Islam Difference In Bowing Head In Front Of Guru Granth Sahib And Idol Worship

[arshdeep88]

Sat sri akal to all respected members

i was just wondering about one question

in your view what is the difference between bowing head to guru granth sahib and worshipping idol?
moreover i have seen people bowing heads to certain places in gurudwara saying they are sacred
for example when i visit sees ganj sahib gurudwara i see people bowing heads in font of the well from where it is said that Guru teh bahadur ji use to take his bath everyday while being imprisoned and at the saheedi sathan of Guru Ji,
there are many more such examples in other gurudwaras

what is your take on it?

 

[Harry Haller]

We bow to the Guru, we do not worship the guru. People that bow to idols are idol worshippers, as indeed are those that bow to a tree where Guruji may have tied some horses, or photographs, etc. Some might say it is to help focus, or assist in imagery, however, Sikhism has at its core philosophy to refrain from ritual or pointless practices, so to do so is similar to taking a drug, or sitting on a mountain to 'help focus', but that is my opinion only

It takes the focus away from Creator and on to inanimate objects, or even animate objects.

The Guru is what is dear to us, is what we respect and what we show respect and humility to, again, this is not worship. Some bow before food, it is not worship, I bow before my father and mother, again, it is respect.

 

[arshdeep88]

Harry Ji
i agree with your saying that we ought to respect guru's SHABAD thats why we bow in front of the Guru granth sahib. I do got your point.

allright ill take worship out of the idols and on the other situation what if the people are bowing to the idols of ram ,shiva, hanuman or other hindu goddesses also to show respect then what difference it becomes?

 

[Harry Haller]

The Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains the word of God, it is worthy of reverance, it is the Guru, it contains the Gurus words. Idols contain plaster, be they Sikh ones or Hindu ones. I do not know enough about Hinduism, but if it is acceptable to treat an idol as God, then they are just being good Hindus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolatry

However, perusing the above, it may appear that all worshiping of idols is not clear cut in any religion, although in Sikhism it should be, as it is one of few religions to address the issue.

 

[Luckysingh]

Sat sri akal to all respected members

i was just wondering about one question

in your view what is the difference between bowing head to guru granth sahib and worshipping idol?
moreover i have seen people bowing heads to certain places in gurudwara saying they are sacred
for example when i visit sees ganj sahib gurudwara i see people bowing heads in font of the well from where it is said that Guru teh bahadur ji use to take his bath everyday while being imprisoned and at the saheedi sathan of Guru Ji,
there are many more such examples in other gurudwaras

what is your take on it?

I know that Sikhs bow to Sikh and guru artifacts and even nishan sahibs.
However, there is a difference between bowing with your head down onto the floor and a simple gesture of hands together and saying 'waheguru'.

A Sikh should ONLY bow to the GURU which is now the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji.
The highest reverence is the supreme truth or consciousness whom some call God.
This exact word of God is the Guru Granth Sahib ji.

Aad Guru Nameh- I bow to the supreme truth

For me personally,this means that I don't bow to sants,so called brahmgyanis, mahapurshs..etc... since I don't know truly who is enlightened or not!!
However, when I bow to the Guru Shabad, I should also be submitting myself to his will and offering my head.
At the moment I am not a khalsa, so my outer rehat is not strictly submitted but I do feel like I surrender my mind and heart at times when bowin

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

When I bow to the SGGS..i am saying that I want to drop my Manmatt and accept GuruMatt...simple. "Respect...blah blah blah" are just catch words...once I watched a woman scold her elderly father in law with so many choice vulgar words simply because he asked her to take away his food utensils frorm last night and wash them...the lady then stepped out and loudly inquired form her neighbour whether she was free as they were supposed to go to the village DERA to do SEVA of washing Sangat's jhootheh Bhandeh !!! and earn Good MERIT ??? Most SIKHS today are in THAT "respect balh balh blah" Category. These types neglect their children, homes, husbands, elderly peoples in the hosue to go earn seva in deras as if theres no tomorrow...they MURDER gilr foetuses in their daughter-in-laws wombs and go matha tek to Nishan Sahibs , manji sahibs, langgar halls..MANMATT is 150% SUPREME but they make a SHOW of GURMATT 200% !!

If a Hindu bows to a idol of Shiva..and he is declaring that he accepts Shiva's teachings then its OK...hes simply a good hindu...BUT a SIKH has no reason to do that.

 

[Tejwant Singh]

In almost all cultures- The eastern and the western, bowing used to be and still is in some, the sign of respect. Bowing to the Kings and Queens was the commandment that all subjects had to follow otherwise their heads may be chopped off.

