Where Do I Begin?

[BlackBart009]

I am Muslim and interested in the Sikhi Dharma. Where do I begin?

 

[spnadmin]

Black Bart ji

First of all welcome to this forum. Sat Sri Akaal! Also - off topic, but I really like your screen name -- it makes me giggle a little bit. So thanks for having a sense of humor.

To your question. By now you must have surfed the net a lot. The best thing for you to do is to study some of the threads in this forum and then frame some specific questions and start threads. Otherwise conversations tend to go in circles. Moderation has to step in an people get annoyed, even angry.

Since there are a lot of threads here the task can be staggering. So why not begin with one theme, the Mool Mantar. This is something that contains the seed of all that we believe. You can find threads on that Mool Mantar and threads on the ideas embedded there.

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="98%"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ffecec"><td class="ggs">ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffecec"><td class="subhead">ikoankaar sathnaam karathaa purakh nirabho niravair akaal moorath ajoonee saibhan gurprasaadh||
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffecec"><td class="shlok">One Universal Creator God The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self- Existent. By Guru's Grace~</td></tr></tbody></table>
This is my understanding, but there are many ways to make the meaning of the mool mantar personal to one's own understanding.

• There is one and only one universal creative being
• Truth is His identity (forgive the masculine use of His)
• The doer of everything, the creative force behind all of that is known and yet to be known, and who as the creator of everything, the doer of everything, pervades everything
• Who is without fear and without hatred (because there is no reason for an almighty to fear anything or hate anyone or anything)
• Who is timeless and beyond birth and self-existent. His truth is eternal and He is self-created.
• By the Guru's Grace means The Guru, the enlightener, showers his prasaad, his grace, on us. We are graced by awareness of him.

Guru Nanak goes on to say

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="98%"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ffffec"><td class="ggs">ਜਪੁ ॥
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffec"><td class="subhead">|| jap ||
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffec"><td class="shlok">Chant And Meditate:
</td></tr><tr><td class="rmenuheader">

</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffecec"><td class="ggs">ਆਦਿ ਸਚੁ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਸਚੁ ॥
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffecec"><td class="subhead">aadh sach jugaadh sach ||
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffecec"><td class="shlok">True In The Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages.
</td></tr><tr><td class="rmenuheader">
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffec"><td class="ggs">ਹੈ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਹੋਸੀ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ ॥੧॥
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffec"><td class="subhead">hai bhee sach naanak hosee bhee sach ||1||
</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffec"><td class="shlok">True Here And Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True. ||1||</td></tr></tbody></table>
The truth of the Sat Nam is an eternal truth. It has been true from the beginning, is true today and throughout all the ages, and will be true forever.

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Now my admin note: The way you have started this thread, I must confess, is the classic beginning to a "dawah" by Muslim members. I have had a lot of experience with this and I noted you said you were Mulsim on another thread. I do not want to prejudge you. At the same time I must say that questions that lead up to challenges to our faith always cause problems. So please do understand how serious I am.

 

[BlackBart009]

Black Bart ji
Now my admin note: The way you have started this thread, I must confess, is the classic beginning to a "dawah" by Muslim members.

I assure you I'm not a da'i, I'm here strictly to gain a proper understanding of this religion. What books would you recommend?

What are the "must reads," of the Sikhi Dharma?

 

[spnadmin]

Sri Guru Granth Sahib should always be the beginning, the middle and the end.

You will find that forum members will vary in terms of their ideas of the "must-reads." Let's wait for them to reply.