 October 17, 2013 10:10AM |
Yesterday
was Eid and I happened to have an encounter with a Muslim man who tried
to convince me to convert to Islam. Many Muslims consider doing Dawa as
a religious obligation. The Muslim in this case was a Pakistani Punjabi
from Lyalpur, Samundari and was about 50 years old. At first we were
just talking (gap shap) about everyday things in the Punjabi language. I
had no idea he wanted to convert me. Starting Dawa with small talk is a
tactic many Muslims employ to first try to find out about their
potential target. When he saw that I am a friendly person he then
switched to his Da'wa mode. Below is our conversation:
MUSLIM: Beta(son), I want to give you a gift of the holy Quran, I'm sure if you read it, it will change your life.
ME: (wanting to be polite I accepted) Uncle Jee, if you give it to me I will read it when I have free time. Thank you for the offer.
MUSLIM: You know Beta, my family were also Sikhs many generations ago, but then we saw the light of Islam we converted. This is why so many Pakistanis today are Muslims who were formerly Sikhs.
Vichaar: this is a common myth amongst Pakistani Punjabis that their ancestors were Sikhs who then converted to Islam. Truth is, they are the descendants of those Hindus who were beaten up and forced to convert to Islam by the invading Afghans. Sikhs have always been a small minority in Punjab, never being a majority in any district in undivided Punjab. During the misl period Sikhs were only 5% of Punjab's entire population. Then during Sikh Raaj of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh population grew to about 15-18% of Punjab's demographic share. With the fall of the Sikh Raaj many newly converted Sikhs had reverted back to their old faiths and again Sikh population shrank. There has never been any historically known mass conversion of Sikhs to Islam.
ME: Yes uncle jee, similarly many Muslims also converted to Sikhi. In our history we have examples of many such Muslims who saw the greatness of Sikhi and as Sikhs played a prominent role.
MUSLIM: But Beta, Islam is different.
ME: What do you mean?
MUSLIM: It is the last divine religion on this world, while all religions before it became impure and tempered. So it is the duty of all humans to become Muslims like my Sikh ancestors did.
ME: But Uncle Jee, we also believe our religion, Sikhi is by far the best out there. We believe Guru Nanak Dev Jee was sent for a special mission into this world in order to spread the fragrance of Sikhi where ever he went.
MUSLIM: In Gurbani it says "Aval Allah Noor Apaya, Qudrat Ke Sabh Bandhe, Ek Noor Te Sabh Jag Upjea Kaun Bhale Kau Mande." So even in Gurbani it is Talking about the greatness of Allah over other Gods. So Sikhs should believe in Allah and join his Path.
ME: Uncle Jee, do you know What that Gurbani you just quoted means? Aval Allah Noor Upaya means First God's Noor created this world, Qudrat Ke Sabh Bandhe: all living creatures are of his Kudrat, then how can you say one is good or bad based on his caste or religion? So uncle jee, this Shabad is actually talking about the oneness of all mankind who are all created by God.
Vichaar: Many Muslims quote this famous Gurbani Tukh because it has Islamic words like Allah, Noor, Kudrat and they think it must be talking about Islam's greatness but rather it is talking the opposite. It is making the point about the oneness of Vaheguru's creation.
When the Muslim uncle jee realized I am not being convinced about Islam, he used a different tactic. This time he tried to break me off from Sikhi first by attacking Sikh traditions because he knew that it was Sikhi which was preventing me from becoming Muslim.
MUSLIM: Beta, you know no where in Gurbani does it say that Sikhs should have a beard and grow their hair and wear a Pagdi (Turban).
ME: Uncle Jee, our Kesh are an integral part of our faith. Our Gurus themselves kept Kesh and commanded Sikhs to keep them. Just as Muslims rely on the Hadees for much of the Islamic way of life, similarly Sikhs also have historical documents which says Keeping Kesh is a must for a Sikh. We have examples of many Sikhs who became Shaheeds instead of cutting their Kesh. So there is no doubt that keeping Kesh is a must for a Sikh.
MUSLIM: You are a young man, why do you put this bojh (burden) on your head? you should take it off and shave your beard and enjoy your life.
