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Hard Talk Sikh-Muslim Relations

mogambo

SPNer
Apr 1, 2020
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Sat Sri Akal, I am from Pakistani background born in a Muslim family though not religious at all I follow the cultural aspect. I have been living in Canada for past two decades and in my area there is a huge Sikh population. I have always respected Sikh people's beliefs but it seems to me most not all Sikhs hold some type of grudge or negativity against anything remotely related to Islam. I understand the mughals were oppressers and there is India Pakistan political angle but why so much negativity? Please don't be offended just an observation I had and wanted to ask.
 

ravneet_sb

Writer
SPNer
Nov 5, 2010
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326
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SAT Sri Akaal,
Problem is not religion, it is misconception of human mind the way one labels religion. It is spiritual education and practice that makes one religious or spiritual.

1st is one can not be Muslim Hindu Sikh or Christain by birth. As it's related to spiritual education and practice. Now as per 1st principle any education on receives die with birth, and new one has to retake it. So without education and practice how one can be labelled with religion.


2nd is like half cooked food makes spoil, that's the fate of unrelasied concepts of religious preachers, who dont realise there text, but start practicing. Like Jihad and {censored} are two terms, miscoceptualised to provoke ignorant or half intellectuals.
One rot spoils a lot be it of any religion.

It is duty of every spiritually aware person to bring edu action of right spirit and practice.

These 2 primary human disillusione can spoil the spirit of any human, family, society or nation.
 

ravneet_sb

Writer
SPNer
Nov 5, 2010
864
326
52
Mogambo Ji,

As you are believer, can we lear about Jihad and {censored}, two terms, used for doing crime.

Is it the way it is practiced, or there are situations.
 

ravneet_sb

Writer
SPNer
Nov 5, 2010
864
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Jihad
  • April 24, 2014
This month’s article is on one of the most asked questions – Jihad.

The following is taken from Stage Three of the course:

What is the true meaning of the concept of Jihad

The root of the Arabic word Jihad is Jahd which connotes endurance of rigorous conditions. Thus Jihad means to strive to the utmost for the achievement of a purpose and to leave nothing undone in pursuance of it.

Jihad is of three types

  1. The Jihad against oneself – which in Islamic idiom is called the greatest Jihad (Jihad Akbar) - To purify oneself.
  2. The Jihad that is waged against Satan and Satanic teachings and designs, and is called the great Jihad (Jihad Kabeer) - Propagate the religion.
  3. The Jihad that is waged against the enemy of freedom of conscience; this is called the lesser Jihad (Jihad Asghar) - Holy War
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Has described the striving against self as Jihad Akbar. It is mentioned in the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when returning from an expedition (Tabuk), he said:

“We are returning from the Jihad Asghar (fighting) to Jihad Akbar (struggle against self)”. (Kashaf)
He also said:

“The Mujahid (one who does Jihad) who is exalted above other Mujahids is the one who strives against his own self”.
Jihad Akbar

The greatest Jihad is the Jihad Akbar (purifying oneself). This is because one’s internal struggle to lead a pure good life is very difficult. God always guides us to good, but our natural tendencies are inclined to evil. The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 12, verse 54, describes this as Nafse Ammarah, ‘the self that inclines to evil’. Our natural state, as long as we are not guided by reason and understanding, is to follow our natural bent of eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, anger and provocation, like the animals. Once a person is guided by reason and understanding and brings their natural state under control and regulates it in an appropriate manner, then they start to develop their moral state to the second stage of development called Nafse Lawwama, ‘the reproving self’ (75:3) and then to the final moral state of Nafse Mutmainnah, ‘the soul at rest’ (89:28). Thus to purify one’s self is a constant internal struggle which one must strive to practise in order to achieve paradise.

Jihad Kabeer

The second type of Jihad is Jihad Kabeer (propagating the religion). This is because to go out and spread the message of God and to try to improve the society that one lives in, means that first you have to overcome your inhibition and be ready to face abuse, humiliation and even persecution. To propagate the religion means that you have to lead by example and live by what the religion teaches. You cannot say to someone that this is what my religion teaches me, but I personally do not follow it, and then expect that person to take you seriously. It is for this reason that to spread the message of God through word and personal example, is the second hardest type of struggle that one must strive to do.

Jihad Asghar

The third type of Jihad is Jihad Asghar (Holy War). This is placed third, because no war can be Holy! But, Allah recognises that in certain circumstances, there is a need to defend yourself for the sake of your faith – This is the Jihad Asghar. A trueJihadshould only be raised when these two conditions are there a) It is in defence b) The aggressors are trying to prevent you from practising your faith. Because ultimately our purpose in life is to worship God, if someone prevents you from worshiping God, then you should reason with them. If that fails, then Islam teaches us that we should move away and worship in a different place. But if they follow us and still prevent us from worshipping God, then we are permitted to fight them as a means for our freedom of belief and worship.

