authentic or it is npt. It would be help­ful if you procure the books quoted.by Giani Abadullah. We will

., then sit together to see how honestly he has quoted from them.

Giani Abadullah quotes one line of Kabir (attributing it to Guru Nanak) and interprets it in his own way but does not quote the following lines from Kabir "Kabir Mullan munarey Ida charhay saeen na behra hoey ''71

0 Mullah why do you go. up a minaret to shout hoarse, do you think Goci is deaf? He quotes. a line or two from B~ai Gurdas and distorts the meanings. Would he accept the following from the same Bhai Gurdas. Babey Mecca pheryia te zahri kala dikhaa(2

71 a1ita !fW ~ fcpw ;refer m- ?)' &a' ~

'R' arafo t '1"aT. ~ Mi ~ mt'a "* 71 ri * jfc:r ~ i t.f'CJa1 CR5T ~ I

62

The Guru turned the Mecca around and thus showed a living miracle. Janam Sakhi Bhai Bala: Supposedly written by a Hindu com­panion of Guru Nanak. Internal evidence, (Here and there It con­tains Shabads written by our later Gurus) however, proves that it was written after 1708 by ~e Hindalis.

Janam Sakhi Meharvan: This was written by Meharvan son of Prithi Chand73 around 1606 AD. Prithi Chand was the brother of our fifth Guru Atjan Dev Ji . Since his efforts to usurp Guruship were in jeopardy Oater spumed) he became an enemy of Guru Atjan Dev. He even tried to poison Guru Atjan Dev's son Har Gobind and was later excommunicated by the Guru. The Sikhs

· were told not to have any contacts with him and his followers who carne to be known as Minas. Prithi Chand declared him­self to be a Guru~

73 flpit ~ d ~. ~ )){# ~ Jrc')l Sill ~ ~ ~ ~

(')" ~ ~ ))f'lf ~ II<! ~I ~ CUJ ill &' ~ wfu1f -el QH'ift US ~if' fipit ~ * 14 Hm ~ fh flror ~ fh 1000 ~ ~ i' ~ q'Br, ~ ~ ~ fet i1a* ~ lrtffi ~ i U ~~I Cl@ ill * d<fO :J'OO -e- ){;:cJ ~ ~ eM if'. fipit ~ * ~ Hl5 ~ ytf

~ t!t aw ~ lrtffi ~ crcJ ~ 1 flpit tt! * ~ feci $1 ~- ~ wit~~~~ . ilt! ~ ~ em; fcw,r ria, arar itao fh ~ fBlf ~ ~ h mr -e- ~ HiiUcJ ~ ~ ~ * -et B1fi! ~ 1 ~ w ~ fcmcl ~m~ ~ ~ ~~ m cca~·Q'i~· m1 rnu fipitw ~ ~ •

. ~ ~ 7-;:J ~ cffiJ m ~ s-et ~ ~ Jrc')l CQ afadifie ill HGIB' CWJ ~ crao ~ n ore if' ~ -e- ~ * ~ ~ CNf.i' qa fB'Jf' i' 1 6 s 6 a ~ wfu1l fee? ;! ~ ~ facr 1lf<!1 (')'Cf'8 <fan ~ ~ &1 m c}j ~ ~ acn ~ ~ ire Jrc') 1 ~ ~ ~ afcJ. ill ~ ~ ~ ;} -;? ~ a- ore it ~ a- iftit ~~~ if' iai a1 ~ ~ CJ5 GM ~mitts' ;}a ~I ~ ~ ~ ~ -e1 <mij fee? * ~ mW m1 CUi O"''Cf ~ ill ~ lftr ~ a-. "))(0 ~ ~ tit;} ftJ ~ ut:r qJS ~ tR ~ 1jma ~ ~ a- it Kcft m qr ))rat{ ucrare tiffirr .. 1 Q@ ))fi)if(')· ~ m ~ ~. ,;wfcnt HO' ~ '"" ~ ))rat{ era;} Jrc') fa' Ha ~ wfcnt m qrs ~ 0001'1 ~ ~ -el ncm ffi ~, "Hn Hfu ~ ~ ~ cleft,~ w ~ acn "~I~-~~ m ~ ~ ~a-~ ~ CJfa Hfi: qr crcJ ifH ~ \fOBofcJqr~a~~OT~ t1c') 0'1i"Cr QlM fq1w ~ Jfi acft ~I

63

The sect then resorted to corrupting history and denaturalising scriptures. A notorious plagiarist Hari Das in their camp wrote 'Japji' corrupting Guru Nanak's composition and Meharvan himself wrote a 'Janam Sakhi'. Meharvan was a poet. He wrote "Peenan Di War" in which he praises a number of Muslim peers (specially Prophet Muhammad). His religion was a botch potch of Hinduism and Islam. His hymns were collected into a book and were marked Mohalla 6 (Later his son became Mohalla 7). To avoid confusion our 6th 7th and gth Gurus did not write any hynms. Therefore there are no compositions titled Mohalla 6th, 7th or gth in Guru Granth Sahib. Your friend Mr. Abadullah, is quoting hynms (See page 234 Rag Ramakali Mohalla 6) from this Janam Sakhi which is spurious but he calls it sacred Sikh literattJre. Janam Sakhi Urdu :- Since the name of the author or publisher is not given I can say nothing about it. similarly there is no Janam Sakhi Bhai which is copiously quoted by Giani Abadul­lah. S,atiarath Parkash and Sachi Khoj:74 These two books were written by Hindu fanatics to malign and ridicule the Sikhs. They also wrote "Bad Chalni Nanak" The same people wrote Ran­gila Rasul in which prophet Muhammad is presented as a liber­tine whose religion was fit only for villains, twits and impostors. These books were highly insensitive to Muslims and Sikhs and were, therefore proscribed by the then British Government of In­dia. There seems no point in getting into mud-slinging and hog­wash but if Mr. Abadullah quotes from Satiarath Parkash 75 74 Sat· yarath Parkash (The light oftnJth) was written by Swami Dyanand Sara5wati. To contra· dia it Giani Dit Singh wrote 'Dambh Nivaran' (Exposing thuggery). Bhai Kahn Singh Nabba wrote 'Hum Hindu Nahin'. Giani Abadullah does not quote from these books. ,s ~ yq'U ~ mm ~ ~ <~ nt ~ tao> ~ f'Rltt a-~ -e fr$r 1s 1 s fch fB1:ft cntt m 1 mr ~ fmf ~ tpit ~ e-~ ,a. ~ ~ ~ d cro <~ ffAtt ~ iin' 37o ~ 3 90) I fW;t ;} tit ftrq ti ir fW;t t "fmmr C~Jm" RMm fi:m fch ~ R'fcm ~ ire ~ f;mrcft ))f'feq ~<~ ata 14 > k i tfgiJ ~ fap,r m ~ ~ ~ mr YR'3Cf a-~ 1m'~ cntt m1 1923 feRia O'if U"8 * ,~ ~, ,s 1 9 3 3 fchr (';lf O'H * feR "JCC ;rl Y'Rdci ''Hist~ of Islam" fBl:l H'cft f'i«f fh ircr • ~ ~ fcrp,r m I

rem,m.~.~.~.fuwa. fi«1mr crsclor, ~. pH. tH t ~ H"ar ~ fh mw §Cf ttl >ri' agd wa aa- H'ir are- 1 ~ ~;it t ~ ~ t\rcJ ~ ~ 5' ~I ~ i; ~ ~ 1986 w- 295 m ~ ~ (i:gtl ~ ri m Mil ;rl Rt.l' a1:tl a-1

64

then he must also be ready to accept Rangila Rasul as equally valid for quotations. It would be interesting to note that when Giani Abadullah talks about the companions of Guru Nanak he does not even once mention the name of Bhai Bala but always writes his Muslim companion Mardana but when he gives quotations, 90~ of the time he chooses the Janam Sakhi of this non-existent Bhai Bala. On page 48 line 9 onwards he writes (My translation)

"If the Guru founded a new religion then it behoves the protago­nists of this new religion to prove what new ideas the . Guru preached about God. "It is necessary for a new founder of relig­ion that he should offir a new idea about Go4 to the world which is not to be found in other religions ................ otherwise whichever religion contains the concepts he believed in will have to be adopted as his religion . This is why for us Guru Nanak is a Muslim because he believed in purely Islamic con­cepts.,

I do not find anything new in Islam about God which was not said in the teligions preceding Islam. I would, ~erefore, invite Mr. Abadullah to read and then comment on my views given be­low about his own notes listing Muslim Aqidas. Islam ka pehla Aqida76

( page 41) :-This Aqida can be directly traced back to the Vedas and Up­nishadas. I will direct Mr. Abadullah to read Chandogya Up­nishada VI 2.2 where it states

"My dear, this being is Unique. 11fe one and only one ,without a second" Also refer to Albert Schwegler page 15 ~ere it says . " Xeno­phanes seems to have been the first to have enunciated the proposition that God is one and there is no other like Him".

Would you and·Mr. Abadullah accept that this Aqida was cop­ied ~Y the prophet from Hinduism ?

65

Islam ka doosra Aqida (page 49):-Malaika-tul-Allah77 (Angels). I hope Mr. Abadullah has read about the Greeks they also believed in angels much more before the advent of Islam. I am sure he definitely knows about' the Hindu belief in 36,000,0000 angels (he does appear to know this. see page 50) Can you really say that Islam brought in a new Aqida ? By the way Gll!ll Nanak did not believe in angels, gods or god­desses.! can easily challenge Mr. Abadullah on this.·

Islam ka Teesra Aqida ( page 64) :-Under this Aqida The J~s and the Christians would have to be accepted as people of true religion whose religion was plagia­rised or corrected by Islam. Guru Nanak did not put faith in the Bible, Torah, Zaboor or Zind Avesta.

· Islam ka Chautha Aqida :- Anbia-alehui-Islam. There are ref­erences to Islam in the Granth Sahib but the names of Muhammed, Moses, Haroon, Suleman, or others mentioned by Abdullah as the prophets of Sikhism are nowhere mentioned as such. On the other hand even Islam is rejected.in the Granth. For example: uVed kiteb iftra Bhai, dil ka fikar na jaey"78 (Ii/ang Kabir

page 727) Hindu books and the Quran only create controversies and do not dispel doubts. · "Ved kitebi Bhed najata"79 (Maru M:l page 1021)

·Vedas and the Quran did not lmow the secret of God" I wonder if Giani Abadullah can accept this from a Muslim GuruNanak. Islam Ka Panehwan Aqida:- Yom-e-Akhrat. ~) Nowhere in the Holy Guru Granth Sahib anyone can find the.~ lief in Qayamat or Hashar as believed in Islam. The Sikhs do not believe that the dead· will rise from the graves and that Muhannnad will save them on the day of judgement. Abadul­lah's referenc;es are taken out of context from the Janam Sakhis .

77 ~ m.- ,irfa&i 78 ~ ~ facra' em ftm qr fcq nr 'irM <iln' 12 7) 79 ~ ~ ~ nr tr'a' < K " cr. K : 1 •t c; " 1 o 2 1 )

66

In the third part of his book, Giani Abadullah tries to prove that Guru Nanak believed in (1) Bahisht and Dozakh (2) Zakat (3) Wuzu (4) Roza (5) Sijda and other Muslim beliefs. May I point out that Bahisht and Dozakh are mentioned even in Greek and Hindu literature. By his own criteria of a new religion as being the harbinger of new ideas, Mr. Abadullah will have to admit that Islam copied this from other religions. Zakat is practised al­most in every religion only the name differs. Hindus call it Punn, Daan. Unlike Islam where Zakat is collected by the state and Muslims are free only to offer Sadqa. 80 The other religions grant full fre_edom to the donors. As for Wuzu, which is performed by the Muslims in a special way, ~ere is nothing in any other relig­ion except that all religions advise bath (or cleanliness) be{ore prayers. Sijda81 is performed in one way or the other by all relig­ions. The Hindus had it thousands of years ago and called it Dandaut or Bandna. Roza was performed (and is still observed) by the Hindus as Varat. Since all these have been copied by Is­lam from Hinduism, would you on your own criteria, aceept Is­lam to be a copy of Hinduism ?

About the Roza Giani Abadullah must have read Guru Nanak's following Shabad: "Ann Na Khayaa saad gawayaa bahu dukh paayaa dooja bhaayaa "82

They observe fast and lose tastes pnly to involve in deeds that wean them away from God. (Aasaa Di Vaar M:l) Since he quotes Kabir, he must also have read the following: "Roza Dharey manaavey Allah suadat jeeaa sangharey "83

He observes fast to propitiate God and yet destroys God's crea­tion for satisfying his own palate" Abadullah condemns Hindu Varat but praises Muslim Roza. This sounds unfair. Guru Nanak condemns both Roza and Varat.

80 Zakat is used for ( 1) Fuqra (poor) (2) Prisoners of war (3) Travellers ( 4) Preaching Is­lam (Fisabilillah) and (5) winning over people to Islam (Muallafa qulububum) - see Sahi Muslim 2303. Sl)flr ~

12 ,;rn ?i' ~ we ~ us ~ ~ p ~ <orar JJf'R' H1) l:a R tf6 ~ JHBi ~ trnr Aurij

67

In another place Mr. Aba~ullah condemns Hindus and Sikhs for

worshipping stones. The Sikhs do not worship any stones but May

I ask you what is "Sang-e-Aswad ?'784 ? Is it a better stone than that

worshipped by the Hindus (Usually white)? What has a·stone to do

with religion ? Can a stone make a man spiritual ? Why do people

spend millions of pounds every year to go and kiss Sang-e-Aswad?

Elsewhere Abadullah writes that Guru Nanak was a Muslim be­cause he carried a Quran with him. There is no evidence that the Guru carried a Quran but even if he did, this does not mean that be became a Muslim. You have given me two copies of the Quran, would you now consider me a Muslim ? If the mere pos­session of a Quran can make one a Muslim then the Muslims would do b~r by printing the Quran and pushing it through every letterbox in the world. The whole world would be Muslim overnight.

The Cloak Mr. Abadullah talks about was gifted to Guru Nanak by Ismail Safwi. There is no evidence that the Guru wore it but if the possession of a cloak made the Guru a Muslim then a copy of Guru Granth Sahib which Giani Abadullah handed over to us in 1953 at Nanakana must have made him a Sikh because it stayed with him for 6 years. Do not forget that the Guru sim­ply accepted the cloak as a gift or souvenir whereas Giani Abadullah has been actually reading the Guru Granth Sahib.

It is utterly preposterous on the part of your writer to say that the Gu·ru disliked music. The whole of his composition is in mu­sical meters and he even went a step further to indicate in which tunes it is to be sung. All through his life he sang hymns to the accompaniment of a Rabab played by his friend Mardana. Using some unauthentic and fanatic sources he tries to prove that the Guru shaved himself, wore a cap, married a Muslim girl, ob­served fasts, repeated Kalima and regularly visited the graves of the Muslims. None of this is warranted by the writings of the Guru.

14 Whal Sang-c>Aswad came from heaven it was milk- white. People's sins have made & blade. (l'rimi~ Vol 1-107 and Nisai Vol 2-29). ·

68

If Sati'rath Parkash ~om which Giani Abadullah quotes is re­spectable then he has fu accept every line of "Rangi Ia Rasul" as correct .I need say no more about this.

I

. . By .writing this book Giani Abadullah has simply tried to disturb the hornet~ s nest. The relations between the two religions have been cordial everywhere. The Sikhs. do not pick holes in other's coa~s. I have a great regard for Islam and my Muslim friends but I would hate to call Giani Abadullah a Muslim now on­wards. If Guru Nanak had been a Muslim, he would.have done ' ..

the following

I He would have written the whole of Muslim Kalima or at least Bismillah ur Rehman ur Rahim at the head of every COmPOSition. .

2 He would not have produced another set of hymns when the Quran was available already.

3 f1e wouldhimselfhave baptised Lehna (our s~d Guru)

to Islam and iru.1ructed him to visit Mecca for Hajj every year. Neither any Guru nor their followers visited Mecea 1lfter Guru Nanak

:4. He would have Copiously praised the Quran and men­tioned the name of the Prq>het reverently. There is noth­ing to that end in the ~ Granth Sahib ..

S. He would not have criticised the Muslim practices. His in­vective$ specially against Rom and Qazi are too much for a Muslim to swallow.

In the ~d I thank you for. the loan of the book which I am re­twping,lterewith. I would feel obliged if you can procure a copy ·of1his'\o.bk for me. Please send me the invoice. I will send you a cheque· as soon ·as it is received . "

69

Letter No. 21 Letter from Mr. D to the author (m urdu)

This was a lengthy letter eulogising Mirza Ghulam Ahmed; how he was appointed by God as messenger and was the head of all previous messengers and how he corrected the mistakes of the Mullahs and so on. Then there followed six pages of quotations in urdu either taken. out of context from the Janam Sakhis or Guru Granth Sa­hib, or just made up and misinterpreted to suit Mr. D's own ulterior purpose. Some examples follow. In order to assist those who can not read Panjabi I have translated Mr. D's in­terpretations and then added my comments. .