ME: Uncle Jee, the Sikh Dastar is not a Bojh (burden). For us it is a crown that we wear with pride. What is a Sardar without is his Dastar? We keep our beard intact because we are men. We don't want to look like women by shaving our beard.
MUSLIM: But just look at all the Sikhs today. 90% of your boys no longer even wear Pagdis on their head. We are in the west you should try to look western instead of practising this useless ritual.
ME: Uncle Jee, if the majority of the world drinks alcohol, smokes cigarettes and fornicates you think I should follow their example? who cares what the world thinks. For a Sikh all that matters is what his Guru thinks. Just look at all true Muslims who follow the examples (Sunnah) of their prophet, they all have beards and many of your Mullahs-Maulanas even wear turbans, why don't they follow the western lifestyle by shaving and removing their turbans? I am not a cultural slave of the west that I will abandon my religious traditions. In fact I'm surprised you as a Muslim don't even keep a beard! what kind of Muslim are you?
When he could not break me away from Sikhi, he ended his Da`wa and changed the topic and left after 2 minutes. Sikhs in the west need to be aware of cleaver people of other religions trying to convert us. They see us as a soft target since most Sikhs are not very knowledgeable about Sikhi, so they think it will be easy to break a Sikh from Sikhi and convince him to convert. In the west Christian missionaries and Muslims are very active in targeting Sikhs. Sikhs need to gain knowledge about Sikhi in order to counter them if such a situation arises.
MUSLIM: Beta(son), I want to give you a gift of the holy Quran, I'm sure if you read it, it will change your life.
ME: (wanting to be polite I accepted) Uncle Jee, if you give it to me I will read it when I have free time. Thank you for the offer.
MUSLIM: You know Beta, my family were also Sikhs many generations ago, but then we saw the light of Islam we converted. This is why so many Pakistanis today are Muslims who were formerly Sikhs.
Vichaar: this is a common myth amongst Pakistani Punjabis that their ancestors were Sikhs who then converted to Islam. Truth is, they are the descendants of those Hindus who were beaten up and forced to convert to Islam by the invading Afghans. Sikhs have always been a small minority in Punjab, never being a majority in any district in undivided Punjab. During the misl period Sikhs were only 5% of Punjab's entire population. Then during Sikh Raaj of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh population grew to about 15-18% of Punjab's demographic share. With the fall of the Sikh Raaj many newly converted Sikhs had reverted back to their old faiths and again Sikh population shrank. There has never been any historically known mass conversion of Sikhs to Islam.
ME: Yes uncle jee, similarly many Muslims also converted to Sikhi. In our history we have examples of many such Muslims who saw the greatness of Sikhi and as Sikhs played a prominent role.
MUSLIM: But Beta, Islam is different.
ME: What do you mean?
MUSLIM: It is the last divine religion on this world, while all religions before it became impure and tempered. So it is the duty of all humans to become Muslims like my Sikh ancestors did.
ME: But Uncle Jee, we also believe our religion, Sikhi is by far the best out there. We believe Guru Nanak Dev Jee was sent for a special mission into this world in order to spread the fragrance of Sikhi where ever he went.
MUSLIM: In Gurbani it says "Aval Allah Noor Apaya, Qudrat Ke Sabh Bandhe, Ek Noor Te Sabh Jag Upjea Kaun Bhale Kau Mande." So even in Gurbani it is Talking about the greatness of Allah over other Gods. So Sikhs should believe in Allah and join his Path.
ME: Uncle Jee, do you know What that Gurbani you just quoted means? Aval Allah Noor Upaya means First God's Noor created this world, Qudrat Ke Sabh Bandhe: all living creatures are of his Kudrat, then how can you say one is good or bad based on his caste or religion? So uncle jee, this Shabad is actually talking about the oneness of all mankind who are all created by God.
Vichaar: Many Muslims quote this famous Gurbani Tukh because it has Islamic words like Allah, Noor, Kudrat and they think it must be talking about Islam's greatness but rather it is talking the opposite. It is making the point about the oneness of Vaheguru's creation.
When the Muslim uncle jee realized I am not being convinced about Islam, he used a different tactic. This time he tried to break me off from Sikhi first by attacking Sikh traditions because he knew that it was Sikhi which was preventing me from becoming Muslim.
MUSLIM: Beta, you know no where in Gurbani does it say that Sikhs should have a beard and grow their hair and wear a Pagdi (Turban).
