SPIRIT OF ISLAM FEBRUARY 2018

28 Spirit of Islam Issue 62 February 2018 Guru . What we call the shabad , the word, in which there is wisdom— that is the guru , the voice of Parmeshwar. Guru Nanak acknowledges the vaani he wrote as coming from Akal Purakh. Whatever is written here has come from Him....” Maulana recalls an article he wrote at the peak of the Sikh separatist movement. “I addressed both Kashmiris and Sikhs and denounced the separatist movements. But reason prevailed upon the Sikhs and the Khalsa movement died out, but the Kashmir trouble is alive. Kashmir has been destroyed, while the Sikhs are flourishing. The same is happening to the Rohingyas and in Palestine, too.” He points out that Sikhs should be considered as role models. The Jathedar clarifies that the Punjab violence was not based on religion but on economics. After Partition, Sikhs were upset that some Punjabi-speaking areas had gone to other states, while other states were carved out on the basis of language. They were also upset about sharing of river waters with other states. “The riparian rule for water was not followed as was done in other states. Punjab is an agricultural state, but gives water to other states, even when there is no water left for its own lands. It was then that the cry for a separatist movement started.” What are their views on leaving worldly comforts in the pursuit of spirituality? “When Guru Arjan Dev was asked what is the best religion in the world, he said, sab dharam meh saraysat dharam, har ko naam jap nirmal karam —of all religions, the best religion is to chant the name of the Lord and maintain pure conduct. There is no need for sanyas , isolation, or havans and dips in freezing waters. Bhagat Dhanna in the Guru Granth Sahib, demands food, shelter, wife, and a horse. He says, ‘If I have all these means of sustenance, then I will serve you without worries’,” points out the Jathedar.  Maulana adds: “This talk about leaving one’s home (which is called rahbaniyath ), like the monk who sold his Ferrari, does not exist in Islam. Islam does not say materialism and spirituality are different. Both are intertwined. Just don’t rob anyone to become a billionaire. In the Quran, there is a chapter on the honeybee, which is seen as a role model.” The honeybee takes only nectar from flowers, ignoring the rest. The Quran’s message is ‘take your nectar of wisdom, and ignore the rest’. Wisdom is present in everything in nature. The rose has both beauty and thorns—the wisdom is to live in peaceful coexistence. “That is spirituality in Islam,” says Maulana. He ends on a cautionary note: “But Muslim society today has degenerated. Like Guru Granth Sahib guides the Sikhs the Quran and the life of the Prophet should be the guidance for the Muslims." o