~'Muslims greet each other with the words ~~Aslam-alaikam ". There is (therefore) no evidence, contends Mr. D, that Baba Nanak ever greeted anyone with the salutations "Lala Ji Ram Ram or Sat Sri Akal". An irrelevant conclusion as the reader can see.

Reading through the popular Punjabi idiom used, this line means that: The Hindu is blind (i.e. totally ignorant when he fol­lows the path of superstition and worships blmd aiJd dumb stone idols) and the Muslim is one-eyed (when he· treats humankind partially i.e. favouring the Muslim to the non-Muslim). Wiser than both is man of true knowledge (who sheds ignorance or prejudice and sees everything in the Divine Light, regardless of his professed religion). (SGGS p.875)

These lines, as clarified by the author in his response, are from a hymn by Saint Nam Dev and not by Guru Nanak. Also, Mr. D preforred his own (rather ludicrous). translation of this line as follows:

~·The Hindus are blind but the Muslims see everyone with the same eye (i.e they do not discrilninate). Because. they are men-

70

of learning, they are cleverer than everyone else." The next line, which Mr. D did not quote, makes · it all the more clear and also exposes Mr. D's dishonesty:

"ffi¥ ~ ~ .~ fi. m m ~ fffll ~ C5"" mna· Translation:-The Hindu worships at the temple and the Muslim at the mosque. But Nama serves that Lord who resides neither in a temple nor in a mosque.

3. iJU1 tU1'11 feH7; tit, iffT tU1'11 ~ (11'li/ qwr 1RF 14 8)

Translation: "Only the book of faith has survived and that book is the Quran. '' Comments :-These lines are spoken by a Muslim interlocutor discussing religion with Guru Nanak and are culled from the Janam Sakhi. Mr. Dis dishonestly associating them with Guru Nanak.

4 ~ ibr re-s~. ~ irl H8 feH ~ ~ <$ R6' 1082)

Translation: A Muslim should be kind-hearted and should cleanse away the filth from his mind. (Guru Granth Sahib Maru M.5 page 1084). Mr. D's translation:- A Muslim is kind hearted and pure of heart. Comments:- The translation is not correct . Every Muslim is not kind hearted or pure. Such blank statements are ludicrous.

sv;n~~a-~~~. mrr feRwH ~ -er pc! lhT ~ <!Rit II'B" m:r 1 41,

Translation:- The world, other than Islam is infidel and secre­tive. Only Islam is a true religion and the Muslims declare it openly by givirig·out Azan (call to prayer) loudly.

6 fmrcr JI!CI1 cmH U'Ci (mr' 1 3 9)

Translation: Devotion and contentment can be learnt from the sacred Kalirna. Comments:- No.5 and 6 are spoken by a Muslim discussing re­ligion with Guru Nanak and are taken from the Janam Sakhi. Here again Mr. Dis intentionally trying to prove that they were spoken by Guru Nanak.

7 ~ ~ HJtCm a-e- at !fRBH'O ~ ~ ))f";m m qa fMc'.~ H'H ~ <"(Tl:r ws- u: 1 ,

,. I

71

Translation: To be a Muslim is difficuh and one should call himself a Muslim only if he is really a Muslim. He should first accept Islam as his voluntary choice and then give away all property to the Muslims. (~ eo' ~ fap,rn1 ,;fa ~ cr' )Jf'CJB' !fCll'){ CI'JR5 CiOc'i' a I feR d' l:fRBH'n ~ HBcni if I ~ cr' m fop,ro en U'Ri GIS' a-fmd~~~ifl) .

To be a Muslim means to be a scholar and saint and thu.:. to reach high spiritual position. That is why it is very difficult ~·J be a Muslim . The Muslim faith is sweet with lmowledge and that is why the Muslims resort to sacrifice. Comments:- The lines from the Guru Granth Sahib are mis­quoted and the reader can see how a wrong translation has been provided and deliberately associated with the slaughter of ani­mals by the Muslims. (Read Guru Granth Sahib Majh M.l page 141). The second lin~ given above has been corrupted.

8 a! HJ1BH m ~ ,)fckl) ~ cr BaH~ I

~ O'(')ct Half ~ ~ .~ HR'SH'O· ~ I Translation: Muslims should become leaders of faith and get rid of the fears of life and death. They can claim to be true Mus­lims only if they show compassion to all living beings .

iraim':I:(RBH'n # ~ fu66t t ~ ~ fer d ~ c} tcre it w a­are ,;ra fonwo w m Translation:- Muslims are the swimmers in the ocean of spiri­tuality and therefore crossed the boundaries of transmigratiori and achieved salvation. Comments:- The lines are quoted from Guru Granth Sahib page 141 and translated to suit Mr. D's ulterior motive. The Gurus have expressed their opinions about people of different faiths and professions and instructed them how to behave. Other simi:-lar hymns can be read on pages 1003 ~ ~--·····) page

1004 ~ ~---),page 24 ~ FctdH'~·-·) page 216

(~ ~ ... ) and page 931 (~ Htm ···)etc.

9 tfRBH'?) !fRBHl t1R fW )fcR),

aWl at ~ io (';' iiO}f traO (RG' 1 43)

Translation:- Muslims die as Muslims. They become alive on

72

the doom's day and then do not take birth again .

1 o <~ il ~ m fc»rcr tii'G' ij&,~ t F;um a me- a tct ~ ij-1fircRr ~ i ~ ~ lfcJ iJR ~ ~·INa ~ trc')){ 0'

~ ltii'C'il ~ ~ flal"aft Muslims are the saved ones and their transmigration has ended. Their body suffers only one death. Only on the doomsday ac- . counts will be settled as the big audit. Then they will not take birth. They achieve salvation for ever . Comments:- These lines are nowhere to be found in the Granth Sahib. Mr. D has intentionally avoided to mention the source of this quotation.

11 )Jf)fg ~ ~ uc fopw ~ 01!' !fR8)rn (R'l:fi emf JmT 2 0 3)

Translation: The influence (political) of the Hindus has dWindled and Muslims have grown in number and thus become influential. ilai~W= tCf m H' ~ forcJ "ii ~·,;ra ~ lr.f at ~ 1til'<'il ~ ~ -are~ Translation:- The Hindus have fallen behind in good acts and Muslims have overtaken them. The Muslims have. become knowledgeable. Comments:- There is no Janam Sakhi known as Salehi Kallan. The lines only expose the oppressive reign of the Muslim Kings.

12 cmw -at o- w.JRn 3 cl ~ <mr178)

Translation:-Kalima saying Muslims will not die as apostates. <amf' -ar ljR8)f'n rwwn it HfcJpf a Q ~ ncrt ri-at 1lil'nl m fap,rnl ~ rm· ~ fnwa w triit) Kalima repeating Muslims will not go to he~ as ignorant people. They are lmowledgeable and will achieve salvation. Comments:- Mr. D. does not mention the name of his source for this quotation. There is no such line in the Guru Granth Sahib.

1 3 tfRB)fn' fRrcr ~ uq 1.1:1 'CI'Cin fFlu'if Ba' an. Q- fn'CJ,ftfn !" tR ~ 1.("CJ (Ri!:465)

Translation:- Muslims value Shariat {Muslim law) and therefore read it and concentrate on it. You concentrate on Shariat but how can you cross the ocean of ~rtality if you do nOt under­stand it? (HR8M'C'> feR d' n8 iJ'alr ~ fct ~ ~ frRB'H ~ t{CJ fnta ~ fa'p,ro iJ'H8 c:rcS ~ .~ ~ Cl' fnta liM5l fap,rn <rRB'. ~ \J'Cil' ,. WifR ~ tir trcr ~)

73

Translation:- Muslims are praiseworthy because they read. the laws of Islam, concentrate on them and become knowledgeable. It is necessary to understand the Islamic Shariat and obtain knowledge. How can the humans achieve salvatiop without lmowledge of Islamic spirituality? Comments:- The lines are taken :from War Aasa of Guru Nanak page 464. The second line has been deliberately changed. Mr. D concludes, "According to Guru Baba Nanak true devo­tion is reflected only in the pure hearts . It is therefore necessary to be a Muslim although it is difficult. Through repeating the lea­lima a person is blessed with knowledge, gets salvation and is thus saved :from the hell fire. ~ O'Ocf ;:it i Ht.JClCI' lPB' as ~ ~ wg ~ a a ' 1 J)f'll ~ ij-' fq fap,rct; a"1 ~ qy io JRf fe8 ;r irer br a- feR B=t HHBH'O lfOO' t.r§Ctl a ~ !fUcr8' ~ ifl cmw u¥ ~ 90 eWn fe8 ;r ~ 3 ;:ror ~7

~ ~ ~ 1.1' ~ llt.nf a"1 ))f'faB 88 ~1m'~ a. I

14. at~~~~ cDw ,;to~ fil9'% faR qy ~ 0' ~ (ftnlf Wld m Mn1 mur R6' 454). ·

Translation:- Then Prophet Muhammad was sent to earth. The misguided people did not accept his instruction (# ~ # ~ • ,;to ~ t Je ~ '8cir % "' Cl' §'ij)f'7) 0' ){"'(')", urat 1Mi' ;:it % CJ'H!jseaa•e RHn 'tfRBH'C') i' ~ .i (1;11{ ir ~ cr1w ') Translation:-Then Muhammad was sent and the ignorant Kafirs did not accept his instruction. Here Baba Ji ~ called the staunch Muslim (Rasakhuletkad) as a Giani. · Comments:- The lines are spoken by a Muslim who is trying to prove the superiority of Islam over other religions . . ~ qJJ (';'(I)Cl ;:it ~ 11l'a'% ;r freT iJ!' BaCf ,;ffi ~ Jr ~ t )fGJij

a?)'Rt( lliar ~ i ))flU crrm il1a ~ ~ cr ~ ~ ,;ffi QR ir <WCG iJlit HarcJ R'H cr' ~ oat ~ w. ,;ffi ,.m ~ aat ~ ~ R' ~ 0' t ~ QR ~ u "fr.:r a cr ~ (';'(I)Cl ifar nt. ffif crcrt at wale' l;fRBH"n Bl nt' ~ ~ R # fncnJ F ~ )fGJij

,fi1 R h' ,;ffi ~ !fRBH'O oat t I

Translation:-Baba Guru Nanak was born in a Hindu ~y but he hated idol worship and duality: However he. did belieVe in transmigration. First he studied the books ~f his owr{ religion and developed hatred f9r them.

"tQa ~ 86 JMre 87 ,;tea 9Cf tn iS . R R 'Air ifel a I u,;nn

74

At this stage he had not studied Islam and did knot know its be­liefs so he said, "I am made up of five elements and Nanak is my name. If I call myself Hiridu I will be killed and Muslim I am not". He meant that he had discarded Hinduism bUt still he had not become a true and complete Muslim.

1s ~ <166 C!6'0 ~ etro awa c:no. finf fW it! ~ ~ ~ qij 1il'a1n (m:' 146)

Translation:- The Quran has thirty letters and therefore thirty suparas. It is full of advice which one should hear and believe in

<~ ~ ~ ~ H" iJ ,;fir F "&" t1l i iim ~ ~ ~ itt feR }( ~ fnwcr iJ fuo ~ !fc') era' t!Wn B'O' ~ I

Translation:- Quran is written in thirty Arabic letters and God has therefore made thirty Suparas. It is full of spiritual knowl-edge. One should hear it and believe in it . · Comments:- Mr. D has again assumed that these lines are writ­ten by the Sikh Gurus. He did not even mention the source . Mr. D then writes," I have sent you a Quran fully trans-lated ........ And now I write the statements of Baba Nanak about the Quran (He made these statements after reading the Quran ) ))f'\1 ~ ~ ~ ~ (S' ~ Rafta) tt * Rt iJ l))fl! tt ))f'U ~ ~ ens '0'(')(.{ ci ~ ci ~ ~ <-R t?; cr1 ~ ci ~ ir, fQ)Jf'o

CiCG' ~

1 >ri ~ gqo trlo ~ '0'(')(.{ lt'a

~ a"3'lt mo -et mr Cfd'1f C!6'0 <Wlit m 11"8' R6' 1 4 a, Translation:- Qazi Rukan Din then said, "hear 0 Nanak Shah. The revealed book of faith is the true Quran. Comments:- Lines spoken by a Muslim named Rukan Din who takes part in the debate. ·

2 em}(~~~.~~ ))J#r 31il' <~~sRi' 136)

Translation:-In the Kalyug Athrav veda has gained popularity. The name of God has become Allah.

75

~ ifB1iOT i r.Dffl ir wt ~ HOiCf ~ ~ ~ ~ ft:m }( F cr n'H ..;tw w f"ap,fT a 1 "

Translation:·· It means that in the Kalyug age only a book that calls God by· the name of Allah has become acceptable and popular. Comments:- The lines are extracted from war Aasa of Guru Granth Sahib page· 4 70. Here the Guru talks about the changing patterns of Society throughout the four ages (Satyug, Treta, Duapar and Kalyug ).Mr. D Did not read ~ e~~r. )JfCJJn ?i' p ,;tat~ (In the Kalyug age people have become short tem­pered and are lead by falsehood). Further anyone can see that his translation is twisted.

3 Fl<!n '6'0 ~ rrcm " 0' cWt, ~ wFct a vw ~ 0' 'h1 (~ Rao )f: 1 ) 80

Translation:- I have seen the four books. There is none without One. He is without a parallel. There has been none like him and there will be none like Him in future.

rr * '6'0 ~ ~ ~ Hri ~ 'i ~ RB ~ ~~tim aar 'Cfa'll ~ a rem aar feR 'i O'im acr* ~ F ecr a 1

Translation:- I have read all the four books (Zindavesta, Zaboor, Bible and Quran). With the exception of the Quran the others are spurious. As there is only one book of God, so is there only one God who sent it .

l

Comments:- There is no such line anywhere in the Sikh scrip-tures. Mr. D has composed it himself and passed it on as writ­ten by Guru Nanak. 89 The word 'Allah 'is derived from 1he .Arabic word illah and c:ombined with definite arti­cle AI .h was in conunoo Use before the birtli of Muhammad. The Jews used the words 'Ella • or 'Eioha' instead of' Allah •. h was so common that people used it in naming their children. For example the prophet's own father was named Abdallah (Abd=sword Al­lah;Qod ). If this word were not known the Quran would have been unintelligible to the Arabs. '!be Quran says, "Most excellent titles hath God, by these call upon Him and stand aloof from those who pervert His titles" (Holy Quran Vii 169). Muslims, therefore, only use T awfiqi names (only those used in the Quran or the Hadis). For example they will ac­cept God as 'Ash Shafi' (The healer) but not 'At Tabib' (The physician) because the later is not fOtmd in the Quran. The Sikhs accept every name for God .

ao ~ em Jm! ~ $1 wrau fh ?Kit a- 1 ir ClCJ ~ m at ~ ttm ~ ~ 5'8 w f!RB'K 0'5 en • a- 1~ ~ ~ ~. ,~ ~ i ~ HB ~ ~· I U'Oci ~ -63' em fq tl"a Q"3'W CJn ,;f;ftg, "i1!CJ, ~ ~ ~

76

4 ~ t iCf CfCr qw ~ CJ'lf, fnt ~ ~ Hi ~ ~ fcdr C'i' JJMf I

Translation:-Drive _away disbelief and enshrine Shariat in your. heart. Be humble before others and do not criticise others .

OlO eft IJCI)d' i ftaN ll'ir t VCJ CfCJ I~ ,;fa ~ c} ~ emf ~ 11t

Bnd' ~I~ i ~ RS" R tm ~ ,;fa "hd (')' qij I

Translation:- Remove that which is against the instruction of the Nabi .Walk according to the Quran and the Hadith. This is sun­nat. Be cordial with all and do not backbite. Comments:- Baba Nanak has nowhere written anything like this. Mr. D has composed this himself and he does not mention the source.

5 ~ ~ rill ~ iiacr Qat ~ YO'<! <O'WcilBl mt' 836)

Translation:- In this Kalyug age only Quran is pennitted as ac­ceptable and therefore Hindu priests and their religious books have lost influence on the people.

(t.nf'C'Y ~ if ~ ~ ~ fRa6 ~ if I ~ i ~ ,;'fa ~ u nTH cro- ~ Translation:- In the Kalyug age the only approved and popular book is the ~ran. The v•s and the other books of the Hindu scholars have proved useless . · Comments :- This hymn is to be found in the Guru Granth sahib on page 903. Here the Guru is expressing his ideas on the re­pression of the native culture and religion by the foreign rulers who ruled India in his days .

