MPW 1153

Week 9: Islam and Sikhism

Introduction
Islam Sikhism

Islam
Rise up and read

1. Islam and Human Development

Life begins at inception

120 days after fertilization God will send an angel to place a roh in the embryo The roh (spirit) will determine the babys:
Livelihood Deeds in life Death Suffering or happiness

Human beings originate from Adam

1. Islam and Human Development (cont)

After death, the roh of a person lives on until Judgment Day Priority is placed on the developmt of behavior, individuality, character and rship w God Obj and direction of human growth: education, character training and in building a harmonius rship w God Final obj for a virtuous Muslim is to goto Heaven The human body and roh have separate needs: food, shelter; moral achievements Three factors that influence human development:
Natural factor determined by Character Environment Human ability

2. Human Beings from an Islamic Perspective

Man does not emerge from a material process but is made by Allah and possesses two elements (roh and body). Man is a spiritual and physical creatures Man is created to serve Allah and be faithful towards Him

Entrusted w the duties of a Calph to administer the world according to the law of Allah

Man is subject to two opposing tendenciesone which leans towards the angel and the other to the devil. Because man possesses freewill, his fate is in his hands

3. Man as a Caliph
Man is more noble than all other creatures, including angels Man is representative of Allah in upholding truth and peace and eliminating disobedience and distractions to achieve al-falah As a caliph, man should display his natural attributes within him, thru knowing and believing in Allah This faith in Allah will be ingrained in man, making him truly a caliph and subsequently developing values of truth, goodness, beauty, and justice in all his actions.

4. Islamic Holy Books

The Koran
Contains messages revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad in the Arabic language by Angel Gabriel The Prophet memorized each verse Revelation was a gradual process which lasted 23 years

The Hadis (Hadith)

Record of words, actions, behavior, and character of the Prophet Important elements

5. Aspects of Islamic Teaching

Encompasses
Aqidah (Faith)
Allahs power is absolute Man must believe and worship Allah

Ibadah (devotion)
Limited to those practicing the 5 pillars Wider view than just 5 pillars, including society Any action that reflects the feeling of selfsubmission and obedience to and worship of Allah

Akhlak (morals)
A persons faith, confidence, trust Actions that are customary, does not require much thought

5. Aspects of Islamic Teaching

Faith (Aqidah)

Morals (Akhlak)

Devotion (Ibadah)

6. The Concept of Ibadah (Devotion)

Encompasses understanding of the ONENESS or UNITY of Allah (Tauhid) Originated from aqidah (Faith)

Which believes in:

Allah Qadak and Qadar (Taqdeer) Holy Books The Prophets The Hereafter Angels

6. The Concept of Ibadah (Devotion) (cont)

Tauhid Uluhiah
Man: i) Has certain inclinations ii) Requires aid

Tauhid Rububiyah
God: i) Has choice and protection ii) Fulfils all requirements and gives help iii) To assemble iv) Leader and Master v) Selector and Master

iii) Has yearning and dislikes separation iv) Servitude v) Requires protection

7. Islamic Moral Values (akhlak)

Only the Koran must be yardstick to gauge Islamic moral values (only source) Mission of the Prophet is to guide mankind towards laudable moral values And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character. Surah al-Qalam 68:4 Belief in qada and qadar, sin and merit (pahala), rewards and punishment in the hereafter. The kind of behavior recommended is faithful, Godfearing, virtuous, sincere, patient, trustworthy, holy, just, helpful, forgiving, generous.

9. Important Terms in Islamic Behavior

Term Islam Meaning
-Genuine - Submission

Meaning of term
-Acknwldgs 1ness of

+ve actions Believe in Allah, be devoted, give tithe

-ve actions Believe in other gods; do not follow teaching Lying, cheating, betraying trust, slandering, killing, committing adultery
-Disobey commands -Does not pray -Does not perform

Allah
- Bow to Allah

Taqwa

- Protect - Preserve

- Protect or preserve oneself from evil

Holy, virtuous

Iman

-Trust

-Believe in Allah -Bow to him -Faithful

- Follow the six principles of iman - Recite syahada Love Allah, control attitude and personal actions Fast seriously

haj Ihsan
-Suitable - Beautiful - Something gd -Beautify behavior w

- Do not love Allah

-Does not control

complete faith
- Beautify behavior thru

personal behavior
- Does not fast

justice

Strengths
Comprehensive system of Law that covers all aspects of life (jurisprudence). A way of life not merely a set of beliefs Encourages worship of ONE GOD Combines intellectual and spiritual aspects of humanity Encourages learning and scholarship

Weaknesses
Does not tolerate criticism/dissent The Prophet married a girl under 16

Yet held as a supreme moral example

Mohammad said do not teach women writing, teach them spinning and the sura al-nur. Discrimination against women Set of laws to obey, not well known for its mercy (only justice)

Sikhism

Background to the Sikh Religion

Founded by Guru Nanak I (1469-1539) Succeeded by a group of 10 Teachers Teachings put together in a Holy Book called
Guru Granth Sahib Ji

There is only one God who is absolute Life in this world has no beginning and no end (Hinduism), no limit or boundary, cannot be analysed by ordinary human thoughts Formation was influenced by Islam and Hinduism, practiced in Northern India

Basic Teachings
Sikh Teachers stressed that all mankind are Gods creation and ought to be faithful to their respective ways of life A child at birth is not yet a Khalsa, even though parents are Sikhs, only after understanding rules and regulations

And receives sugar water (Amrit) Understand and conform to the laws of the Sikh religion

Laws of the Sikh Religion

There is only one Almighty God. There are ten Teachers, from Guru Nanak to Gobind Singh Always read or listen to the words of Guru Granth Sahib Ji to perform religious service Abolish feelings about castes, stop worshipping idols and other practices opposed to Sikhism Respect all creatures without questioning religion, race or a persons skin colour Train to control yourself and promise to wear the FIVE SYMBOLS of the Sikhs which all bear the letter K:

The Five Ks
Kesh (uncut hair) Kanggha (comb) Kashehra (white shorts) Kirpan (Sword/dagger) Kara (Steel bangle won on the waist)

Once a person has practised the discipline of the Khalsa community he should apply to receive the Amrit from the Five Religious Members (Panj Piare)

The Ten Teachers

1.