ME: Uncle Jee, our Kesh are an integral part of our faith. Our Gurus themselves kept Kesh and commanded Sikhs to keep them. Just as Muslims rely on the Hadees for much of the Islamic way of life, similarly Sikhs also have historical documents which says Keeping Kesh is a must for a Sikh. We have examples of many Sikhs who became Shaheeds instead of cutting their Kesh. So there is no doubt that keeping Kesh is a must for a Sikh.
MUSLIM: You are a young man, why do you put this bojh (burden) on your head? you should take it off and shave your beard and enjoy your life.
ME: Uncle Jee, the Sikh Dastar is not a Bojh (burden). For us it is a crown that we wear with pride. What is a Sardar without is his Dastar? We keep our beard intact because we are men. We don't want to look like women by shaving our beard.
MUSLIM: But just look at all the Sikhs today. 90% of your boys no longer even wear Pagdis on their head. We are in the west you should try to look western instead of practising this useless ritual.
ME: Uncle Jee, if the majority of the world drinks alcohol, smokes cigarettes and fornicates you think I should follow their example? who cares what the world thinks. For a Sikh all that matters is what his Guru thinks. Just look at all true Muslims who follow the examples (Sunnah) of their prophet, they all have beards and many of your Mullahs-Maulanas even wear turbans, why don't they follow the western lifestyle by shaving and removing their turbans? I am not a cultural slave of the west that I will abandon my religious traditions. In fact I'm surprised you as a Muslim don't even keep a beard! what kind of Muslim are you?
When he could not break me away from Sikhi, he ended his Da`wa and changed the topic and left after 2 minutes. Sikhs in the west need to be aware of cleaver people of other religions trying to convert us. They see us as a soft target since most Sikhs are not very knowledgeable about Sikhi, so they think it will be easy to break a Sikh from Sikhi and convince him to convert. In the west Christian missionaries and Muslims are very active in targeting Sikhs. Sikhs need to gain knowledge about Sikhi in order to counter them if such a situation arises.
http://gurmatbibek.com/forum/read.php?3,29590
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Knowledge is power!
Comments
they have killed many jews, Hindus and many other religion for silly reason just to convert to islam here where is the peace you can see
Women status is also very much worst in their religion. women can't go for mosque but in sikhism men and women are both can go for gurudwara
So finally i want to tell you dont believe on any muslim they will do anything to convert anybody to muslim
mail me: smanjitsingh589@gmail.com
Think about this questions:
How can all religion is equal to god?
Is god Omnipresent?
I think Sikh is just a movement of Sufis to unit some people. If Sikhs have no problem with others so change to Islam, it is monothiesm.
There no scripture in Sikhism preventing you to come to Islam and preach it and unit all people of this world.
Yes God is omnipresent. There is no doubt about it in Gurmat. However, in Quran it is unclear and thus varied interpretations are presented. Some say Allah is omnipresent from verses that state Allah’s face is everywhere while others say it is only by his power and knowledge that he is present in the creation.
Sikhi is not an off-shoot of Sufism because mysticism in both systems is very different. In Sufism, there exists dichotomy between religion and politics and way of life is more other-worldly. This is not so in Sikhi. Unless you present some evidence, your statement is unsound and foolish.
Since Gurmat is better than Islam, that alone justifies not going to Islam. There are clear injunctions in Gurbani explicating that those who turn their backs on Satguru get lost, wander in many incarnations and get punished in the next world. Our idea of uniting the world is by love, justice, fairness and equality. Islamic way is to kill, subjugate or enslave people in the name of religion. This is false way of life and will never succeed.
So why dont u accept sikhism so u can achieve heaven.sikhism respect all religions not like ur's religion order's to kill like happening in iraq and syria
And one thing i want tell you many great people like dalai lama and some philosophers told that if whole world follows the sikhism no world war will happen in future this is the teaching of our guru's, we dont cut hairs as our gurus told to us but u even cant maintain a beard which is clearly mention in hadis that every muslim should maintain a beard of minimum equal to their fist without that cant say urself muslim,so how many muslims are their in the world?if count considering this thing in the india or world may be sikhs will be more than muslims and many thing are there which i cant explain u in a single comment
so it is enough for u to get a overview idea of our great historical religion sikhism(saint & soldiers )
And also what do you mean by "mostly muslims are like this"?