~ m ill i RS" lft.I'CM crt afaala•a m i ~ ~ i HtifcM ir' R'fms it 1m R'1rcJ ~ a- Fer ~ anVt ~ <l HJR5H'n e- 81 1 FMV il?))f

Jl'l:it HI' 1 9 6 \lCJ fBtsr iJ I

Translation:- Guru Nanak studied all religions and then accepted Islam. It is proved that he was a Hanji Muslim. This is written on page 196 of Janam Sakhi. _ Comments:- Mr. D. does not m.eDtion which Janam Sakhi he is talking about and what is written there much less mentioning who is the author of that Janam Sakhi. Mr. D ends the letter with the following words:-

91 Mer cftB RB · ~ 1.lfaBt HugJies Diaionmy of Islam ftR 6nit 3 ~ ft!u fHatir" 'iiJB')f ~ t 1911 f4tr fel t!' 'tfcRl'CJ lftar I

77

H- * ))f'1.f ci ~ ~ ~ ~ ~lH Bii ~ a Wr Q' ftim lS8V nvt fa' ))f'1.f !fBR)f'n a ai'1~ #cl ))f'1.f ~ q1 aor cmw ~ era (;)('if R m:r ~ riior ~ nr 1fa ~ I ea

Translation:- If I wrote Aslam Alaikum and offered you a Quran it does not mean that you have become a Muslim. Up until you repeat a Kalima like the Muslims and observe fasts and charity, you cannot be a full Muslim .

Letter No. 22 Letter from the author ( 22.12. 78) to Mr. D This is a very lengthy letter in Urdu answering all points in let­ter No. 21 one by one. Since I have now add~d brief comments in the body of the correspondent's letter (No.21), I am abridg­ing it and here and there adding some comments in English for the benefit of those who can not read Panjabi or understand Urdu.

Dear Mr. D, Since I am a follower of Guru Nanak who was, according to you, a Hanft Muslim, I do not feel the ~ecessity to read books on Islam. Kindly send me the book "Predictions of Niamatul­lah" as requested by me and do not send any more books to me on Islam.

I think every religion preaches us to be honest and truthful. ·From your letter it appears that your religion may be different from others. You have misquoted lines from the Granth Sahib, concocted your own hymns, foisted them on Guru Nanak and have passed on the statements of the Muslims as those made by Guru Nanak. Honesty demanded that sources should have been mentioned clearly and honestly.

No Janam Sakhi is a scared book of the Sikhs. The statements made in the Janam Sakhi are either those of the Muslim inter­locutors mentioned therein or of the author. Obviously Baba Nanak could not have written scores of Janam Sakhis that you quote. 0

81 fR flRn ~ lf'UcJ ))f' CfM1 ~ ~ I

78

eM em # Hi" ))f'tl cit ~ UCJ m R ~ lmd' if I ))f'tf ~ ~,"feR 5t 13'tf' R'fcN trc'))f R'lit ~ (Hi' 5 64) )( ~ ~ "··-·-"~ ~ a­fa' w . (l)'(l)q wfall * em trc'iH R'lit ~ nm 1 'iR)){ JRiPHt ~ i ~a ~ c} ~ )ffi ,;fir ))f'U ifir tt * RM ~· I tcf tffiH H'l:S1 )){'1.f i H))filiJ

~4 ~ ~ * 91 fBll ~ if I ))f'U C!l' f8tfnr fq 11'11' ;it 'iR)){

Wtit )( f1;rcr ~ ~ -ew m a- 'ftR H" cmr t , ~ R'fulf hiW Gl'B95 w f1;rcr cmra- ~·

Most of your quotations are from "Journey to Mecca" in the Janam Sakhi where Muslim scholars discuss religion with Guru Nanak. Not only have you associated the statements of the Muslims with Guru Nanak but have also made some glaring mistakes. ))f'U flM' ~ r "~ qr,;tt gqn m ad' (')'(';Cf H'CJ, d1a ~ ~ ~ ala mra c:nn. ~ ~ rre C'»iJ3t Be!" Be!" ctct lilirln" Can you swear by the Holy Quran and say that the statement af· ter the underlined words (Qazi Rukan Din said ....... ) were made by Baba Nanak and not by Rukan Din? I think you are commit· ting a sin.

pit crmn ~ f1;rcr ir fa" q]9 cp R'fa1f )( if ~ J1!0 out or context

~ Cfij ))f'1.l lfc'ilfcJiit i )mN fncrH air ~ lilcr ~ ~ ~ ~ n ~ ;rt ~ ~ mr 132 if~ ir, "f:m )Jf(T)f ~ ere!' •••••.• ~ ~ ~ ~I" tlftRl # iQ" (l)'(l)q cit U if ~ i ~ ~ ~ lmN nma ~ ~ ~ nut w >)fa nr m ~ 13'tf' (l)'(l)q ;n ~ ~ w 1 f6cJ ))f'\f frt:rll1 at i m ~ ~ fcf ,~.. w )rcnN ~ ~ if I~ R ~ ~ ,;fir ~ "@?)" a- I ))f'GJCJ ~ R ~ HdcJ tr:[ ita'~~~ WI~ HdcJ a ,~ ~ '@gcr, HRBH'O HRB, mr ~ ~ fml ~ (5T HiiG"

On the one hand you write that Guru Arjan Dev corrupted Guru Nanak's hymns on the other hand you quote Guru Arjan Dev's hymn to prove that Guru Nanak was a Muslim. Let us examine the hymn you have quoted. ~ ·~ ))f'\1 * nut fBir, ~ ~ en ~ $J ~ w ftreMd ~I ncftw ))f'1.l ~ ~ ~ ~ fcf fliro ctm ~ cit ~.r if1 ~ ftircJ ~ a ~ ){ a w ~ a ~ t1'a'1 a- 1

93 itai ~ ~ 84 gats ~ 95 feu ~ ~ * ~ ~ f.$i fBlit R1 fim fh Hime R'fcJti ~ BllG ~ ~ ~ fHl:fi' ~ ~ fap,r irl ~ ~ ~feR~ a-~ 801' ~~ onrt R11 96 1fii"C

79

Linel ))fBCJ "ff1H ~ ~ ~~~itre

Line2 ~ c:m fe8 wro c:nrm -eR ~01@~

Line3 ~~mnct'tit "il~iibm~

Line4 frHB'.~ fr ~ fnB ftmfii U6'

LineS ~ ibrfum~ ~ en ~ fe8_ ~ iN

Line 2 "To read the Quran and feel religious but to keep up to ten women is to tread on the wrong path.,

))flf R(ScJ tl!a 2 }( fircrcJ a- fC{ fe8 }( ~ QijO' fC{ ~ ~ Oil' i ,;ra -eR -eR ~ ijtf(l)' ,~ ~" fal,r ~ ~ ~ ~ ri }jR8'H'(I; it dRBlH crlr'cft 7 97

You say that you have been to Hajj twice. Please read line3 which says, "Only He is a Qazi who trades truth. Only he is a Haji who cleanses his heart". By the definition of Baba Nanak your Hajj is useless because you are quoting hymns with dishon­esty. )){'1.f 3 JrcrcJ ttrcJ tJ'O a- ~ HB' t.r(TcJ ii aa- ~ r;m t ~ acr ~ qa& m ~~ iO ncrl ~ llP!e 3 ~ a- fq ~ iSQ a- ;l ibf fe8 <ofaH f;m> ~. ~ R im H'i" era-. f«f fr8. ,;rn ~ ~ ~ (';' en. I)){'U m ~ fq ~ )Jf'lf ~ ~ lf(') -aM ~ 1

Please also read the following hymn of the same Guru (Arjan Dev) "-eaa' 0 ~ 0 Hfu ij)fe'(')' faB m ;l ~ foe'O' a ~ cuwit ~Her~~~~ D~D m:r ri trt o a1alr ~ ~ m ~ o itr ~ ~ (';' fcwr;:r ~ e-a- foijcra 8 ~ ~ (';' U)f ffre (';' ~ ~ O'H c} fihr \fa'(~)

qg alihJ •feg ~ ~ QJCf titcJ fHfg ~ l:fHH U6f'W H ((r(';' 11 3 6)

80

~ ~ wfuif it tcf ,;fa RaCJ ))f'l.f * out of (."OfUext ~ ~ Cia' e1 ij-1 ))f'1.f * mw R RdcJ e1 a 1 mr Htft! cit R'3 Rifcr ~ ~ }( )1('\f i d ;1 ~ ~ irfa' )lf'U ~ ~ fCl' ft.ril ~ )( qij ~ ~ * ftmwH a" ~ ~~a1