Guru Nanak 1 (Nanak Dev)

Was sent to the mosque to learn abt Islam Later learnt abt Hinduism Felt dissatisfied w the followers of these religions because they did not practise what they ought to Claimed the ppl professed the respective religions physically, but spiritually they deviated from the teachings Became a wanderer and befriended a Muslim named Mardana. Befriended a Hindu called Bala. Concluded that all religions are good; it was only followers who did not conform Based teaching on LOVE: if you want God to love you, you must first love one another. To be near God, Guru Nanak taught followers to recite or sing praises to God so that they gradually learnt to be humble Did not encourage the people to embrace his religion

The Ten Teachers (cont)

Whether a person is good or bad is not caused by factors like race, religion, skin colour or body size, but by what that person does. Guru Nanak was a man of gentle disposition. Taught that laziness and begging for alms were degrading ways of life During the time of the tenth Teacher Guru Gobind Singh, Khalsa Community came into being

Sikh Identity

Sikh means learner or follower in Punjabi

Important Matters in Sikh Religion

1.

The God that is worshipped

Name: Wahiguru (God the Amazing) Opposed worship of idols Anti animism Only our hearts need to be made special for religion. No to predetermined fate, but believes in karma and reincarnation Simran (constantly remembering Gods nameWahiguru) and good behaviour can a person leave the cycle of reincarnation Spend much time reading and singing the words of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji and reciting the name of Wahiguru to cleanse their thoughts and hearts

Important Matters (cont)

2. Status of the Teacher in Sikhism
Their Teacher guides guide them along the right path After their deaths, the Holy Book and the Khalsa community took over The ten Sikh teachers are not regarded as descended from God The Holy Book is not worshipped, Sikhs only worship God Their priests are not given high status in the religion or community, but only respected for their knowledge Task of making decisions relating to their religion or community is delegated to a five-member Khalsa committee called Panj Piare.

3. The Holy Book

Contains all sayings of the first five Teachers, the ninth as well as some Islamic and Hindu scholars Placed on a table in the Gurdwara. When approaching the Holy Book, a person must show respect by prostrating on the floor.

4. Gurdwara- House of worship

The word means teachers archway. Holy Book is kept here A centre of Sikh religion and community Always open to the public without regard to rank or religious affiliation Anyone wishing to enter the Gurdwara must take off their shoes and cover their head

5. Sikh religious festivals

Most important: Vasakhi Day (13 April each year) Commemorates establishment of the Khalsa community by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699 Birthday of Guru Nanak, Katak Puranmashi day is also celebrated

6. Society
Society has a special status and there is no place for the CASTE SYSTEM All members of the Sikh community are advised to follow all societal rules and regulations

7. Peaceful and Aggressive Ways

Places more importance on peaceful than on aggressive ways Sikhs are also taught to be brave When all means have been attempted, it is valid to seek the truth with the sword. Guru Nanak 10. a Sikh is required to be prepared to defend his religion and his homeland

Teaching of Sikhism based on the Holy Book

In the real world, thinking of human beings is always narrow and limited (houmai or egoistic) Morally, man should open up his mind so that he can adapt himself to conditions around him This will make him think more widely and wisely And then can act more JUSTLY and MODERATELY (sachiara) It is important and moral for an individual to distance himself from houmai and try to acquire sachiara

How to attain Sachiara

Dharam Khand: be prepared to bring change and progress to oneself through sacrifice and social duties Gian khand: Look for knowledge by equipping oneself with wisdom Saram khand: Look for harmony and tranquility in oneself, appreciate the beauty of nature, and of self Karam khand: Become altruistic, ie. Improve yourself internally, reject houmai and move towards sachiara level which ignores self-importance, but always fulfils social and moral obligations Sach khand: Strive to attain the highest level- unite wisdom and self-virtue (karkar), value consciousness (vekhe) and internal happiness (nihala) in oneself

These areas help an individual abandon houmai for sachiara

Training in these aspects aims at building individuals who are well-balanced spiritually, physically and emotionally

Reject five negative aspects:

Kam: Desire Lobh: Greed or covetousness Moh: Believe in or worship something that is false Krodh: Anger Ahankar: Arrogance, conceit

Strengths
Worship of the ONE GOD Against discrimination of Caste System Does not overvalue role of the Priest/Teacher Emphasis on identity and community Attempt at addressing the Human Condition in the pursuit of Sachiara but through human effort

Weaknesses
Those who do not go through amrit are excluded from the Khalsa community and its benefits? Why is there still the possibility of violence in the religion? The way to Sachiara is dependant on the self. Can mankind really save itself? Not well received by some cultures (have to grow beard >.<)

Conclusion
Islam is a religion of justice and seeks to incorporate religious teachings into all aspects of life. But certain actions of its leader are questionable Sikhism celebrates the book and the community, but is closely linked with a race, therefore can only provide an alternative to the quest to resolve the Human Condition Justice in its extreme form (deontological ethics) can be too rigid and uncompromising.