East Punjab and Sikh Bradri*

Maqsood Hasni
Translated By: Prof. Imran Khalid

East Punjab is the fath of a vast community of the world. This region is not
inferior to any part of the world in respect of resources. The resident of this
region are the followers of Hazrat Baba Guru Nanak Dev. These people possess the
qualities of truth, hard work and simplicity. They are men of words. Begging is
against their nature.
They are wrongfully taken as the followers of a separate religion, which they are
not.
The meanings of Sikh are:
“the learner”
‘Knowledge seeker’
Who provides shiksa
A person going through the process of learning skill,
the skill he is learning.
We know that Messenger or the Prophet are never used for the Donor of the skills.
The donor of the skill is mostly called as Teacher or Guru.
Guru is a person who knows:
‘gur’(skill),
familiar with difficulty,
experienced,
the instructor,
the teacher,
Spritual leader
All these words can be used for Guru. If Guru and Sikh are translated in used
language, then they would be called as Teacher and the Student. It must be
remembered that teacher possess the status of spiritual father. So in respect of
teaching skills, dishonesty can’t be expected from him. Two things are seen most
prominent with this Guru:
1- Tauheed; which is the key of religions.
2- Tasawuf; which is source of cleanliness and methodology.
This group doesn’t seem to be near to any religion in the world. Some social or
economic common commonness with some religion are seen but this is not strange in
any ways. These are the result of the inhabitance nearness.
The local Christians of Pakistan celebrate many traditions like the Muslims, but
in spite of this they are the Christians. Many religious sentences of the Muslims
are used by them in daily life, but even then they claim to be the followers of
the
Hazrat Christ/Mashi/Esa Sahib(AS) . Because of these inhabitance similarities,
Sikhs can’t be declared to the part of the Hinduism. This would be unjust and
cruel. The truth is that these Sikhs are related to the Sufi chains whose founder
was Hazrat Guru Nanak Dev.
Mohammad Asif Khan quoted Bhai Gordas (1559-1637),
”Guru Nanak used to keep his stick and book under his arm
whenever he was sad. In this book he used to write besides
his own writings, the writings of Sufis and Bhagats.”(1)
If someone calls him Guru Nanak or Sufi Nanak or Sheikh Nanak or Baba Nanak, it
makes no difference.
He travelled to Mecca as well as he stayed at Baghdad.
When we look upon the chains of the Sufis, the chief element common in them seem
to be the love for Hazrat Mohammad (Darood upon him). Just like this every word of
Guru Garanth Sahib seem to be linked with the Sufis. If Sufis are the Muslims and
the spiritual leaders then why the Sikh Badradri(community) and the respected Guru
sahiban can be called as the Kafar(non-muslims) or infidels.
Every Sufi group keeps his own identity in respect of ideology and dressings. The
same is the case with the people attached with the Guru Garanth Sahib. As the
‘Shaloks’ of Baba Farid and Shah Hussain’s ‘kafiyan’ are respected by the Muslims,
similarly every word of Sri Garanth Sahib seem to be related with ‘Tauheed’ and
‘Tasawaf’, so that is respectable too. The people attached to this chain are
called ‘Sikhs’, while same is the case of the other Sufi chains like the Qadriya
chain, Chishtiya chain, Soharwardi chain, Naqashbandi chain, Shitarya chain etc.
Khalifas/ Gadi Nasheen/ Diwan Sahiban are appointed to continue the spiritual work
of the Sufis, hence these Sufi chains continue and flourish, and this system is
spread on centuries. The founder of the Sikh chain is Hazrat Guru Nanak Dev, and
Guru Sahiban continued this chain and spiritual work of Hazrat Guru Nanak Sahib.
These Guru sahiban arranged Guru Garanth Sahib, as well as made some useful
additions. So their respected worked also became the part of Guru Garanth Sahib.
Hazrat Zain-ul-Abideen (AS) hosted his worst enemy. That is why hosting can’t be
declared as the reason for someone’s true follower. This action is not new with
the peace loving people (MuslimS). Agreeing or liking is a completely different
issue.
One Guru sahib (Hazrat Goru Gobind Sahib) of this chain was not only hosted by
Syeds but even supported his stand. These syeds were basically the Sufis. The
support of a Guru’s stand is the open indication that Sikhs are no separate
religious identity but they are a chain among the Sufi chains.
The word ‘Baba-ji’ is used by us commanly for the Sufis. I have heard “Baba Guru
Nanak" from many a muslims. I myself belong to Syed family , my father Hazrat
Ghulam Hazoor Shah Sahib commonly known as Baba Shukar-ullah was a Punjabi sufi
poet. I heard him many a times saying Baba Guru Nanak. He respected Baba Guru
Nanak Sahib most. He had learnt many verses of Sri Garanth Sahib by heart.
I heard from him that Sikh community celebrate “Giyarween Sharif” with free milk
distribution. On the 10th of Moharram the Sikh Baradri (community) used to arrange
‘sabeels’ of water and milk. Both two mentioned are not the social traditions.
They are related with the religion. I don’t know myself the present situation in
today’s Amritsar etc.(East Punjab), whether this tradition prevails there today or
not. The following verse is said to be of Hazrat Guru Nanak Sahib;
“Kalma kahan tay kal poway bin kalmiyon vi na
Hindu kahan tay marya musalman vi na”
Here only that muslim is indicated who weighs 3/4th out of 1 , spread ‘fasad’ and
terror on Allah’s land. The Sufis served the humanity at Gulbargha and many other
places too. Anyhow the basic message in the above verse is “bin kamiyon vi na”.
Baba ji kept his addressed behind the curtain, kept process of learning in respect
of identity of dress completely different from the other Sufis, but even then he
proved his no separate religious identity by including the sayings of the Sufis at
prominent places of his book.
A major group of the Muslims use to visit the tombs of the Sufis regularly. Sikhs
not only visit the tomb of Baba Goru Nanak sahib but they also visit the tombs of
the Muslim Sufis very lovingly and respectably. Muslims don’t think that these
Sufis were God but the ordinary human beings. Muslims worship only one Allah, same
is the case with Sikh chain.
Please read the following verse in the initial pages of Sri Garanth Sahib:
“One Universal Creator God. The Name is Truth.”
The Sikh too don’t think that Nanak(2) was Allah/God but they believe in one
Allah, and they believe that Hazrat Guru Nanak Sahib was the favourite of Allah
among the humans. The Muslims too thinks about the Sufis in the similar way.
“Dayemi Complex Bangladesh never became narrowed for anyone. Its doors are open
for the Sikh community too.
The Proud of humanity, Hazrat Allama Sufi Sheikh Shah Dr. Mohammad Nur-ul-Alam is
presently the spiritual leader of humanity. In this respect he has close relations
with the Sikh chain too. So where he is the leader of the other Sufi chains, there
his the Guru of the day of the Sikh chain too. The Sikh community can be benefited
by him in the present world.
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1-Akhya Baba Fareed Nay p.47, Pakistan Punjabi Adbi Board, Lahore 2001
2-Hazrat Sufi Sheik Baba Ustad Goru Nanak Sahib
* community