I am quoting below another hymn that you have intentionally misquoted. ~~~;rr~~~crcJ't ~ ~ ~ irlij fifO' )fRCr8 )fW ~ Hri ~ l¢BH tfto ~, ~ ~ a" ScD.f iri em "el an'fe" A* fRcJ @llo <tOcl' A* a,ry orri ~ ~ JrcPf ~ fHcfcns ~ at ~ ~ ~ JeO R- R M'CTcJ a fci ~ ~' R'6'3 w ere :311 m ~ afd&Ci'& a" ~ a I Jrcra ~ 3 )( nm if fct ")fcf('; ~ a" BaH

~~~ 1rcffir ~ qJ8'H ~ wfua ·~ F w !i'CJ sra iJar oa- t fa' 3fn'1 oo it rio~' ~ ;t Ha1 '9'0 ~ H' ))f' tri' cnr 1ftiro # w w ~~crltrmra~~wqa~if'~m,;to ~ c:rcS 3 aar ~ m tn en ~ fiR ~~ ·~ ~101 en ftts•ut:atil crai tt~~ reowo ~ w ~ 3 iP3' a- ~ ~ Riil' Wt' a 1

tR cit Ri.l' i ir it fmrif. CfdO' w ~ CTcfnT 3 RHi if' )){' J1cfd' a lfa1Cf fcDit ~ HR'i1t3ih!' cl 9'w ~. qa ijR8)f'?) ~ i d' lJa'n' 3 ~ cit crt:l' i ~ ~ ~I ftrcf "J)f'tl ~, ~ ¢, msl ,jfij dchcft ~ ~ ~ HaTa mirda' ~ ~ wfuQ ~ aa "fi:ra* ~102 if Ci(J Rad"

•,;'#a'tl~tf*Jrol~F~nr~mncna~" ~ .? J)f'U if' m'iif1 HRBH'O O'(li'Cif 'j ~ ~ : .

~ ~~ ~. trnniJ~nlv ~ tiro i Mar R'ftr ~ ~ fa))f' a1R (iro' 15)

m ))f'U 'a1 ~ a" f1ircJ )Jf'B)f a fct R'aCJ ~ 2 .,.. JHJf8' 'S6t.l ,~

uw "<Ba" ~ ~ m rn en ~> a r.m J)f'tl * b ~ w . "~"erG m a ~ )lf'U a" H3l5li ~ 3 tn' I ~ J)f'U fcml cl ~cit~fm3d'~ cit~~ JJri~?

In ~s hymn you have changed 'Maskalmana' to 'Musalmana' to achieve your end. You can see that the whole hynm outlines the qualities required of a true Muslim. The Guru is not. making a statement about any particular Muslim. I am sure you know every Muslim is not good and therefore no blanket statements can describe all Muslims.

88 tUG~ 100 mrn 1 a'iircS ti tnlor ~ m m 3 fHa;.r :QJWH ~ Heft ~ ~ RnlfRB)f'n~~~~~~fHB~ I 101 ~ fn1iDf 102 ~

81

fio ~ i ri }( il HHBH'O n'Ocl Cl' ~ HB'CJiil' 3 : "faftf fRftf )Jfl:'ij' ~ II (~ 2 9)

~ ~ ql ~ it CJG' Ci(J ~ ~ ql '3CJij' CJ':OPf103 Ci(J ~

if I ii'CICJ a f<! w # qJJ (')'?)'q ~ HJISH'O nut ~ w f6cJ ~ qJW)f ~ wra. ~ nm' trl ))f'tl ~ llfaB1 fi ct ~ ~ Cia' iraJ I ~ t ~ w iDitn )Jf'R)f'n ct' RCf a 1

You are also quoting a line from the following hymn to prove the superiority of Islam. I am quoting below the full hymn and you can see that the Guru mentions Muslims in the first two lines and Hindus are mentioned in the next three lines. I wonder if you will accept that the Guru became a Hindu afterwards. Again you know that you have once again corrupted the hymn and interpolated your phrase in it .

))f'tl 1JS (')'?)'q ~ ct' ~ b104 ~ m ~ t ~ w ~ crcJi iJ HalO fi:rcJ:s ~ Jrcrcr I R'CJ' ~ MR W iJ: ~ fmrfJ ~ 1.lf;J ufs aafa ~' ~itfi:rwfu~fM~qf~ fflv R'B'Cft ~ ~ gfu ~ ~ ~ )JfffiJ' ~ ~ lrcJqr(J •

im1 am ~ ~ )JfBlf n'H ~ mr 111ft!" q1 1 4 ~ a mn ., ~ it ~ wmrir Cf' ftNcr a 1 ))f'tl i d'aiD( t ~ a=tRa1 Jrcrcr ct' ~ # ftR ~ fci "~ ct ir ~

" Mail -en1 ~ fat'fci ~ -* ~ i. ~ Cia' d if mr d !fO'RII a fq ~ ~ ~ ~ ,;fa ~ iJ8" Ci(J ))fCRr' ~ ~. il't' ))f'U Cf'

HRBM'<'i' (')'?)'q ~ ~ crva ffre. a- fat)Jf' a ,;ra ttatt it Ci(J un ~ ql ~ ~ B'a1' ir1· mr ~ fR ))f'U * ;rn ,- Cia' ~ ~ ir1 "HRBM'O' fRi:f3 ~ ~ ~ crcJfcr ~" ~ ))f'tl * ~ ere "& ~ qij' ~. nrn p tR wt urcr ere ~ a 1m mr ct'. HCRPr m ))f'tl ~ crcJ aa- if 1 mr ct' Hd'B8 # If(') tfbJr. ,~ ;:ra B'tf SCI' tS:J C!fCJ ~ ~ cteS ~ )JfmJ fi ~ m tir urcr it Jrcl'cn "))f'U "fW> ... ct' )G'Bif ... H'Cii'a'" Cil"CS a I ~ ))f'tl att ~ ~1 05 felfr ~ a i«Jf •!t• t f1;ru ~oe d GTt irl 'P' g;;r cl # ~ m ~ ~ mna ))f'tl nat JDi' 1 ~ ~ JWU i ~ ua '#. ~ Rill R't!l ~ ~ sl feJJ w ~ ~ ~ Cilad' a1 07 1 Ra ))f'U * ))f'tit Jrcrcr t tor i :cnBd trcn' ua a1f ~ a 1 fq))fT ~ Cia(';' ))f'tl ct w a ~~ ?~~~$ ~R'rtsl~crori~sl~~

10S~

~~ & tu, fi&Bna1 107 ¥an' .. ·

82

~ ~ ~ mr t&" fO' 'A n fari' tit H'B Hfu ~ ~ crcJa' ut ~fat~wa HW ~ ~ ~. ~ Hn cr saH nr tnl1 ucms ~ ~ ~ fqn'Jit wtt ai mu.as m 'Mer H§\1 ~ lnft Cijf ~ ~ • MfT ~ \ref ~ H9 ~ fcArr HJffir fR"a ~ t1f ~ Hfa ~ ~ ~ fq)Jf' Vi{'" ~ t ~ W« "OCJt ~ fcm cr Half nr ~ Cffu ~~a- F ~ fRt ~ H'fc9tltl<i«V 1350)

)){ll ))f'\1 m ~ fii "Q $1 R'fcN R- ~ ~ ~ falJf' f1R ~ m ))f'\l -&- ~ ?JH"U -&- ftiro # fB'f ~ fa' ~ 1M R'full i ~ ··~ -at HRHlf'O faJ)Jf'O H Hfu§K ~ crcr ~ )t oat ~ 1 ti1'0l f1ircJ ~ a-- feR d ~ tr ;ri"cjJ·~ ~ WB'1 08 1m! Hi~ ,;'fa JH"U ~ Bcir "' ncJt lfBfQ QBH' 'at S'B' i d' if I

))f'\1 cit fRaH t.'lir11 09 cr f1;rcr 1H'BH a fq ))f'1.f il?)){ Ff'lit )( ~ "JIB"W m• it f1R O"a'1w ~ craa- ~ 1 o fq "~ CVc')cf Tit &- fcml fa¥ 'i ~ Tit cit w fcnit ~ "' mo 1ft )){q"8 ncrt ?«~"' ~ ))f'\1 cit ntrcr ~ m ~ ~ fq -not ~ t yn' I ~ iiR ~ g;;f ~ $I R'f<nl )t ))f'\1 "' n;;rcJ

ncna ~1 ~ V'B' JSm6 )Jf'\1 cit ~ tt wo m m tri' # ))f'\1 f1ircJ m fBlG ~. "tilil' lMr (l')"(')cf t crRs8fi!daa•e111 HRBWO tl ~ i O'H Fl ~ • ir" ~ ~ afd* Jr ~ fh 110 tri'or?

From the word Salama laiki (RB'H' B"tt> you conclude that the Guru was a Muslim. When you say the Guru used the word Giani for Raskhuletkad Muslim would you apply the same argu­ment to conclude that Muslims have become Sikhs? Do you be­come a Christian by saying 'Good morning' to a Christian? As the following hymns will show the Gurus used Hindi when con­versing with Hindus and Arabic and Persian when conversing with the Muslims.

¥ i' AVcJ tmn (')'lf ycjt ir "CITCITO H ~ cR ~ ~ ~ ~ ;m; ~ 1St ~ ~ ~ m ctcr JraT5 ~ ~ ital' .cfrn' 663)

108 ~ f#a'r ~ 1 09 itct S'iJl 110~ij-

111~~

~- d: "lifCf JtJGt~ qJEaH ilfR -a eo 'dt11 ~ csrcrcra ~ 'CiQTcr Cfa\{ e1 ~ Udiii!di!di'd

~ Hrir ~~~ f;$ ~ HMmr~~~~ ~ -n~<frn' 721)

83

Hi en ~ a- )){'1.1' i ani\ HHBWO ~ ~ * aoraR ){ w ~a 'CfSH" ~ ~ um ·~ fBttl1 ~ tw ~ tarr ~ cmw if' il h' mn;r g1 w falr ,;fa "f'a31 fHtf ri? Ncr ))f'U a- \fR ~ ~ a- fQ "' ~ m * ~ ~ fcm1 ffi¥ 'i ,~ O'H m en "O<Jt w1"f'\l # ,;m m aa- -: frR "f'\l 1IP tO W IMf if I ))f'U * tar ~ HiT 836 R ~ O'GT R ~ a-1 HI' 836 ua O'Ha"81 arar OCJt a-, fl;ro ~ HI' 9 02 \('Cf a-, rsrcn ~ m -e 'dCJ' '3' "ftel~~ 'H~m~~cro •

criB cnN'Bl Rd' fnbl ~ f«JRiT ~ m ~ ~ ~ ctaei cncifa. ~~ <r.or 902)

))f'1.l % wa Slf'e lt i1 h' ROCJ ~ crcJ ~ cr ~ ~ m )){il

iTa' ~ ~ ~ -e J1iO cr H3mJ m cra ~-,))f'U en w ~ row -a fm cr ~ ~ mr fa' ~ }t tra' '# 1:SH a -am a-~ ~ a- YtrQ1 110 ~ -:1 'if@ (')'?)Cf cit m cit ~ ,;ra- ~ cr ~ ~ a- ~ }( ~ fciaer ,;fa -&ci ~112 w;;ft H "OcJi" 'dCJ' I h' ~ )~rtf * fBtn ~, ,f91 #Q ~ ,;rc,· ~ ~ m ncna ~ , ))fll )JfQJiJ )Jf'\l

cit aor feR context if ~ cra i flirc1 fBi fer trc')'tf "@' ~ an cra ~ ~ )fCfJg ~ ~ fer ~ dCf mr ,;'fa ~ ~ m ac;r 110 HCfT 1 feJJ d HR8Wn ~ ii5 ~I fcpw )~rtf ftira ~ CfCJ ir if 1 fi:m 30' ))f'lJ

i lS en ~ R30 Out of oontext fBl$ if )Jf'll Cl'Tcr 110 m ~ mn aor CUi ~ cit ~ Out of context fHtf Qij )Jf'll 'if@ cw;cr a ~ afc1 aa­~ICJCJ tel~ cr ta" ~13 ~ ~ ii R"W J:11Je ~ R m" 3 RCf3' ~I

You write that the Hindus arrested ·Guru Nanak and made. him grind com. The Janam Sakhis you have quoted so copiously write that King Babur (A Muslim) captured the Guru and made him grind com. I wonder if you are honest in quoting this.

~ ))f'U ~ Wi ~ crcJ ~ ~ fa' W~rcJ cit ~ if h' F ~11 • Q@ ct ~ CiOO' ))('l.J ct ~ qr;:rcr ,;re ))f'U -&- ~ ~ crY furcT ¥ -a­G"'8 ~ -eal

112 foaJ..r5 Ciij){

113 3"3' 11·~~~~

84

)){'\$ "fin~ e om tit ~ .. Cf' fucfa !it ~ ~j ftiro J:TatF. JPH;:mlcit:~, fBtit ~ ij-J fcp,r ¥ .crl ~-wt:t ~-,~~.~-thiiw, .• , ~~~~ ~ il ~ crl ft:rila' ~ ~? :.:·:;;_c:;.\-..::1.! ,.<:,? -.:=. :-;;':_,s h~• ': '}·.

)){"\( c} ~ ~ c} ~ ifg ~ ~l·~ a::_:/~.:.:·.,,:j }~'~71; r·.:-:;·:'7';

.. · •. -... - .J •; I l "-~ :;.• I l • I. : -.. •

"fHit HmWc') crl ~ WI ~ uf;l_ ti ,feG' ~ ~ ~·.:~ . • ~· : , ;·,;·,.r. •' :.•· :,; ~: :; -:.,

~,.,tdS at~ ... ~.·.$,:~.~ ~~; ::~··:-·: :·::i~':·• ,:;i:.;; ';-:;i ·>: .. ': f$..~.-~::~: it,il't.~.(Ri'·.c:4S6).-;'? ·;:·-::.· )·:-:.";~ :;·.:· ::~: .: ~~.:

You have very tactful1y quoted and misinterpreted ~bir. tO; prove that Guru Nanakwas: a Muslim.' Please read' the~fol1ow;;.·: ing hynm ofkabir: and read :What he writes ~bOtifMti~liiDS.''.: ,,

. ·~~. ~~-~:.1--:-·.· ~[:~~ ~··_: :~ ·;· :·~:.: ·. ~~~.

ijtr da ~ ~ ~ ~ flurij 115'

))f'tl' ~ ~ neW ~ cri1 cri ~ ~- . . wm w~mt h' ~ .mr ~ itN. oomr·. o ~~ , .

:.~. i-.~ :.

~ n:qofu ~-cl_ ~if a ~::~a~a·,- · _ ~.:>. ~-- c;c:~q:~-~~~ ~ ~ ttt ··. . .· -·. _· ;;: ·: . . ! _.·.· ~ ~-·~-mn~·~-~ fim··wftr.~·.o.~ ;_ . __

:;ti~~;i~~~~~=:t~t~u6lf ~aiJt ' .·· .. " .·

~-:~ .. ~-,~~·ric>:~~~··.:~ ··:· ..... ··-· Rm~~.~~~~·f$ ... ~ - .. cMjt <1 ~: ~ lRI'?ii. i :.

~-~-·~ Ra ~ ~ ~ ?i' F'Of.-l,acrQI ~ ~·cUo.fl$ '~ ~ ~·~ nt· .. Ht- a:.·~·~~ '#Ia.~·· -~--~are~ ·. ~ cii' ~·~·~-·~ ~ ~ ~ ~ O'fo 0 ti a' a- ~ eft aaWt

~· : • ,:-,':'I

m:·~ aif-sij· ata··-amr·~ ~·Bra1' · .. · · · · :i: · .. !.; ·;:·,': · .. :' · · · ·· ·

· cnifa'~·'lcr·O'H·cn-~ <ifcf'~ ~~!(ow· 4:77,:::1. '·' i · ·, ·:': :·

~.~:·:m:<i•Rfci!!it§:<•rol~:;.::- '! .. : ·.-\ .. :····

critt ~ .Wo:.niit·~; laritlt.: :; .

3ft' tfa ~ ~ cnJW fm n mit Rafa ~ UIG m ;lafa 1l. ilfa il"8' .cal ~~'::~ sQ ~- .. -'

115 "There is a ~ard ~exed ~q everr~air ofthe ~an~ 'saaifices" . :· (Sihi Trimidbi Vol. 1 Hadis 1392). "On the day of Juc~F,nart the homs, hair and hooJS_ of the saaifia:d animal fall in the pan of pious deeds and thus cancel out the misdeeds ofthe Muslims" -_. :· · · · · (Musbkhwat uJ Musabih book 4 chapter 49-2). (See also Holy Quran Sura Hajj verse-38.)

\

8S

ftircJ 1M! il ~ ~ cl it ft:ro cit ecr ecr@@ ~.~::Cla',~,JJI (I)'I(I;'Clf~R'IIdcracro~n -· ·- ·-" ··~

F cr B'lf B'lf iatf·~ fa t'f:*··p:;~:,~im: ~--~-t~ ~ it 'if'n p ClCJ fO itS W ~ 10 i ~ t ftrcrrit i W .Jt: aoi ~1~ ~:jri,}f._,~~--~2~;d:,it. ~1?:11' -~ Bl~i 'Uc:! J ~ L o J :-: : ~ r-: . : ::; i ·. · L ,~ ~'~ , ! : -.=: .-~ ; r; : ; · -~ i r, : d ~ · .' i . : : . ; ; . : · :_ : ::;; . ' . : : · · ~

Letter:oNo.·23::i~•< ,nuU 1I :\,--:;:~· ;·:~: ~:·-·:: ·' ':·-~

Mr; n~s 'letter dated-~23-~l2li8 to··the' atriii'o~·' c; · ·- · · : : · :-

Wiilt',,tm!(ikr·'(1i1r:urlitix') ··ffie:'·chrresporidtmt ··sent. a ·l)ook:

·t~;~·:r~t:~r.~·t,~4,·,.~,~~~:·~~~~F~\~ promised to send another book titl~:?~t~l;ll~~·'~ =-~e. ~<~JB~ell~i~ ~ ~\>Ppt;-j~M:Usm., ~. qu~on-~swerj --~m.:t ~1!-~~L~r~~:~~;=:P,~):~~:·h~;said_.woJll~J~e ~ s~J~~9.1~~~1~~;~~-~- P.,~~~ ~q~, ~Y-~~ _3boUt)~~ l}~~i ~~-~OL'Therp~~cf:i9D~,~~~;Ni~'-.:~~- .~~,;~~ not send and did not e~ mention. . .. -!j!l }!·::rrl ~~~~--;~ ·~~-..}'.f ~;;!r)fr~ .. ~~ )~}\~~>-· r1:.<:~ _; . '·: .. : .: _.. . ,. ::·~i

ID;thm--leuer:-Mr.; D writes-that the :book -~Predictioos ofNiamat~ ,iJJ&b: ~~·Serif;to)~e J)y .Jiantt·~-~~and apologises ·ror:~~·J;tOn:~· detive.Y foTme~_Tilen lfearglied :&at r was. disci)iuteotis ta liliU ·m rifjl~J~f#.~~~ r~~hRf-;~~$~ by·~.l~e-~fthon~. becauseJ.&Vin ·- .·been bOiLm .a Sikli tamil-· -ma conditionec[tO

·, ·.: •.. :·.: ,, r< ; •.• · .. $.; ,.. -. 't• '; ~; ::: ::- -.·.--:' • ; ' 'Y. - ' . , . . . - '_ .. · .. ';: think Sikh-wise. He questioned "If S~ i~ ~~ gop4; ~y:4o the Sikhs not put their books in the libraries ?" He did not like lllY:·;fe~~~~}~:;~_; ~~~~ i.~)t~~.wr~, ~~#- M~~ · M:Qsl~-.bow their' heads ... tQ 'the., samer ;ston~ to .which . GUru·

\Jt .. ).ll/ ... ~~: .. ,) .:-.....''/ ! ;,.,.,. \.•0 •. •:;· .. ·-: .. :;,·.: .• :--.. : •- ..... ~·· •.. ··-·-·~.:- ~ • ' ~·

~~~b-~~~cf:_,!; ';i;:r,)~:::' ,-.;_·:·-: .. ·· ' ' .. ' :::. _-

b~~::: :~~r--~.~;:~;:·r~ ~·::~·i:: ~~<.r:-~ .::;~J .:/L_,<·-~ ·~---·: .!: ~·: · ·,· · :.· , ~--';'

~~-~~~~'AJ~.·-£~q~ ;9fyp~ ,~b"_s\l:()uJ4.~~ IR~qn-~.-~~gi~~~~:4tatJ~~ppen~ ~:0:9·:·~ ag~.~d ~Q~ ~.:~.:·PJ;~~-;~·!:~~~~~t-~~ .'-llo~:~~~~-· ~~((e,ll~,~~~:.-.On~, ~--lte ... ~ote,. ~'l.wW-~~d yo~~-b~k ,~~~,e~[(,Mt!sl~~~ ;~~ ~il,dt,. ~sa" .. #idt:h~ thollsl!t would clear my mind or doubts. , 11 CUi 1 f 7 f1!ircr, Rfa'crcJ

86

Letter No. 25 Letter (dated 22.1.79) from the author to Mr. D Dear Mr. D, I am sorry to learn that I was discourteous to you but I wrote only what your Hanfi Muslim Guru Nanak advised us to write. He advises the Sikhs to expose falsehood, sham and prejudice (mT BeifeA9 ~ al ~)I If Guru Nanak's words cause any harm then I apologise to you. I must, however, request you and Giani Abadullah most humbly not to misquote Guru Nanak or distort Gurubani. The Sikhs believe that to understand Islam one must read the Quran and likewise to understand Sikhism one must read the Granth Sahib As for literature on Sikhism ,I am sure you can find books in your local library. If you have any difficulty, please do get in touch with me. We do not send unsolicited literature to anybody because our Gurus say, . "lpif Hn HHR )Jftfc!' w WCJ alri"' (First instruct yourself and <?nly then advise others). We feel that hu­man-beings ar~ born free and therefore they should have the freedom to adopt any religton they hke and feel convinced with.

rt * ))f'1l i{ fRcRr ~ en ~ H"ait vt fqQ'fcr tR w ir ~ (1)"('iCf c} ~ )( ~ ~ ~ 1r118 )fCffif ))f'1l * ~ # ~ #ct 3in nCJt ,;ra ~ ~ qnr e«r 14 ~ ,;ra ~ ~ • JtaT ~~a JitcJ ))fl{ #ci 3 6 JN ~ ~ ir iJcJ til' ir 1 rt -&' fircR: )Jf'U cl ~ i ,jig ~ )t f8tit ~ i ~ ai til' a-a ,;re )Jf'U ct ~ Bl ~ ai '('f)'i.lij'

~ ir I~ -&' tc:f 'eu' Bl fRlf Hii1iP1 'i rif i't clel ~ nCJl H'aft HCffif

~ iiJO ~ m i1 1 H': * ftmBrH 'i ri )( war- ~ ?KJt HCrnJ )Jf'U * rircJ Wit' m HO' urcr ScJ ~ ~ 1

I agree with you that we should preach tolerance and good will. If you sincerely feel like that I wonder why you and Giani Abadullah quote "Satiarath Parkash" and "Sachi Khoj". I am sure you are aware that these books caused riots, murders and bloodshed long ago and you are quoting from them. The writers of these prejudicial books also wrote 'Rangila Rasool' which was equally nasty. W~uld you accept quotations from that book? You are distorting hymns written by our revered Gurus, would you permit anybody to dist~rt the Holy Quran ? I think you are yourself creating bad blood not I. 118 53 R1

1"

'

87

If Islam produces people like you who believe in one thing and preach another then I am glad I am not born in a Muslim family.

Letter No. 26 A letter was written to the Department Of Archaeology Govt. of Pakistan. The letter is not available but the reply I received is given below

Telephone 510719 Grams: Archaeology

NO. 31A/4/72-Arch Dear Sir,

Government of Pakistan Deparbnent of Archaeology & Museums, 5-B Pakistan Secretariat Karachi, the 16 October, 197 4

· Please refer to your letter No. SD/G dated 19th August, 1974, regarding author of the book "Sikh Shrines in West Pakistan" I am to inform you that the above mentioned book has been writ­ten by Mr. Waliullah Khan, an ex-officer of the Department of Archaeology, Government of Pakistan. He is now working as Director of ·the Projects .(Conservation), Auqaf Department, Government of Punjab, Shah Chiragh Chamber, Lahore. You may please contact him at the aforesaid address, if so desired. Yours faithfully, SOl Niaz Rasool for director.