According to the teachings of Islam, if a person fights in a true Jihad and dies, he will die as a martyr and will go to paradise. When fighting a true Jihad therefore, a Muslim is not scared of dying, instead he welcomes it as a means to attain paradise. An army that does not fear death, becomes a very strong army! It is for this reason that the Muslim Leaders desire to call any war aJihad, knowing the effect it has on their army. In this last Century, there have been many Jihadscalled by the Muslim leaders, sometime against Muslims themselves i.e. Iran v Iraq war, where both sides called a Jihad!

The question that is often raised then is – when is a war, a Jihad, according to the teachings of Islam? The most complete definition of Jihad isfound in Chapter 22, verse 40-41 of the Holy Qur’an:

“Permission to take up arms is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged and Allah, indeed, has power to help them – Those who have been driven out from their homes unjustly, only because they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah.”
The majority of Jihad’s that have been called are political wars and any political war, whether it is between Muslims and non-Muslims or just between Muslims, does not become a Jihad. In fact, some people start considering a war of rights a Jihad since each party believes that “we are in the right”; then each party declares that the war is in the name of God and for the sake of truth, therefore, it is a Jihad. This may be a secondary definition of Jihad, but whether it is called Jihad or not in the terminology of Islam, its definition does not apply because this definition is against the basic logic that whoever of the two parties is based on truth, their wars will become Jihadin the Qur’anic terminology. All kinds of wars have and are being fought. Whenever two parties are fighting it is obvious that if one party is not based 100% on truth it will attest to be based on truth. It is very rare that the two parties are equally to be blamed or the two are equally right. Generally, one party is the oppressed and the other is the oppressor. The war of every oppressed people is not called a Jihad.The war of that oppressed group is called Jihad who are being stopped from declaring their faith in God, who are being punished for their religion. The Holy Qur’an states“They have committed no crime except that they say, ‘Our Lord is Allah.’ “So, if a war is being imposed on someone only for this reason and the enemy has started the war and it is the enemy who has raised the sword and not the Muslims, then the crime of the Muslims should be none except that they declare God as their Lord and deny other Lords besides God then such a war is called Jihad.

I hope this explained the true Jihad for you.

Wassalam (may peace be with you)

Tahir Selby
Course Compiler
 

ravneet_sb

Writer
SPNer
Nov 5, 2010
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With the concept of Jehad,

1st struggle is inner struggle for survival and purification.
2nd struggle is for propogation.

There is always a struggle for survival, one may be rich or poor, means a little challenge will evoke jihad. Than 1st and 2nd learning are total futile.

For Eg If we take the cases.

Killing of Sikhs in Afghanistan Gurudwara, how so called jihadis, have risk from those males and females. Was it way to Jihad,

were those males and females hindering there spiritual work, or occupying spaces.

Who is misleading them, people from other beliefs, or there is problem with own belief system.

It is ignorance, of meanings Jihad.

It's the reflection of ignorance.

So Mogambo Ji,

There is shadow of Ignorance on community, and spiritual education practices.

Way Jihad by ignorant, practiced as an action, the whole community gets reflection.....
 

mogambo

SPNer
Apr 1, 2020
4
0
41
Thanks a lot, dilon Dhanvad thuada Ravneet Ji for taking your time to respond with such a detailed answer. I for one support the call for a reformation by Islamic scholars so that such barbaric acts like the one that occurred in afghanistan recently and have unfortunately become so common cease. Also I want to add that we shouldn't make a sweeping generalization about a group or community based on some people from that community.
 
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ravneet_sb

Writer
SPNer
Nov 5, 2010
864
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Non Believers of TRUTH,

There is physical birth and death, which one can experience.

Second with inner realisation, there is one more perspective to birth and death.

There is continous streaming of thoughts which mind gives birth and with learning and gained experience, one sheds old beliefs, ie old thought die. And a new life as a new thought emerges.

What we live is our belief system or thought.

And there is a continous re search of inner and outer worlds.

Religions is connection to inner searches. and making self made notions die, after connecting ONE as TRUTH of all.

But once mind connects with inner TRUTH false notions or beliefs die. That is the way to re search.

After getting TRUTH search ends, and one stays with TRUTH, and propagates this TRUTH

Death of old beliefs after getting TRUTH is way to new life.

It is everyone's one internal journey, and can not be forced.

Do humans have right to force upon this journey, and give or command death to other humans, and stopping or ceasing there purpose of life on planet.

Every human is {censored} by birth, except a rare of rare, who have blessing of inner connect by Nature.