You say Quran is written by God..... Really? How?
Prohpet Muhhamad's divine revelations is Quran, Am i right? And Prophet Muhammed was a......God? Ofcourse no.
That's why it is said to be divine. But so is Bhagvat Gita, Bible, Vedas and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and many others. Many Saints/Gurus/Prophets were able to attain God and the deeper they dived into the Ocean of Meditation, the more pearls (experiences) they were able to find. These pearls are compiled in these Granths, so that humans like me and you read them, practice them and become divine ourselves. Its Simple!
So how does that make Quran the only true book? Or Prophet Muhammed the only last true messenger of God?
For your historical reference, and please bear this in Mind in Bold, that - Quran was compiled after Prophet's death, not by himself or during his lifetime. So there is a greater chance of ........ you know what i mean right?
For you Knowledge the history says this about compilation of Quran - "Based on earlier transmitted reports, in the year 632, after the demise of Muhammad a number of his companions who knew the Quran by heart were killed in a battle by Musaylimah, the first caliph Abu Bakr (d. 634) decided to collect the book in one volume so that it could be preserved"
No wonder so many scholars question its authenticity. And i can give you numerous examples of fights within various Islamic sects about the authenticity and different versions. It seems you have a long way or probably no way of resting such arguments to peace.
Whereas, Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the only Holy Book in the whole world which was compiled by the Guru's themselves and gave made Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji - as living Guru....... you know why because it has all the experiences/wisdom about merging or becoming one with God.
Please bear in Mind - there is no if and but within Sikhs (even among sects) about authenticity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Sikhism doesn't say whether it is better than any other religion in the world or not, It is one of the true paths to Salvation and so is Islam and others.
My dear friend, Guru Nanak's message was simple: "Everyone is equal, and we are with everyone and anyone, who, believes in One and only One Almighty, the Lord (Ik Oangkaar).
Sikhs were never against Muslims or Islam, they simply fought against the tyranny which was "Mughals" who were trying to convert anyone & everyone to Islam by force. Sikhism is against all this. Force conversion is not right and is un-Godly, un-Holy and in-Human.
Our Guru's led the whole India by an example, that, even if I do not agree with your faith or practices, I will give my life to protect you freedom and faith, because my brother you have been granted every right to freedom of speech and practice.
Sikhism is Secular, You know why?
Because for our Gurus and their Sikhs all humanity is one and belong to One GOD. No one is special, we become special is Lord's court only by contemplation of His name and by devotion.
Sikh belongs to Waheguru, Akal Purakh, Ram, Allah & God...... These all are his names and with time many more names will come as more divine souls will tread this earth and reveal their experiences.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
I would suggest you to go to the following link in order to get a basic understanding of Sikhism - http://www.sikhismguide.org/
In the Vedas, the Hindu scriptures, it actually predicted the coming of Sikhiskm, Guru Nanak Dev ji and the 10 Gurus. It predicted Vishnu, Brahmah and Shiv Ji will manifest itself as a human in the form of one whose name will be Nanak...
Guru Nanak Dev ji was sent during the Kali Yuga (age of the demon), he was sent by God.
When I bow down to the Guru Granth Sahib, I do not bow down to a mere book, I bow down to God himself manifested in all these holy forms.
For those who don't know much about their religion, do ur homework and those who are out to convert each and everyone, respect other faiths for there is only one God no matter how you choose to believe...
He quoted the unfortunate 1984 incident, and even advocated the implementation of Sharia in India.
I politely asked hims to focus on the road and drop me on my destination. But guy went on and on. Until I had to advise him to focus on the positives in India, and on the fact that we all are Indians first. He replied by saying that I am an ignorant and I will keep getting bashed by Hindus. I requested the guy to stop worrying about Sikhs and keep his 'Victim Mentality' to himself.
i told the guy that Sikhs are 1.5 crore in India and have produced Army/Navy/Air force chiefs. Many IPS and IAS officers, and in business we Sikhs are considered as successful entrepreneurs. Why should I feel victimised.
What a shame that Muslims are not able to produce healthy and self-respecting individuals who can contribute positively to the society.