Letter No. 27 This letter has been slightly edited and abridged. Dear Mr. Waliullah Khan, We have read with interest your book 'Sikh Shrines in West Pakistan' published by the Department of Archaeology Govt. of Pakistan (1962). You really deserve to be thanked for all the • work and efforts•put in by you in compiling the infonnation. It is a good record of the Sikh Gurdwaras in P¥Qstan and in order to keep history alive it was of utmost necessity to publish a book like this. However we also feel that at certam places the informa­tion given by you finds no support from. historical records and Sikh lore. Certain facts need strict checking up and revalidation

88.

in:the light ofrecent·research/1 hope ;yoU ·Witt;agree·vVith1ruffuat historY should· be presented:·. in :itS true perSp"ectiw)andiitt~bOUld not be (Oloured by the Writer's own prejudices and beliefs. There are many points at which we disagree ::witb·!~6.ur-versidit .a~tctwq¢4 .be ~~ly ~;gl~(:( .tQ P!Pvid~ ~::JM)iJlt Qf~view _;should yQ~ _ 9~i~ ~: re~~- the,J>99k an~~~Jl~aJ'Y! .dtangesi LOn receiving your consent a thorough study; of the; pook.'jwillyl)e :taken up~ but for the time being I am· sending you some com­ments in .. tlle.:~QP,e .. tbi¢:Y9\J, ;wQuld very kindlysift_the tnatterand ~~ee. if.O.l:U::P.Q~ o~~Wi ~·-~;accepted. -~ '.(:·: :· :. ~r I:.·: i ,... :-. i ·, ~;-, 0 1. Iritroduction Page J •- .. _ ._ :: _ ,--... Guru:N~.wasJx~m:m ;1;469 NOT 1464 2.,Pag~-l~ p".ragrapb 2. .~~ttS: .i:. t<t~ .:. ·_,i. ! : ;-~:,: It reads, " .... But with the accession of Guru Aljan Dev~.::staJted . the s~d. pJtaSe -of:$Ud.tislJl wll.en .. ~ fo)JQw.er.sJ®k-~ts;~costly_.at­tires :~4 Qrgan~ed th~ms~~yes: :Wto a: ®Jitaty .. ·unlt/t~~ ~; s g 1 ;; b·; ~- :1~--: -Th.~ Gul'\1 ~~- wrnmg~ :~ejt <cl~rj h<>.W: simpl_e_;hei :Was, andfhOW J~e :dislibd,gaud.y~ cJoth~~~ ~in~s c:a.n .t~~ ;quQted.ad~ ·infinitum from :his-_writlngs .• J~-lo )li$ry-~~rtw.er·r~de~tso-tar ~:Gu[u_Ar­j~)~ey:had Of8imise4 tJ!e:S~~Q.a~.miJ#ary lJilit -j:_; ic:~~I:(:

3 L.' in_ e 1 ·paragraph 1 'page,l3 -- ~ ... · ,..,: ·· , ;, ~ · ~·- -.-~ ~--.~ ,. -- , ... : .- .. ,~ ~,._ • _ .:-.. ·~ ·~'•-' ... ; .. • . .• ..);._ .·.:.•_.:.,.J:,_.l. j,I ... ~ ... -.. '--\~': ... ,.J ...

It reads, ''His son Guru Har Rai made an alliance: :witb·.-Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan . " · u ~: This is not warranted by facts. It would be app1$iated~ if~the source ofthis information is quoted. :o'::·_;·il;j :.-)!

89

·Futtluirtyou!JraVe mmsfated:~~ir'diya par:sirar na·diya" as.f1ie ga~ his head .bufnOt:;the~ret":.;:The 'word.~'~sH-ai ·(fmr:n· is very common in Punjabi. No diction~ry gives its .. ~nean~g . as "~ret". It means 'tenacity, .resolve, pomFOf'\)f~w o~:d~ · #t-~~~~~~',::::- :··:;~,:~,,·;;:::~:J~~:~:.:,:• ~~:~~:·,:~: ·.• '~~·!: ,':';:< ' , ':;;: '' .: ';.,~.-:L:;' :::

.i~r:·'ParamaJih~~rJ;ij~e 16. (J1he·~ ttort)·~ott6mrte~ds· · ;: .; .. ; ·, .. ·:-:· "Rmv~ve~ ~'atd lioi .. :llitetlet-e' wltl{Hindil tU:ua1~\vhich··;60htlii· uecf to re~in in. vogue ~moHg niscfolioWer$~;;· 1 ~·:: :;·• ' : ·' ~· ·.:q:-,;

:.nti~ $teiWent'i~rnu- reri{ovedr:t1-ofu.iaets .. and reality: ify(nfcate jt<1.ifefd ·'"A&sa~Di V~\viitten bii Guru 'Nann ·vt,u· Wirr·r~lise

r t , - . ·-~r • , J.. , •,

c~ow·:a~d s~ ilie~Quf({~s agcWtSt'lliiidu' ntiials. In_,· fa~· .Slk-·:nis~~·as:-yo~· yo~]'s~If~te on'page{ll.'i>~ragraph 3 lliie .:6 was 1h:e~'tpt-Od[cr otilie· &action' aganiSt :ilia· ·tioiillnani si-al{aitihliistn ;~~ itS1njici cast~:~mn·:-~Hdw~co~d a: petsQri'.ris:irig as ~a· :t~~­-tron: agai#St:~ aniliahmit: ittiri1s ~~f~&a~· ~c.i~ iiillais t · ·' ;. · : ~:·.: ... ; 2_/j:· ... _:~·.: ·-~~~-~c._: .... :,)r~.::~~·:t·~}; ;-;;r~:-. ~~::: f.-~~,.;~:ri:-t·-~j:~-~-1 ~~·_;;l:•': ~; __ ):·~:

6. Page 25 Paragraph 1 ... . Here you state the date of Guru Nanak's death as J939 .. O~vi-ously it needs correctioQ.- . . .· . . I. · ._, >· · · '. :.

-~~r~r\,:: .. ~~-·:.·.~.:~:::; : .. -.:~J:· ... ~-.:i~ :.::-.::--_~ z:··;~--~J ·~·~:~._: ~ -~- ~- ,;~, -~:-,: ,. :~· :·-- :-:.-:~.;--;

,~,_=·:Page;3o·.;·::: ·~·:· ,.!··, ;·~:::'j··-:_: · ,.;,; · · .. _.;; ,:· ·.: ,,._._ -·~··,,

·~Here' y~~ ti·~bouf oui-~tAij~' b~v.!· Tli~: facts: of his ~riYr-.. _ ,f-.('~~:.~:-: ... 1j·· ··~~ ,;· ~- ·· .. •-' ~ -~- ·:.~ .-1 •• : .... ·;,·, r.• ·, . -. ~ -~ ···1 :. ~ ...

d~m .are. not., CQIT~: J 'am encfos~g: the .. tYP~Cripf ·of ~,. slliall ;'ita¢t ~Which' 'we· iri~d 'io ... :PUl>fiSb:. iJ·'hbpe thi~ W7in :triakedutcir­-~-··ol!fie':t11mfs.mariYr~om~ clear .. s~oiilCI 'you reqilite :a P.nn~~-~~; fur fu$~i reference, ;we :shalfbe':orily too glad' to ~~be~~~:;f:~ -.. ;;) ~ · .. ·. ~: .··,,·~-.~; .':~·;:~ :.:~' :··. ·-. ::' -~.~:: -.. :. :. ~~~ . . : : ... , .:·;, ~: ·-~ ; .. -: ... ; f8:''Jlager7 Hrle(3 t,-_. .- '~; · .:: ... ~: ::~ ·' ·; ·· ·;~: :_:_. · · ',:: . .- : .. ·_; ·. · !. · ·: : : • - ... ' ''·

"Guru Gobind Singh ( 1606-1645): atranged.the' cori.Striictioll of a small shrine~' . .. _ It could be Guru Hargobjnd_nqt <;Jui"Q Go~md;Singb: · ·':-'

::i~·i!·;-:ro;r..:d ;;._~_·. ·· :~1:l~ ·:;_;;.:-!.~~-.~! :·_:~:~,: ·:·:.:~_.' ·····~J:~ -~.~}~ ·· ·.

~-9?Pa e35:P~ral.; 'hfliiiei' :. :.:. ·:: .. - .. ·: . ·.: '.·~.

c•'ffis'~llilt:IIi' 1ai~ "tih "niilde ~ ~ tO lsceD:d Tli~ ·tn1tcli.(GiUU.}I~i8~vD1d\~,~s ho\V~ver;ada1o~I~gett as 'tn~· "Iaw-.iUI~tJUru::';::;:! ~-·· ·'i:~r. ··<: ":!:' .. ,, ~ .. '.· :.:: .··~ . ::._

Tins ~~:m~rl.recf: Chanciu: Shhlt was not the uncle: of' :any:oun.. Besides on page 30 of your book you yourself state. '~Chatid~1

90

Lal, the diwan of Lahore, to whose daughter the Guru had re­fused to betroth his son. exploited the situation."

10. Page 35 Paragraph 4 "In the beginning he had cordial relations with Jehangir who placed him in conunand of seven hWldred horses and one thou­sand men." And then you go on to say " .... for the non-payment of fine ·imposed on his father, Arjan. Dev, Hargobind was~­tained and CODfined in the Gwalior fort." How is it that the Emperor having made peace with the Guru and having appointed liim as a Commander, once again brought the charge of non-payment of fine imposed upon his father who had died for non-payment.. Why ~ould Guru Hargobind be asked to pay the fine which it was the. duty of his father to pay? Besides no contemporary or se~-contemporary history book has ever stated that the Guru accepted the Emperor's employ-. ment .. Please authenticate this with teference to the books you have consulted.

11. Page 39 Here you write (line 2) that Guru Har Rai " was a peace-loving man" and also that he· was only 14 years old. On the same page you write that '•Guru Har Rai is said to have checked the troops of Aurangzeb in order to give Dara Shikoh time to flee." You also state the 14 year Guru was called to Delhi but he· did not go and instead sent his son. One wonders how could Em­peror Aurangzeb tolerate a " peace -loving" Guru Har Rai to rebel against the mighty empire and then decline to obey the Em­peror's orders to appear in court? How could the Emperor be satisfied with the explanation .given by the son (who must be a baby) of the 14 _year old Gum ?

12. Page 41 Paragraph 1 You write about Guru Tegh Bahaclur that " ... on beComing Guru he asserted that he was not worthy of liis father's sword and would therefore like to be called as Deg Bahadur (One who excels at tables)" but then on the same page (Paragraph 3 bot· tom line) you state that the "Guru was able to muster a large well equipped force and was detennined to establish an inde­pendent rule"

I f

91 -, H~ is it. tllat·he \VII afraid. of the: sword and was not good at using. ii but still gathered a :fa.- anny to d1alk out a kingdom for himself?

13. Page 43 Paragraph 5 You state that Mr. J.D. Cunningham was ''in the service of Sikh Government from 1838 AD to 1846 AD. Nothing could be farther from truth. Mr. Cunningham was an officer in the British army and was never employed by any Sikh ruler. When he told the truth about the Sikh wars, he was dismissed from service by the British Government.

14. Page44 About Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom you write, "Similarly almost all the foreign authors including Major Henri Court, Dr. Trumpp, and Max Arthur Macaulliffe are of the opinion that it was Aurangzeb who caused the death of the Guru. Since this charge was not leveled by the early Sikh and Hindu writers, it can be concluded that it has been brought against Aurangzeb only by1he foreigners in pursuit of the political dogma of 'divide and rule'." . I hope you will agree that it was not easy to write the true facts of the Guru's martyrdom ·in Aurangzeb' s time for fear of repres­sion and when the facts came to be lmown everybody told the truth .It was not only the case of Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyr­dom at the hands of Aurangzeb but also the case of Guru Ar­jan's and later Sannad's martyrdom. Truth always takes time to come out.

IS. Page 45 You write about Guru Gobind Singh that ''He joined the Mughal ~ and proceeded towards South with the Royal standard." And in the same paragraph you write that at Nander the "Guru settled pennanll;ltly and started religious activities." If the Guru was in employment how could he be permitted to settle and start preaching religion when his services were ur­gently required by the state to suppress a rebellion in the South of India? The fact is that he did fonn friendship with Emperor Bahadur Shah but did not accept employment. last but not least you mention a building as 'Gurdwara Kali

.92

:neVi';~. r nape yau·:laiow1tllafthe:; sildiSfdcf not ;believe1 m oevi. 'They ;believe orihim rGoc[· rA Hmdu"' tbirlPI~~ mbuld llbt: l>e~ ·con:-fused with a Gu.rdwara. · '1i::·-=!r,.~;d -;z;:.

In writing this letter it is not our aim to prove that you are wrong but to bring to your kind notiee. the; facts! !Respect . for faCtS ··and' each, other~ s ' beliefs~ call: create~ cOrdial :relations· :be­tween our two countri~:_:i'h~e: yoti_IwOWd .. WJ~·'ttieispirit ·m wllicli' we ~lave:~ this 1~1-' ancfmhleltiece5 · · ~ li~ 'cli~iit~ ·in th~--~~~-~~on·:·/,· ·.':'._;.i~~-~:·:··;·/[.:. :·::· ·:~ /.::.:i.: .;.:::·; c~:'\~,~, :! :·:·~: ;~~ ·!-~·:/,l:·; Yours sincerely, .. ,,;,·:·: .. ,-~ :>_,;i{:i ~:1!:' ;rl x ... :·.) -~ m:•d !•,:·'.i t••:1:

G.S.Sidhu.

''· _,., '·' Note:- With this letter were enctosea (1) Guru M~ ·:·Dev, tlie lApdstl~·ofpeace·By w>o~s:·!sidiiur~~ivailabl~-&oni·fi1~''S~ Missionai)f!Soci~ -ti:kt) ~~4 '(2) '-~~i~S5'{1rl' ~~rsi~ 1scflPt): '¢. :Km8~ Jehangir's' ·ctia.Y · ~Ttizak:~~Jeliailgib"'·(PUblim&r lf1P-Navai ··Kimore ;press tuckn&w.: ~th~ triinslitimi' of ttnsipagt!~-ik .Jas2ft«-iJow-s·:~''~'-' :i:. ~-; :-:i:: ;!:!.> .:::·;<:· '"·'~ ·.".' ·,,·r:.c ;r-:·r ::~:-~; ·--~~1.:::!-:.

:~·-:;:.:. ·~- · · ;,_!~!· > ~~·:: '";•.~;~-~ ~-i.~; !; ~;·.~:: i_ !~!;:: _:·:•,:"". -~: r)(j ;~r~.:J 0 •"

·"In r uomdwai, ·1oit·river ~seas; -tivecr a··HindU :nam.Eid ~;N:;ari ~o bore robes of worldly di~ and hi~ spiri~l or~r~! !~y ~simPle 'lriiild~· ~chis .. and ignoranfM"usi#nS 100!' l(acr·l~~~(~­cmat&i"by his ways: :He -flias' nOiSed about as··tltei spum.laf master ~arld-tliey·beat: a' 'diufu' of ffis:~f9Ph-et~=1~d'-'callecf·lin~{th~~(en­·ugtitene!. ~Froni ~11 1-~on~ Slt68IS:' ofp~le.(woill~ &ni~~~h min ;and 'e~res's :·gr~'-deyoti~~~ TlliSfbtifoY naffic:tm~~~een~~~-·necroo :rorthree ·or four 1gerienruoliS~·;Fdr:rears ~was coiirihgto my mind that either I should put an end to this false tlafffe:anu impostrous shop or I must bring him into the fold ~{ Isla~. -~t Ia~ during the days. when. Khus~~ pass~ al~P.g the "TOS'd· to 0,~-f~~al~ this; insigni~~-ten~ ~'4eiii> 111~ ;mmdtd cs¥iJifufCHe discussed some: preCob~ei'vea1;rtllmgs Wifli lUth· aria i made· oiPf.lie :fdreheaci :'of the ·pnnce' al ;s~ IjU{rk'WtpCiiri~ dlltea~~lTi~alfrr6y th~ Hindus and'··~: c,biiSidere(f_im ~uS}n~ows~ otnerf .. 11Us:?:ttiCip~t :was' reported to·;me;.:.crw~s· 'aireaaj,:a~e or thi Gqrli"i=~ cult'' J .. _,therefore' oraer&r ··limftO; tie arre~-md1 ffi'ade i&wt hiS ilou~e~~td: and $ay ;;t<)~M~rt4cl<1jati~. ~Wig:~~ ifils propertY rissueei'Oiaers tliafhe1 rstloiu1f6e~~p~sQn~ ~if~~~­~~ to dealh Wlde¥iso~~ :P<?liticar-p~:-;, ~ .. ~, j _~:·:: < :, :·~ :. • · ~ ,. · -~~ , ,.-·.·· _:,- ~·-:-·~·:;,t'; :-: ;:c··~~~ .. ~-u--; :·!·_;· .. :-: :·: ;r.~~~ 'i:: 1-.-

A carefur~aY i of' the f 1;()61{~ jSlitiwS: ffiat'-tfie-'Wrlter; ancftrie G&Vt. of Pakistan are greatly preju~ced against .the S~s ~d this book iS the result Of C~fel\)1f~: I "IaillletJs~a L~tetuted ;i8fto bellt-. . · · ,- • {;P · • · ·- • P . · r

tle, mali~J'~ind' demd~Ji~e~th~~~~~r:tH~:raciS.of~hl$>ry are greatly distorted. Fot 'ifi~E~ ·(JUNJ T~gli · :~ah~Ciuf;!~llUllittect ~q~cid~, Quru A "an Dev ~~$ h'otrr~tt +~ ile~ tUider Brdbrs ftofu .. , .... !-,~ .,.,~r·~r_,_: ·r•.-.~ .. 1 ..• ·p··l:'_,.,..,..l, .. ,.,. r . 'r··· ! ,

J~a.i'gii~·· In'e' uluiis createa disotder'·al{(l 1Were' rebels; 'Guru Go-

bind Singh worshipp~-,..~,~~~~"(,-~~--i_e;~.~r~~ ~e~~".~~~{r Aurangzeb who was not' ·on y·"at sairit~out· 'a friend or· GUfti'·Go-bind Singh. Bhai Taru Singh, Bhai Mani Singh and other Sikbs were killed by Lakhpat Rai. The Gurus levied .taXes 'on;'the'p~­ple. Many more similar statements have been made. Itls~reir'ed that if the Sikhs do not attempt to have these mis-statements ex­punged or challenged, great harm will be caused not only to the Sikh psyche but also to the relations between the Sikhs and the Muslims. The book contains pictures of the Sikh shrines includ­ing one named 'Gurdwara Kali Devi'. The pictures tell a woeful tale of neglect and carelessness of the Govt. towards the mainte­nance of the Gurdwaras.