One can understand and command Right to Spiritual Education. to get TRUTH awareness.

But cannot command right to kill, as Kafirs.

Kafirs are those who kill humans, before getting there own internal TRUTH. ie making there wrong beliefs and executing death of humans, while in power, and thus hindering way of spiritual education of getting TRUTH.


.
 
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swarn bains

Poet
SPNer
Apr 8, 2012
774
187
mogambo jee. thanks for your input. actually sikhs have better relations with muslims of pakistan than some who reject you. we have very good with each other. out background is same. sikhs and sufi philosphy is the closest than any other religion. i have utmost respect for muslims of Pakistan. i had been to Pakistan and i was well respected, those who reject you are ignorant and on hear say. past is past. i welcome you with open arms.
 

swarn bains

Poet
SPNer
Apr 8, 2012
774
187
thank u. i am a shire and i write muslim poetry a lot. so do not worry we are brothers. Mohhamed is not the prophet of muslims only and Nanak is not the prophet sikhs only. we are all one and the same
 

Sikhilove1

Writer
SPNer
Aug 13, 2019
153
49
Sat Sri Akal, I am from Pakistani background born in a Muslim family though not religious at all I follow the cultural aspect. I have been living in Canada for past two decades and in my area there is a huge Sikh population. I have always respected Sikh people's beliefs but it seems to me most not all Sikhs hold some type of grudge or negativity against anything remotely related to Islam. I understand the mughals were oppressers and there is India Pakistan political angle but why so much negativity? Please don't be offended just an observation I had and wanted to ask.

People in general are not okay with some fanatical and harmful actions in the name of Islam, it’s not restricted to a certain religious group. When fanatical Muslims kill in the name of islam, that’s not okay, and that happens often.

A normal human would understand that not all Muslims are like that, in fact the Majority dont seem to be like that. Many question why these fanatical groups feel it’s okay to kill in the name of Islam. Maybe it’s better for these people to study Islam and the backgrounds of these groups to an extent to understand why this is happening.

Religious hatred and intolerance is Wrong for we are All Free to practice what we want and live as we choose, the Gurus never taught intolerance, they taught to live and let live but to guide and teach when it was right.

But they never hated or had enmity towards anyone or religious sect.
 

mogambo

SPNer
Apr 1, 2020
4
0
41
People in general are not okay with some fanatical and harmful actions in the name of Islam, it’s not restricted to a certain religious group. When fanatical Muslims kill in the name of islam, that’s not okay, and that happens often.

A normal human would understand that not all Muslims are like that, in fact the Majority dont seem to be like that. Many question why these fanatical groups feel it’s okay to kill in the name of Islam. Maybe it’s better for these people to study Islam and the backgrounds of these groups to an extent to understand why this is happening.

Religious hatred and intolerance is Wrong for we are All Free to practice what we want and live as we choose, the Gurus never taught intolerance, they taught to live and let live but to guide and teach when it was right.

But they never hated or had enmity towards anyone or religious sect.

Thanks for your reply, like I mentioned earlier I believe in the reformation of Islam. I oppose these fanatic muslims just like you even more so than you because of their actions people cast a suspicious eye on all muslims. Killing of innocent people is never acceptable whether they be of any race, religious, caste, creed etc. But I must ask why is the non muslim world also silent on the many wars initiated in the muslim world for reasons such as imperialism or greed for resources, and persecution of muslim communities throughout the world? Such actions also breed extremism. I am not mentioning these things to gain sympathy, I am only mentioning these world events so that we can put things into perspective.
 

Sikhilove1

Writer
SPNer
Aug 13, 2019
153
49
Thanks for your reply, like I mentioned earlier I believe in the reformation of Islam. I oppose these fanatic muslims just like you even more so than you because of their actions people cast a suspicious eye on all muslims. Killing of innocent people is never acceptable whether they be of any race, religious, caste, creed etc. But I must ask why is the non muslim world also silent on the many wars initiated in the muslim world for reasons such as imperialism or greed for resources, and persecution of muslim communities throughout the world? Such actions also breed extremism. I am not mentioning these things to gain sympathy, I am only mentioning these world events so that we can put things into perspective.

I understand, both parties are in the wrong of course, no one deserves abuse and persecution.

The Gurus included teachings by Muslims and Hindus in Guru Granth Sahib Ji, showing that religion doesn’t matter, that God is One. The Gurus saw the human race as one and taught freedom of Choice and freedom to practice religions of choice freely without persecution.
They helped Hindus and Muslims alike... read up on the gurus histories.

Many don’t understand this concept sadly, either of religious freedom or respect and non Persecution and abuse of others.

All you can do is lead and teach by example. God bless.
 

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