It is very common in China, Japan, Korea and other far eastern cultures to bow rather than having a body contact like hand shakes, embraces or kisses on the cheeks, the latter is common among the men in the Arab culture and among the men and women in the Latin culture.

In the Indian culture, we bow with out hands clasped or touch our elders' feet as a sign of respect.

We actually do not bow to the SGGS, it is much more than that we do. We touch our foreheads on the floor in front of it. It means that we accept the teachings of our only Guru. Behind the forehead is where the vital organ the brain dwells which is the Hard Drive of our body filled with the Software called Munn/mind, the latter we want it to be programmed by the SGGS, hence the touching of our foreheads.

Tejwant Singh

 

[Ishna]

Yes I think it's important to remember the distinction between a matha tek to Guru Sahib Ji and a bow to say, a foreign leader or courtroom judge. One is complete surrender and acceptance of the teaching, the other is a gesture of respect from one person to the other.

Unless Sikhs wan't to be like this...:


THE accused Muslim rioter who a female magistrate slammed as "very disrespectful" for refusing to stand for her has defended his actions - saying he wouldn't get on his feet for a male magistrate either.

Lakemba resident Mohammed Issai Issaka, 44, caused outcry on Monday when he rejected magistrate Jacqueline Milledge's demands that he rise for her during his appearance at at the Downing Centre Local Court on charges of rioting and assaulting police during the September 13 riots.

He stayed in his chair when she entered the courtroom - citing his religious beliefs for his failure to follow Australian court customs.

Yesterday his lawyer Stephen Hopper told The Daily Telegraph his client wanted people to know he loved his adopted home and his refusal to stand had nothing to do with gender: "(Issaka's) words were: 'I have a mother, I have a wife and I have daughters. I would hate anybody to disrespect them because they are women.'

Issaka had pleaded not guilty to rioting, assaulting and resisting police.




Mr Hopper said Issaka's strict reading of his religion meant that he would only stand for God.

Ms Milledge eventually agreed to a compromise, letting Issaka stay outside the court until she had taken her seat.

Read more... http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...races-all-comers/story-fndo1uez-1226647943775

 

[findingmyway]

Matha tek is not just respect. It is a declaration that I am giving you my head, I am ready to learn and change. I am ready to dedicate my life to your teachings.

I personally will not bow down to anyone or anything other than SGGS.

 

[Kamala]

I think it has to do with respect and also something cultural..
Like for example most people in India bow down to parents as well, nothing wrong with that haha.

 

[findingmyway]

Bowing down is not respect really but an ageist custom as only the young bow down to older people, never the other way around. The number of people I have seen bowing and touching the feet of an elderly person just to bad mouthe that person later-where's the respect there? That's just a ritual!

 

[Kamala]

Haha it's respect for the moment. You can also call it a way to greet someone/something. :grinningkaur:

 

[riskygujjar]

arabs dont bow in respect.they bow to no one.get ur facts right.

 

[riskygujjar]

aah and there is no difference in bowing head in front of guru granth sahib or idol worship.both same.
if u dont bow in front of idols then it doesnt mean that u get right to bow in front of guru granth sahib.

why do people bow infront of idols?
because to show respect.
whats the big difference.

 

[aristotle]

arabs dont bow in respect.they bow to no one.get ur facts right.

Okay....Muslims don't bow towards the Kaaba then?
Perhaps it is you who should get the facts right.

 

[aristotle]

aah and there is no difference in bowing head
in front of guru granth sahib or idol
worship.both same.

That was ignorant. Why don't you try to get some knowledge about a religion before commenting on it? That would be helpful Sir.

 

[riskygujjar]

atleast it is in our religion.
sikh says to hindus idol worship is wrong.
and whats the best u come up with to bow in front of guru granth sahib ?

and to tell u something when we offer namaz we donot bow keeping in mind that we are bowing infront of kaba.
we have to keep in mind that allah is seeing us or we are seeing allah.ohkkk

i mean a god who is nirankar.

 

[spnadmin]

That was ignorant. Why don't you try to get some knowledge about a religion before commenting on it? That would be helpful Sir.

It was ignorant and any future remarks like that will be deleted without notice.

 

[riskygujjar]

sorry

 

[riskygujjar]

ohk i will keep my language in check sorry

In my school days i studied in sikh school till 8th standard.
and we even did gurbani path.
so i have knowledge though a bit only.

and i have some good sikh friends too.