Ironically some statements are purported to have been gleaned ftom Prachin Beeran by Mr.G.B.Singh, Bhagat Ratnawali by Bhai Mani Singh, Our Bilas by Kavi Sohan Singh, Our Bilas Padshahi Das by S~ Singh, Khulasat-ul-Twarikh by Sohan Lal Bhandari. The writings of Cunningham are discarded by saying that he was in the service of the Sikh Govt. and other British writers simply tried to malign Aurangzeb for the nefari­ous object of benefiting from 'divide and rule' policy.

94

The Sikh Missionary Society wishes to convey to you their con­cern and shock at such a publication. We, therefore, request you to procure a copy of the book and try damage limitation. The Govt. of Pakistan should be approached directly and through the Govt. of India to expunge the undesirable statements and pub­lish a revised version.

On our own we wish to write to the Govt. of Pakistan on the subject but we wish to verify the statements from the sources quoted by the author before doing so. The books mentioned therein are not available here. It would be a great help if the books mentioned in Paragraph 3 of this letter are air-mailed to us at your earliest convenience along with the following:-

1 · Dabistan-e-Mazahab By Mohsiil Fani 2 · Muntkhab-ut-Twarikh By Abdul Qadir Badayuni 3 Muntkhab-ul-Lubab by Khafi Khan 4 Tarikh-e-Lahore by Kanhya_ Lal 5 Umdat-ut-Twarikh and other books which may be helpful.

Please enclose your invoice for payment.

Yours sincerely, G.S.Sidhu

Letter No.l9

a"if-e'\G' ·~ i51eo t :-3431,3355

fiT f1:Q RC1acJ ~. tit fRtr fHBncit ftwfrn i·cl·~l

Jfbrn m .

"tt ...... M' , .... ,.,,,

(i: 'ill: u: ~irtb Hat ~ frc11:r fffur n, ~ trcPrCJ ~ ,· t: -------/20-4

Rt~ 30·4·74 .. ..

9S

J)f'U m tit Ui1acr fHa1 13-1 • 14 oonr @dcf tw tna-1 ~ r« ttfRtr ~ tW; bc ~tl YR3Q ~ r« ~ JJaCR ~ &Mit m ~, tw m en& ~ unl~ ;n }fRBH'Cl RaCrO * ~ ~ ~ RferqJat ta- etta' ~ t urer ~ i tm crcJn -er lildn crnr tr 1 em m fRtr 'if19 wfa1rn tit ~ ~ :arBiJ aar ~ tm crcJn ~ m tcnr ?XJt <mP 1 ,ma QR Rttr tfi ~ crcr i ~ ;) p urcr ~ rem mit fefaa•Rct w fBI:f tJiBt'at 1 ~ CWJ Y'Cid ~ Ritr ttaT nr De! aran fR6' reo=t m nut C~W w Jrct-e' 1 fliT' ii fa' )Jf'U ~ ~ R"aCriJ ~ fBlf 'i ~ facriJ tw ~ ~ ~ ~ cra1c! m '6'a' ctct1 rm ac~ '@crar 'itcJ ur i ~ JfaQ"ij t ~ ~ crcJn m ~ ~ w ~ tr IJ)f'U * ~ iltl ~ ~ uc; t9' ~ ~ ~ fcraout nut ~ 1 iiiNt ~ ~ ~ ,;r. ~ rem ~ 1fUO crn:n w mm tr 1mr ~ -er ~ tw d'o.:Df' llf\pw ~ tr ~ Fct J)f'U ~ ~ #" 1fUO era m t 1

pffa'ct', 'IIi!/ )Jfiftg fi!rur ~ fhrcril fRtf MacMr a1FralJ itcr.J )rcJ' CR'1 fr.h fflur d'B

~~.~~-29

96·:

Letter No. 30

Th~>author's Iett~·;(cJited~'l.f;B4jtm Shiromani Gurdwal!a - .

Parbandhak Committee Amritsar (Pan jab). India.

Dear Tohra Sahib~

I wish to draw yoi:if"atteiitioif'to:a·"'senous ·aevelopment .that has been taking place ~--B~*' riD:-tlbticed by the Sikh leaders and is very likely tO;~litjli~_Yie _ _'i~lii[~us susceptibilities of many de­voted Sikhs. It app~f~ 1&~ 3-' carefully planned and well co-

• - t 6 • t-. •· ~ -y- - .1.

ordinated campaip )!3~;-;~~ ~unched by the Muslims to dis-. credit Sikhism. Even the PakiStan Government appears ~:19. ~ ..

consciously eollaborating in mis-information. The b~~~'Sikh.­Shrines in Pakistan" published by the Govt. of:Pakistincdntams highly insensitive remarks and lists Gurdwaras as -~'Gufdwara; Kali Devi" and "Gurdwara Hanuman" etc. I have also come across bOQks.lil<e "Sat Bac)lan", '~~ N;~rhl2, ~;'~is1· :· AJi 88-ba'~a:O~i ii \'Ka: Masiik~i:'ihci~'~Gtirir

~nt!'i .. ~lu'~>;~i!i:~~,~~·!~~~:;u!t: ~g ~e~$;a~ut-~w·~~re,ye~;.~s.~r~e tt.y#.tg ~P2~§~, hi.stont:.i ant aiuing yon-;S0m.e AY&mn}e$~_.::~·. :.:·.'ira :·_. ·.~- ... ~-~ ·.i:"-.·'l~

~-:;p•r .. et•'!'&a~ . , ·~. .~wr_4!~·~ • ~ .. ~t~!~• ~ _ ·~ ,~~t...· :·.,!'• .: .. ..

~:-:: f':-:·:.•~ ·, .. ) :::\ :- ·- ... ::~:;~~:tr-~ ?~ ::.-~: t~.-r~~ ·.~r·~ ! ·:· ::.~-:: Jt:~:.< ~ -:-~-[-:-;

1:~ GurtF Nanak abducted a:-Musllinrgitt;5~got eonvertijd·to ·-.tsl~t and liac.fa,:·Nikah"Witll~ner.·· Fte Iiacff«ro daughters~fionF~~~t ~~~-' ~:st~-~~~~~k¥:e#~~ ~~in-.r~~~ :~:~~~::·;·.-,: 1~,~-~~gli ~$~¥, ~:.~;~~~~~~ ¥~~#~Qii.~~ a~ -m~ 19 kill·on~.qf,JP.~ ;S~: ~~ -~. ,Th~ .. ~~ I~p~y.­saved himself but in the heat oftb~·tigbt:~t-~ffth~Guro.}s:).\eacl:

3. Guru Arjan Dev levied taxes on the people and was killed~yl a Hindu Chandu Lal for appropriating such au~ofitYto fi!mself.~

·;;t~·::-: .. ~ -r ~ -~ .. ••. :·;:·hr1 ~r{1 ~~:·~:~cr;j:

4. Guru Har obind's Mundan Sanskar120 ~s ':,~~rtlti.i'~~ ti''~ g ' · ": -~ ··~ r--·~· ··1J'~ Guru Arjan himself .. On this occasion duru:'Aljan:·oev' com~ posed a hymn. This hymn is written on page 204 of "Guru Granth Sahib Aur Islam~'. Line 7 reads as follows

114 shaving ceremony.

97

~~Pt~i~~$~livl~~,- ::;:_ .. ,, ,, Bhaddail aneet Karaia ,pr;:gian-j~p~~~:~t. _;: _. .. . · : q :--: · :. ;

Quoting the book "Budhu Lana"122 the author (Abul Aman Am­~) ~;;;~wel!tYJiWO::liQ~.J)f tJlis,hynm·.were .discarded QY ~ Qopin~~-S~gb:J)·om J~r-~~sr of,Granth Sahib; with~ Q~~~igl)jpg ~Y '~:~~s.~:h~-"wante.d ~the, Sikhs· to-jgr<TW· longhair'· :; .. ~··:·•·: ~·!'), •. _.~ ·::L !>. ·>.·: :;,:_:-;~~ ::~;·

~t ~-: GraQ.f]l S~ib: ,~s, ~ot. autbentic.- J~:very Tom Dick ._,and ijarry:~~~ m~i'- his.:ha!J.d..~ ~t .. ipterpolation: :j .Guru. Arjan !oor~ qlpte9,~N~akrs}lyUUls. :~ : r::-:·,: '. ·.: : .. , :

i~r.~~-·~ 3-~~-;:~~~i~~~-~ Hn·.r~~~.-~ ~ ~nq;·~~~-.- ~'-'·!:~\~fJPW''~ Wv ~-~·Jfi ~;~;1 r: r :~·,: i~~-_ _'j ~;l:-1:('' ·~:':::·:-.: :. : ;. ·. Y· .·:; </

)f(Jl-~:~-~-·A"aRJ:~ ~- 'CR', ·.·'ffi';;icla-·~ ·Jn 'tii'ira' ~' YO':f ~. . . .. :- ~ ''·"-

~ lim ~ au wra ~, ~ JJffHa' cwr · afir·.: ·'ili1, :Hit' ~ ·~~~ ~ sa~e~- . ~

~· .,,_, . ..-.· ~ llftr t a i5t'lal JrcrrB rt ~, ww tuCJ b' D1!llf8t eft nr

~· fmiJ ~ fdira HCJ' ~·;&~-~-~:~; ~ R'K ~;crt' m: ~~~. . . cftalllil8 ~ vfCJ fRt fR ~. * ~; ~ 1JiJ ~ ~. qrcr mwn ;dip,fr fRtler ;rerS ~ -~~,-Jm&:~ ftpn ~:fBi: ~-,.-.. ~ ; .. /':_.-.-_ .._,,• ::·-r- -,__. -:L~.:-::-· .... ~-~,,/ :.

tria' ft; C9.H tmi ~,c i'el~ <V: 'iirelY~: 7i"C'i'Ct ~ crcf iF HiJr- W ,;tw ~-::1 . :..:. ,. ;·, ~: -. . .; :' -·.-,·'' .·· ·, ... : ·.: -· .. . ·... ·, ,, .'•4;' .

R'Q' "b re-m Q II'R ~ AaitU' ~irif .Jttrc! ft:rn' ~-;n- ffui' ~j ~l;;,i·.:,:! ·:· . . :.:;, ii:·:: ;_:::.::.::}'. ::/' .:.,.': ·._:! . :::;,_' ~ ~ \l'fe))f' ~ fap,rn ~ Jral'8' ill ~, 8GJn ~ gr ~~~~· ... ~: . '-: ·_:,:.i:­)J{Wtt, .t\il ~; ~ ):In .tfcl) ... tel".: JiJ ;~ .flrc¥.; illi' .Q ~ ~iLiPJI' ~:--~--.:: :,~ ·-.· ..

c1re:mr ne-;:,cmn.~ ~;~ a21.;~ w ~hill~~~-~· ~::~JQ~- ~::~:eft}~ :;:t,f~JB~~ iln ... ~:~ &'~eft_~ ~-m')· - -

Oc! ~ art mit vfCJ ~ ftp,rq : . . .

~i)f~mitwfo~~~ 122 ~ ~ <fell YJJact ~ -~ ~ ?rot - m)

98

6. Guru Nanak performed Chillas123 at Muslim graves regularly He was properly circumcised as a Muslim.

I have read thes.-e and other books in Urdu supplied to me by the Muslims themselves. They even gave me copies of the Quran (free of charge). This campaign is likely to create bad blood in England between the two communities.

I hope you will have heard about Suf]rt Kaur who mamed a Muslim named Muhanunad Iqbal and later appeared on the Television to criticise Sikhism. I feel there are many more like her out to do incalculable damage to Sikhism. In order to gauge the enormity of. the problem one only needs to read the Urdu newspapers. I am attaching herewith two excerpts from the Akhbar-e-Watan. You will notice that from September 83 to November 83 at least three Sikhs were converted to Islam in Pe­terborough alone. May I hope you will kindly address this issue and do the needful? Yours sincerely, G.S.Sidhu

Some excerpts from Akhbar-e-Watan

1. Date: 23.11.83 page 7

Heading: d'5bf 1iJ'ia" 00. ~ Q' Ci!H ~-~ tireari ~ i1Bw ~ ~ ~ V'lf ua tc:c · d'BW ~ fiN

~ * R'H • cml ~ ~ (")'){ t=rm 0'11cJ ~ • a-I~Q'~~~WI ~~i.-l)ia~~cit faor ua ~-~-fmJwH w ~·~ ~~ Translation of the Headline; "An educated Sikh accepts Islam "·

2 Date 7.9.83 Page 29 ~ i ilHw ~ HRd6' wfuij i V'lf \fcJ ~ n:m ~ ~ 1ilfu ft!m:5'rH em I ~ an fa- feR R ~ ilHw wfua i' V'lf \fcJ em 32 ~ ;} ff1¥ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,;io ~ fRtf ~ ~ 1ilfu femrH ~ ~I Note:- The news tells us about two Sikh women who accepted Islam.

123 1\!w

99

Letter No. 31 The author's letter (dated 10.1.87) to. Martin Seeker & War­burgh Ltd. The Manager, Martin Seeker & Warburgh Ltd 54 Poland Street, London.WIV 3DF

Dear Sir,

Disastrous Twilight I wish to express my views about some remarks made by Major General Shahid in his book 'Disastrous Twilight' published by your finn in Association with Leo Cooper (1986 edition)

I hope you will agree with me that any remarks about a religious community are bound to cause ill-will and bad blood unless facts, specially historical, are carefully authenticated and due at­tention is paid to the language used in ~escribing ones personal prejudices and bias. It is a well established practice to quote ~mporary or semi-contemporary sources in books of this type. Your author seems to have ignored this practice. Guided by his parochial, bigot and intolerant outlook he has gone out of ~?is way in maligning and ridiculing the Sikhs (see page 27). Such a treatment of the subject cannot but result iii mud-slinging and is very likely to antagonise Muslims and Sikhs in this coun-try where relations have so far been very cordial. ·

The Author has tried to depict the Sikhs as "born intriguers and caring too much for money". I accept the author's right to per­sonal opinions but wish to retord that the shoe pinches on the

' other foot. Throughout their history the Sikhs never invad~ .any country but the history of ihe Muslims is no secret. They in­vaded India, phmdered it for centuries and carried away camel loads of wealth and slaves. Ahmed Shah Abdali alone invaded 17 times coming like a Wind and going back like a whirlwind looting, plundering and destroying religious places. Thousands of ~du temples tell the sordid story of his depredations up to this day . .As for the intrigue they have· set a record. Every Mus­lim king was an intriguer. Alla-ud-~in murdered his own uncle

100

Jalal-Ud-Din and setting aside the claim of his. son usurped the throne. Ibrahim Lodhi was the third son of Sikander Lodhi. He intrigued against his brothers and occupied the throne Huma­yun intrigued and rebelled against his father. Jehangir intrigued ·against Akbar. Khusrau, son of Jehangir, met his death after in­trigue and Aurangzeb intrigued against his father and impris­oned him. After Auragzeb's death his sons intrigued against each other and resorted to internecine wars. The history of Mus­lims is replete with intrigue, loot, arson, plunder and rape. You only have to read any history book to establish these facts. The author is a classic example of narrow-minded, self righteous, prejudiced and intolerant detractor interested in picking holes in others instead of looking into his own weaknesses.

He writes, "On the downfall of the Mughal Empire the Sikhs butchered, bayoneted, shot down, hacked to pieces and burnt _ alive every Muslim they could find." I wish the Author had quoted the source of his infonnation. One wonders if the Mus­lims would have survived such a genocide and later carve out Pakistan124 only ·89 years after the fall of the Mughal Empire. They have always been and still are in majority in India as com­pared to the Sikhs. Everybody ~ows what kind of Government the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh established in the Punjab after the fall of the Mughal Empire. All key posts in his Government were occupied by the Muslims. Fakir Aziz-ud-din, F~ Nur­ud-din, Makhe Khan and dozens of other Muslims were the real power-bearers in the Sikh Government of Punjab. If the. Sikhs wanted to exterminate the Muslims they could do so easily when they were in power. I refer you to the book "Real Ranjit Singh" published recently by a ·descendant of Fakir Aziz-ud-din, who as you may know, was the most powerful minister in the Sikh king- · dom. 124 "To state it bluntly has always been unpopular in Pakistan, but to remain silent today is a aime: the truth is that there was no real basis for carving out an indq»endcnt •Muslim state' from the Indian subcontinent ........... Pakistan is an irrationality, a produc:t of impe-rialist penetration ofthe subcontinent. •• (Can Pakistan Survive? by Tariq Ali page 145)

"Only a few days, dear one, a few days more. Here in oppression's shadows oondenmed to breathe, Still for a while we must suffer, and weep, and endure, What our forefathers, not our own faults, bequeath" (A Well known Pakistani poa Faiz Ahmed Faiz in his poem .. A few days more" translated by Victor Kiernan in his collection Poems by Faiz) )

101

Even if your author is ~en as correct, what he mentions is nothing compared to what the Muslims did. I am quoting some examples from the books written by the Muslim authors them­selves.125

1. 7,52000 Hindus were slain and 29000 burnt alive (Tuzak-e-Timuri page 117)

2. "God ordered Muslims to be antagonistic towards the non-. Muslims and to treat them harshly. Islam is glorified when non­Muslims are insulted and killed. Keep them away and treat them like dogs. God has proclaimed them as enemies of Islam. Mus­lims should always be on the look out to insult and kill them. Jazia is levied on them to insult and condemn them to an extent that they can neither eat well nor dress welL.... In the death of non-Muslims lies the promotion of Islam." (Maktubat-e-lmam Rabbani Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi Letter No. 163 part I published by Medina publishing Company Pakistan 1976 )

3. "Muhammad propagated his religion with the sword. The sword, he said, is the key to paradise and Hell. A drop of blood shed in the cause of God, a night spent in arms is of more avail to the faithful than two months of fasting and prayer. He who perished in holy war went straight to heaven.'' ('History ofthe Ptinjab' Muhammad Latif page 75-76)

4. "Both sword and persuasion are necessary to convert the Hin­dus to Islam." .(Hyate-e-Mujaddid by Muhammad F annan page 28)

5. Abdullah Wassafwrites that when Alla-ud-Din Khilji (1295-1316) captured the city of Khambayat, he killed all male Hindu adults for the glory of Islam, set flowing seas of blood and sold 20,000 women as slaves. "Hindus were allowed to keep only enough com for six months. The official orders were,' Hindus are like the earth.

•:as There are fow prominent sdlools of Muslim·taw or Shar, Out ·of which three (Malik 11m Anas, Ash Sbafi and Ahmed bin Hanbal) have said in clear-cut and unmistakable terms that idolaters had no ri~ to live in a Muslim country. The only course open to them was either to embrace Islam or suffer death. The leader of the fourth school" of thoutJn (Abu Hanif8) ~ded that idol-worshippers might be pennitted to live as Zimmis)

102

If silver is demanded from them, they should with great humility, offer gold. If a Mohammedan desires to spit into a Hindu's mouth, the Hindu should open ~ wide for the purpose. God cre­ated Hindus to be slaves of the Muslims. The prophet has or­dained that if the Hindus do not accept Islam they should be im­prisoned, tortured and finally put to death and their property confiscated ·· · (Taziyat -Ul-Amsar Wa Taziryat-ul-Asar by Abdullah Was­saf.)

6. "A proclamation was issued to all officials to rip open the belly of anyone uttering the name of Govind" ( lbrat Nama Al­lah-ud-Din.)

7. Amir Khustau in his Twarikh-e-Illahi writes that Ferozeshah Tughlak (1351-88) destroyed temples ofBhilsa and Bhopal and removed all idols to his fort. The idols were daily bathed with the blood of a thousand Hindus.

8. In Tabaqat-e-Nasiri Minhaj-ul-Siraj states that when Muhammad Bakhtiar Khilji conquered Bihar he massacred 100,000 Brahmans and burnt the ancient Sa11skrit library.

9. In his book Taj-ul-Ma 'asir Hassan Nizam Naishapuri records that Kutb-ud-Din Aibak demolished Hindu temples in Meerut and erected mosques in their places. In the city of Koel (now known as Aligarh), he killed all inhabitants who did not accept Islam. About 100,000 were butchered in cold-blood and left to putrefy. The place became black as pitch and the smell was in­tolerable.

10. Ibn Asir in his book Kamil-ut-Twarikh writes that Shahab­ud-Din Ghauri massacred thousands of Hindus in Ajmer and B~nares and carried away their children and females as slaves.

11. "Shed the blood of the pagans wherever you find theni, and besiege them and lie in wait for them everywhere. If they keep up the prayer of Islam or pay up then let them go. If anyone asks for refuge offer it to him till he recites· the Kalima" (Holy Quran ix 5,6)

103

"Say to the infidels that if they desist from their unbelief, what is now past, will be forgiven. If they return to it then fight against them till strife be at an end and the religion be entirely God's." (Holy Quran VIII,38-39)

12. "No mercy ought to be shown to any infidel" (The Spirit of Islam by Amir Ali Page 356).

I can quote ad infinitum from Muslim so.urces as to how fii:ndus were treated. Was it, therefore, unjustified for the Hindus and the Sikhs (there was no Khalsa before 1699) to rise up and de­fend themselves ? Islam is a religion not a nation yet the Muslims under Mr. Jinah claimed that Muslims (all converted from Hindus to Islam) were a nation. Mr. Jinah threatened, ''We will have India divided or we will have India destroyed" despite the fact that "not a single leader of the Muslim .league from Mr. J inah himself to the rank and file had an Islamic mentality or Islamic habits of thought" (Maulana Moudoodi quoted on page 28 of ·can Pakistan Sur­vive' by Tariq Ali).

The Sikhs tried their level best to avoid bloodshed of 194 7 in which according to ''Stem Reckoning" at least 500,000 innocent people met their deaths through horrible tortures and about 2,000,000 were rendered homeless. The trail of fundamentalism set ablaze by Mr. Jinah and his cronies is faithfully nurtured by your author and your reputable firm has unwittingly played into his hands. The whole world knows what is happening these days in Pakistan, lran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon which are purely Muslim countries. Instead of blaming the Sikhs let the author dissuade sunnis from killing Shias, Biharis and Ahmedias in Pakistan. The atrocities being committed these days among Muslims themselves speak volumes as to who are the cruel peo­ple. May I hope you will kindly pass on my remarks to the author and ask him to authenticate his statements through references from contemporary sources when the next edition is prepared ? Yours sincerely, G.S.Sidhu

104

Some Extracts from Muslim writings

Titere are numerous Muslim writings in which misleading state­ments have been made (and still are being made) by the Muslim writers I have neither the resources to check every statement nor is it in the scope of this publication to list every statement. The reader is advised to check the follo~g sample statements with the original writings before accepting them as correct. The sources quoted have been found to be either non-existent and fic­titious (For example Janam Sakhi Kallan, Janam Sakhi Bhai, Janam Sakhi Kalmi, Janam Sakhi Chhapa Pathar and Janam Sakhi SUij Uday etc) or quoted out of context. Some Shabads have been composed by the Muslim author himself.

Extracts from 'Hamara Nanak' •• ~ O'nQ <tW wen mtt An

"Cf19 <'i'?iil ;O i Ra tra ~ fRtf eft w iR C'iilt 81" CU9 O'(l)q ill ~ ~ ir ifao ea F tr it Met; i ~ * lf' 9H trH il ~ tr ilw fci ~ ~ ~ ';:rv cftn. ~ ~ iP'f' a ~ ~I ~-HaT ,;{a~ ~I ~ ~ ill i urcJ W ~"

cne ~ Mur ;:n ~ s1 eM ,;tw ·~ ~ ?rcJt m w tc'tcr * fAir ~ \J';J cra"CJ ~ 'Ci'a% en ~ en ~ 1 (iMCJ' '(;'(')'Cf Rl' 2 3 3,

2 'ti <'i'a'Q ill M ufaM! Hn:

ft;ro ~ ~ eft ll'a' ncn-~ CUi 7i"(()'Cf 1ft Cf' !Ut ~ 6W !CAl R Fr'!1a' iJ I

3. q]'CJ (')'(')cf ill * ~ Cllfcll Nu-~ m mr: <mr 2 2 7) "tU91 ~ w m 1f!f (')'(')Cf ill i iMi ~ 1Rnrcla' i1- rnn w ~ 11 ~ d' "'* en ~ en m ~ rih:v fq )Jf'\1 * ~ ~

-m ~ ¥if crcJ, )f'CJ6cf ri 0'1f fucJ ~ mil cncr H"' mil ial ~,~~

4 1!'11' C'i"'cif ~ ~ '3ur.J ~ (;YS ~: (JR:' 22 0-2 2 4)

"~ t:O -&-~ il ~ ~ em- i B1!' R trRBWO ~ R m en ~ ·ftm ~ ~ 0?1 # lilq1 ~ tr Bran fiN ft!acrR H"' til ~ ~ i (1M{ ir ~ ~ fap,r- ~ 1 ~ ;n en ta m tr fmra trc9f ~ a- cmHt ~ ir ~ irl ~ KatM irl

116 ~ em JJUe 0' CQ $ R'fulr fh ~ JJiil' 0' en m tfc'iH JMtt ~

lOS

'Air~~ H'a" ~ ~ I ~ .~ ~ fi ufcr ~I fi W et1tit ~. F wt at V8'4!' ?ita' at V (')'(';Q' tit liP JJf'fm:ft emit ilaara ~ \fa' q'ad'CJ ri ~ wfuu .~ 0' AA I at v .tit ~ ~ (trc'»f JRil cr8H1 Jm' 373)127 .

cus (I)'(I;Cf ;:n en ftiro fi1 rm 1)f)fcJ ..-~ ~ fci ))1'\f VBa' • fmrH ~ Fl it 121 I ftm flror \fa' faJJf'O 'tl 119' * ~ ~ 1iMl Wc'))f ))1'\f R . rocrv ;r ~ til lit ,;Jw QH 'i &n if ))1'\f t c~ trc'))f ~ -& m ~ m ~ lila ( CJWa' '(I)"(()Cf JRJ" 224) 129

127 ~ tfc';){ ~ ~ fi unJ m it;l Q 6crcT (I)'B t<f tn OCf8 CTn I fircr ~ un :-(1, ri ~ ftm iff ~ CMit ~ f\pri' ws tm feBl ~ <2) fHuaaro m tl ~ lfBR! CM»r ~ fh a- (3) ~ ffi9f JMit ~ ~ nt CJO

~ m,~ ~,~ ~, ijif&ilt•s•e <fN rea~ Rb ~ ~ Himm m mr ~ ))fR8 ~ ~ ~ mur m 1.Mf g'5cJ m r,m ~ ~ ~ ~ * eftp,r fh" ~ ~ m (4) m wn1 Mur ~ "if fa' m qyae'R til ufu8l WcJ ~ itqT a-a ~ a;n ~ (J(') fer ~ ~ m HOi fftur -&- nm- Heir ~ ~ m ~ fffur * ~ in 1 tS' oms rea QH1 ;rct))f mit ~ b?

129 mr ~ crcJiC!1 mJ ~ ymt 1888 ~ ·D'aQ' m O'H fdijt -e ~ "a' HircJ · ~ 'icre * ~ YJiilCl History of the Sikhs NlJ fBlil Jit I @JJ * ·~, "Departing henoe he aga~ came to the house of carpeater Lalo. There the wife of Hayat Khan Manjh Musalman, who formerly seeing the goodness of Nanak ,bad be­lieved in him . gave him her young daugbta' in marriage and from that date her name was called Mata Manjhot. Then Nanak made her his own, left her at Lalo's house and himself taking Bala with him went to Kulcbhda' for the fair of the eclipse of the sun ..... Mata Manjh« lived seven years with Nanak and died leaving two daughters." (page 8-9 Ro-print 1988 National Book Depct Delhi). cicre el Q9acr ~ ~ ~· ~ CTc'i' 1Vcr 1MV m t ·h wan ~ ten ~ ~ ~ 1lfuaiM ~. fs1fgr tr ,a-~ tr fer l1'lfcJ * 11faawH 9 ira' c} 'W ~ ~ h f8: ~~ ~ eft F fh' ~ ~ ~ a-1 A ftrcJ CRMI ~ 152 6 fh 1i'W 'IS ~ t!l mn't a-a f\e ~ eft fr RCrn' b tim tt "Q m ;n @JfiJ 51 n m, ~ ~ m:r ro 9 h tit ffi; fsa,rr ;n ~ ~ ftrcJ rata f1rcJT w ~ a r&- CBJ O'Oa' HRBH'O a Ott '101 ri · ~ ~ fh trafittl f8trai crcra"a muc ~ * ~ mnn n'5 ~ ~ il ~ tR ~ wa' ~~~a- ·~ fBlS m ~ ~ fci ~ w -er O:N ~ tqT m 1 ts m ~ ·em fer cw O'(')q ~ m ~ llf<mi ~ mr l~. mm 1s15 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ afcTc! m w .~. fstre' a fa- 1UJ ~r ~ ~ .m ~ mra1 1526 · rtu ~ OJta 1526AD fh ~ aforc! n<W #art ~ ~ i ~ tn ~ .~ ~ 8'# -e uro n ore·~ H"S ~ ~ nat are-, H'd' ~ ~ ~~~~<W~~7

106

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6. ~ '§ w $1 wfa1J mrn ~ ~ ~ : (Iii' 201>

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iM ~ 'it'51 ~ ~ (m iS~~ 3a' ~~~I <i!H awaar R6' 3 a)

a. v ill~ nH'il tl:l! m HRftn! ~ (11'1'125)

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130~

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107

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~ oo. ~ m d'O' h n<iim tn * tiPJrn • a fa" 'Q tn t ~ }( Jl')S acS ~ ~ ~ cit ~ ~ \1'8' ~ fOPH' II'

fmr fa" ~ qT ~ a-·tw ;m ~ ~ m tf8 hPw t· <cua dlcM frcQfu mr 2 33)

. 9. W ~Rill t!Y V CJ'ircla' ~1ft <mr 28) w (~)'(')if. j{QT !PHt.Df' }( !C! W8 ofucJ&" -a-~ ~ fir i W8 aa ,;'fa ~ )If'\{ * br ~ ~ <J;iiCS ~ i ~ U'if ~ sl cit ~·4

imr fii br fRtr ~ <~ mur ~) t ~ • a <~ cue m')cf cWcr 1967)

"qJJ tn QT ~ ti1'it ~ ~ QT br ~ titcJ II' f;:m cit ~ ;r )If'\{ i W8 ~ afu qa ~13s qy RQCi m ~·

10. From the book "Aurangzeb" by Rashid Akhtar Nadvi

published by Sang-e-meel Publishers Lahore 1985) ~ i ire "3:aT ~ * ~ crl l1a' -a- ~ fa cit tm'

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~ 00; CfCJ lrtMI i ~ ,;fa ~ ci (V ¢ ~ ,;fa ))f'Q'){138 \lG

nW ~ 0' ClCJ ~ (} ~ "3:aJ ~ ci am n' ~I~ !JU't!'O

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12. Extract from ~khbar-E-Watan London 13-20° June 1984 page26

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, '3 uro1 ~ ffi@Ra•n ~ wen ~ ~ ~ erc:t FcJw w iitrlr ~wa-~ 164 ~ ))f8E' oaTO ClCfC} 3~ ~

111

;:rot cm1 ))fftf to' lfa finn t "M en ~ CV ,n lit ~ WH mnf * fen cl fimH a"CJ a"CJ ,;Jg CJ<Ho16l185 ir' R'CJ ~ @Q I ~ * ~ ~ if • ~ feB'era1 crr ms ;itaw100 w Mn- en ~ t ~cfcrl •

Extracts from "Guru Granth Sahib Aur Islam"167 by Abula­man Amritsari published by Adara Saqafat Islam, Club Road Lahore (Pakistan)

1 'Q tit * cram cr no m ;:rot h qJJ m;a- R'fu1f en ~ cr ~ ' f1iro 5 ~ ~ fa' ~ fem'Ml ~ if' at ~ 'fill' ~ '11i (')'(I)Cf ill t ~ m rr !O'n Htiti!cn~~~~~fr~CReT~t eft tnJ ~ ' I()Jf(ff;r CJ'5)

2 cqn~,ifl~m~Vlfl v a-ar ~ ctt ~ w ~ mur ;{t'OI * ~ 'i ~ t fi 'Q • R'fulr H -~ ~ tlit'Q h veo * ~ lt(')' ft m ~ w ,;;a~ i ts-uo ~ ~ t ' (HI' 5)

3 'III • wfiN -e imiJ ftM itcln' Bilrat 0'8 io ~ ~ qJJ • R'full ~ . cra3' A* GJt in ({'ffir-s) .

Hla'ft1, tnm, ~. m. "U~, lladcll, ~. ))f'B)(, ~ w, !fH8lf1n ma ~ a- m cnae'R

4 CQ C'i'C)i( Jffaq cl itel faR ~ ~ 1JS ?i'mf ill ct n tn c;rr ~ ~ cr ire' fRalh' tl' ~ ~ * cup ~ t JJttW 'R'nB1n Hba c;cJl «Dtr 1l' tlHr "8 qJJ ~ tn ucrcrcr R~~ pttro~citJOiiCJCR~fclCUJ~i~'Q ~ lfCha p ift-. .nl liT w ill en ~ w H R' ~ em' ft:aar tl' f« "fi n'Otf t ~ trn1itn Ra1h t lfC«fd • b w 'Q ~ill it ' drnt 9)

5 'illl JJfifili') ill n1 i 1l'tr ~ CUI J)f'Otl?) "h' tit i fi t1'll' fuim fi 1t ~ ftmllit ~ fen ct fi m; t ~ ~ tit Q ucm -p e • <~ e)

1 05 1IB'3tir'if 100 Ncte: I1 was the Muslims who tint killed SOQlC Hindus ~~ Sikhs in Noakhli {Balsll) and started~ riots in 1947. 107 ~ ...r fRtst 11'8 fB1ihft ~ p Ia ~ frcr CJC') (1 ) tfer 1Rin

(2 > mnm ,;'ta' 1l'tl' 'CM'ia' tit cr HRn (3) ·HRBH ~ ,;rc, fRt ~ , •• a&a•m ~ 'Q afadlfie ~ 1Jf ~ fflur fft l8lf h fap)rr ~~

112

6 ;fa flpln ch ~ qJj w ~ Ftpc; m· tA~Un tf1 two lf w '* u ·,;ta ~ tHa w .ii,t b a att u 1 m; i ~ m; cit 'I'B'E' ~ Ftpc; c1o m * m «-~ ~ cit m 1c smr 1 o)

7 Acr Mar v fim a'O' qrg ~ m * ~ t 1Ii HCtcrcJ ~ 1r fum w ~ ~ mur m il ~ ;r a mur -& ~ ~ lit 1 eRG' 11)

.a.~~mcn . fer i ~ ~ 'dtfit! fffur m cl ,)fg il ~ ~ t CUV i' an R' ~ cii»Jtr ~~ HRBn !f'¥ CUV r W ~ qJS r ~ 'Q r ilf qm r lf'al 'Q, ~ ~. trBW 1ij'. ~ B'B' cuv. ~ w. ti' ~ ~ ~. cQu 'Q I (Jm' 11 )

"' ~ ffiur * itt ~ ~ fftur tO cit cit ~ 'q' ~ • ~ ~. fRSr if' q]J qfij&•fe"f' 11' I HIS ~ ft R ~ it qrfeH en lit I~ ·~ tR Cf' ~ iRft fflur il C1@ HJJiCf ~ ,;fa 5 s n Tcr ~ lin' CICl' 1 (JRI'· 12)

v ~ J1'fdlt rm iTcia' #a' !fCbf& ncrr a ~ ~ ~ fer w v citfte fhr R'ftN -. ifB')f nm '(')' a ,;to ~ ~ wftPl maa 'q' cuv ~ 'q'

~ D R'Srcl' ir1 CRI' 1 4)

9 Wtl Jl'fcJq ~ $I R'fW cit feqae•el170 m tN Rrfu8 Y1 q]J ~ ffrur cit fip,rro ~ <'Kfr a I (HG' 15)171

tom 1fi!Bl v ~ill i 'ilHW ;r fR8" i ~ • ~~~a vi· '1721

tita feR ~ cr J)fRCJ CQ (l)'(')q ill i U'H l2 u:snr ~ Jiio w;;nit ~ 1i' IFfe' ~ cl W ill i cm'H ft ~ ~ ctanT Q CiCJ ;iPJr I (m:' 27)

109 ~ fftur ~ \1' ~ ~ ~ m1 ~ ,s ~ nro QJS ill ~ Dcrcr .~ ~ fflur org ~ 'ij5e' WI I ~ tO HCfte1 ~ J¥aT awt ;:ll t fer ~ ~ 1.Mf ~ faJ,r c~ fa1fif1 ~ un ~ er ~)I RR'al fq fern ))f' i feR * 1ij ill ~ w.crr Jl'fcJ1i ia ;:it 9 lid mrercJ Ril' R a- 1If ~ ~ ~ alar I J¥aT itt * feR ~ fa))f'cn fe"3' I mr t ilr crcm CfCN' fti ~ ~ fh u fap,r 1 ,f'if ~ * firit ~ -e ~ \1' cbl tw ~ ct Q38 ~ feiP 1 rmr t!' ;}gar RlTtili frB=t fhl fh if I ftir fer ~ 9dcf iJoi fftur q]J ~ W ~: ?)'(')Cl n'H CicS ct m ~ rcrcr 1 170~

171 FeiiatPel m MY m wrou a ii fcl' "W ~ wfuij t!1 m a 1 1 r2 fRtit"a ~ t1t Jm I

113

. ~ ~ -atfte fHur 'Rl i w )( fRll' ~ t ft;m. ~ "iJ171 fa ~ * br ~ 1IV (l)"(()cf m t feR ils ··nm IJR3ij -s "ZNS ufcr5 ~ U5'tt ~ ~"lfl 1rtri', ttC'i\J ~ i CNi ri ~ UO'it )tf)f8 cnasr" \F.f IJI'I (m:' 330)

11 "Y"l R'fcM ~tit en 4o ~tit BC!tO ~ ~ ;n * @ ~ atilif. e«r ~7• (RU' 28)

12111&m cNtcJ ;n i n'H \(cJ tr~ it!" m m ~ v ~ ;n en ~ ~ crae' a 111'))fif #ar i ~ WlcJ i n'H cr 'itit rcrreJ nCJt cu;;ro' I fGro IOill qtr .a1 <RW 1 oo)

13 ~ AcriJ m HUc! ;n en ~ w -A 'ali ~ ;n * ~ ~ tit tm Hira feR Bim Cit" qr

~ O'nci m U"im'cr ~ ~ -er & mra ~ ~ JIU n'H cta7cf rncmt fnfrcrcJ ))fQ'5 ~ ~ ftst CU0 ~ i'· traR'fe I (RU' 1 05)

14.CUI ~ ~ m; ~ vftf n wFiPr en h i\' ~ ~ tit1 1l'))fif * ~ fen en ~ fi lil' ))flO ~ en a~~ * V'CJ ~ ,;to '9"0 ~ ii'CICJ en it ,;Jo fen ir Hi ir tit 1Wn ma- i ~ 'Q' CJfafcp7; cit ~ ~ Clfafemn ia lit I faR t O'H R i fl-er ti' at lSH Cl6 ~ V'iJ' I ~ ~ feR· cit ~ iel "' * feR ian ;;OOo )( \NO em:' ~ ,;tcr fGro HSiCf C«J ~ fer O'H ri cit ~ i en R };fCre' ~ U-er ~ ul fim' ~ )( ~ ~ ~ fap,r irl~ v vftJ ri .R'fu11 ci ~ at ~ ~ 175. mr ~ en ~ fHg em ~ ~ * ~ a m ;;nm; ~ Cl6 O'H n t foii'5 m ,;ro ~ ifa' QR cit ;ro ~ em 1 ·

O'H ri cr ~ ir ~ afu il'(l)' t<r; en iia'lBl ~ i CJJm178 a'

oo1w. (Wcf ~ b-1

1s -Q ciiftt!' mur ttt t ii'H n ~ iRr CfJI ~ . CQ -atfii! firur ;n * O'H ri t w ~ i BCnf ir tiJ'"e • tr 11@ ~ h 'Rl t f1ilcJ ~ 11' iRl G'){ ri' t a- 1JCf wtr, qra uro i fcs ir ftlil CIT

1 6 ii "". ,jffircr W i ~ crl ORH ~ ~ fhr tn % niir 1!Bfcf ij'1i' CI'H ffiur fit % ~ en ut , <mr 444)

173 fRll' fead'R&'d1 t iiCl' !fctRr if . 175 ~ Cl'dt •

J 14

t@Ol tnal:

~- 'ill ~ 8ilfR f5PI * U'R tm ~ fer Quai ¥' 1r:f cf ~ k;r ~ t!l • tv ft!5 0'8 fv;rcr iRR)'tttcrcr

fB1st at ~ fh' p 118'& an ~ cR8 • ·.vir ~ _,. iJ7) 1 iii! fR ~ rm 31' ~ acr fatst · ~ N;r ~it<!"~ ri tv ~-at ta'ri QCIH 11'i cit ~ ~? ~ ~ 'i!' Hill feB'il ~~'fair ~ iiCI(IiT cit a a cRt feB'il ~ 1111 m 8il . ?iCJt fq ))fJft" Qt ~ ~ fO I iicFctt ~ ?i6cJd

~ Rir b fn 'h -m·a- fer crcr iDRl t!" ~ ri em ~ fBu f1R fhT ~ 1fR 4iK 1i1' ·a+. iiJiji!iiii'a . crcr Rri' cro fircf U'R ~ ao . ~ il* ~ criR!t a · lfm if I Jr & ·coaeiiii•fa,.: ~ ~ riZt t ywitcr JJN18 iFifi!Y at .fer feR trR Nils tiPJrn fh' ';N I ilr JH'U

~ B"' Rt ~ ,;m 6&<~•e1 ~ 1

"

RAMGARHIA SIKH· GURDWARA (Temple)

Charity Regn. No. 263287 10/14 Neville Road, Forest Gate, London E7 9QX

Tel.: 081-471 ()335, 081-472 3738

The Ramgarhia Sikh Gurdwara came into existence in. the

sixties, when weekly congregations were held in.hired halls, and in.

1966, premises were acquired in Margery Park Road, Forest Gate.

It was not long before bigger premises was purchased at f0-14

Neville Road, Forest Gate and the organisation started growing

from strength to strength while discharging its religious, social and

cultural obligations. The activities of the Gurdwara continued to

expand with a strong and progressive local Sikh community, and in

1982, additional premises were purchased at 270 Neville Road,

Forest Gate.

The facets of the Gurdwara include Ramgarhia Istri Sabha,

Ramga~hia ·Elderly Centre, Ramgarhia Sports Centre and

Ramgarhia Panjabi School.

Ramgarhia lstri Sabha has approximately 200 members, and

organises regular congregations every Saturday afternoon in the

Gurdwara and in addition caters for. private family requests for

satsang. The association organises two large functions, Sukhmani

Sahib (thirteen Akhand Jaaps for thirteen ~ays) and Chopai Sahib

(Aklfclnd Jaaps lasting for five days). A number of smaller functions

are also organised to spiritually nurture the Sangat.

Ramgarhia Elderly Centre has around 250 members, and

caters for the needs and welfare of the senior citizens of the Sikh

community. The association provides daily catering services,

entertainment, social and welfare activities, for its members and

the community at large. The centre also organises coach trips to

places of interest and seaside resorts.

Ramgarhia Sports Centre has a. membership of arourd 400

young people, and activities are organised by a committee of

dedicated youth from the Gurdwara. They have strong teams in

both indoor and outdoor activities and compete in various leagues

at national levels. The outdoor activities include Hockey, Football,

Badminton,Squash and Basketball and the indoor activities include

Table Tennis, Pool, Darts, Weight Lifting, Bhangra and Dhol

classes. The annual Hockey tournament (which includes Children's

athletics) has become an important social event for the community

that attracts participants from the national teams and local

dignitaries. Barrington Fields, is another feat achieved by the Sikh

community, which will in the future provide specialised out door

sporting facilities second to none.

Ramgarhia Panjabi School has been running for the last 20

years, promoting langu~ge, religion and cultural activities. The

School has 450 children.on roll and prepares them" for both GCSE . and Advanced Level examination in Paojabi. It bas an excellent

reeord of attendance and success. The School operates from the

adjacent four-storey building which houses ~line classrooms, a

school library, two offices a multipurpose hall and other facilities.

The school children regularly participate in Kirtan at Gurpurabs,

and diSplay their Gidha and Bhangra skills at cultural functions.

In addition, Gurbani Kirtan classes have been running for the

last 5 years; and there are approximately 40 students who are

learning to play Harmonium and tabla.

The Management Committee members are confident that,

. with the continued support and dedication of the members of our

communitr, the Gurdwara and its funtions will continue to prosper

at an even greater pace in the forthcoming new century.

If you are interested in supporting or partiCipating in the

activities organised by the Ramgarhia Sikh: Gurdwar(l, please contact

the general office on 0181 472 3738 (day) and ·0181 471 0335

(evening) to obtain further info171Ultion.

Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh.

' DONATION LIST

i ~eceipt No. I. Ramgarhia Sikh Gurchvara,

10/14 Neville Road, London, E. 7, 9QX £350.00 6617

2. S. Mehar Singh, 29 Kensington A venue,

· London, E. 12, 6 NW. £251.00 6615 3. Coronation Construction.

(London) £250.00 6616 4. London Construction Company. £250-00 6617 5. H&S Builders Merchants,

352/354 Katherine Road, London, E. 7, 8 NW. £250.00 (t618

6. Gupat. £500.00 6619

1 7. S. Harjinder Singh. (London) £500.00 6620 8. Metro Building Services.

//" (London) £100.00 6621 .-- 9 • R&S Design Associates,

/ . Manor Park; London, E.12,6 TJ. £100.00 . 6622 10. S. Jagwindcr Singh Rehal,

209 Staines Road, IIford, Essex £100.00 6623

l 11. S. Jasbir Singh, IIford Essex. £51.00 6624 12. Panjabi Parents Association,

East London. £31.00 6147 13. S. Amrik Singh Chana,

Green Street, London, E 7. £300-00 7351 ~

~: .....

';

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,·.·-....

'

'

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I [

.-·.c.._., .... ·-

·---.~ ·--.

'-

Arrangement for printing of this book and its shipment from India to England was done by

Guru Nanak Charitable Trust (Regd.) Mullanpur Mandi, Distt. Ludhiana.

Which is a social-service organisation engaged in the

following Social Welfare Projects :-

1. Free Allopathic Dispensary.

2. Guru Nanak Public Library.

3. Tailoring & Embroidary Training Centre.

4. Day-care .Centre & Senior Citizen Home.

5. Drug De-addiction & Rehabilitation Centre.

6. Welfare of Street Children.

7. Assistance to Polio-Paralytic & handicapped persons.

8. Youth Health & Sports Club.

9. Gurbani Kirtan Training Centre.

10. Computer Training Centre.

11. Food Preservation and Interior Decoration Training Centre.

12. Wrestling Club.

Interfaith dialogue is extremely desirable in today's Britain in which people of different religions freque.ntly find themselves as near neighbours. Understanding and respect for the beliefs of others in a world of near instant communications, where conflict thousands of miles away can affect attitudes and perceptions nearer home, make such dialogue all the more important.

Respect for the beliefs of others is fundamental to Sikh teachings. For Sikhs, respect goes beyound simple tolerance to the readiness to give one's life in the defence or religious freedom for all people. The Sikh Gurus did not simply preach. Our ninth Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur gave his life defending the right to freedom of worship for those of a different faith to his own.

Sadly this higher view of tolerance is not found in some followers of other faiths who see the convers~on of others by fair means or foul as a religious imperative. The Interfaith Network UK in its publication "Building Good Relations with People of different Faiths" reminds us of "the danger of misrepresenting or disparaging other people's belief and practices". It also remind us of "the importance of correcting misunderstanding or misrepresentations." It is these two criteria that form the raison d'etre for this publication by Mr. Gurbachan Singh Sidhu, one of Britain's leading Sikh scholars.

In this short publication, Mr. Sidhu responds to a number of slurs and distortions of Sikhism. He does this in a considered and measured way. Young Sikhs, particularly those exposed to unfair proselytising on University campuses, will find this book especially helpful, but it will also be invaluable to others interested in a fuller understanding of the Guru's teaching.

Inderjit Singh J.P., O.B.E., M.Comm, MBA, C.Eng., M.I.Min.E.

Editor : Sikh Messenger London.

Director : Network of Sikh Organisation U.K.

I have read with great interest Mr. Sidhu's manuscript titled, "A Challenge to Sikhism". It is a unique addition in the literature on Sikhism. It contains thought provoking and valuable material for both a researcher and an ardent fan of Sikh Studies. I wish Mr. Sidhu best ofluck on this project and pray to Waheguru to give him health and pen-power to serve the Sikh religion and the Sikh nation all his life.

Dr. Sukhbir Singh Kapoor M.A.,Phd, PCMA,FCCA.

Vice Chancellor World Sikh University London.

Editor:- Sikh Courier London.