ISLAM
{4:36} And serve Allah and do not associate any thing with Him and be good to the parents and to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the neighbour of (your) kin and the alien neighbour, and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hands possess; surely Allah does not love him who is proud, boastful;
{76:8}And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive:
{76:9}We only feed you for Allah's sake; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks:
{2:215}They ask you as to what they should spend. Say: Whatever wealth you spend, it is for the parents and the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, and whatever good you do, Allah surely knows it.
{2:195} And spend in the way of Allah and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands, and do good (to others); surely Allah loves the doers of good.
{31:19}And pursue the right course in your going about and lower your voice; surely the most hateful of voices is braying of the asses.
{9:67} The hypocritical men and the hypocritical women are all alike; they enjoin evil and forbid good and withhold their hands; they have forsaken Allah, so He has forsaken them; surely the hypocrites are the transgressors.
{31:17} O my son! keep up prayer and enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and bear patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage;
{7:199} Take to forgiveness and enjoin good and turn aside from the ignorant.
{16:78} And Allah has brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers-- you did not know anything-- and He gave you hearing and sight and hearts that you may give thanks.
{16:20}And those whom they call on besides Allah have not created anything while they are themselves created;
{31:14}And We have enjoined man in respect of his parents-- his mother bears him with faintings upon faintings and his weaning takes two years-- saying: Be grateful to Me and to both your parents; to Me is the eventual coming.
{25:71}And whoever repents and does good, he surely turns to Allah a (goodly) turning.
Christianity
What do these sections say? Use the space on the sheet to sum them up and see if you can draw any links between this and the ideas of Sikhism…
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 6:1-4
Exodus 20
Luke 10:25-37
AGT account of Sikh ideas
The highest aim of ethical system of Sikhism is the performance of one’s duties to man and God. The teachings of Sikhism have a spiritual dimension that aims at the discovery and perfection of human soul. To understand the ethical ideal of Sikhsm one must understand the uniqueness and individuality of man. The nature of man can be described as dual, i.e. the higher and the lower; the one tends to lift him up, while the other tends to pull him down. The aim of one’s life is to conquer the lower nature by the higher. Man is therefore an ethical being having a moral responsibility.
Realism: Sikhism looks upon the universe as real and recognizes as real all that is found in it. The seemingly destructive forces of Nature, if properly utilised by man, who is endowed with the power to understand and control them, can be transformed into sources of life. Ethically speaking, man is good and peaceful by nature. Metaphysically speaking, man is a unit of energy, a participant in the activity of world-process and can hold communion with God, provided he makes best use of the faculties endowed on him.
Sikhism does not encourage monastic renunciation and self-abnegation. It, in fact, aims at a progressive realization of the immense power of human soul. According to it, a life of action and struggle is an essential requisite. The manifold faculties of man have to be developed by bringing them under proper control. The ultimate aim of life is developing a personality with divine qualities which should culminate in perfect control of the self, under the guidance of reason.
Sahaj as harmony: Thus the ethical ideal of Sikhism is to maintain the harmony between religion and life. It synthesises the practical with the ideal and can satisfy both the spiritual and temporal aspirations of man. It provides an ethical code of human behaviour which represents a very high yet perfectly attainable ideal. In other words, to become a good Sikh is to become a good man. It is humanness at its best.
Morality and religion are intimately connected in the teachings of Guru Nanak. According to him, morality constitutes the primary test of a true religion. In fact, the intrinsic value of a religion is judged not by its metaphysical thoughts but by its ethical principles. Morality and religion, in Sikhism, are to be taken as instruments of creativeness. It is only by performing duties according to the moral laws that one can aspire to attain God’s grace and eventual union with Him. For Guru Nanak, enlightenment and true spirituality should inspire man to dedicate his life and genius for the service of humanity. He even went a step further, over his ethics of activism, when he emphasised that every enlightened man or women should cease to live for himself or herself and devote his or her life for the upliftment of humanity. Morality is the foundation of Sikh religion.
According to Guru Nanak, the following are moral virtues: Truth (Sat) as a virtue implies truthfulness in mind, body and action. Practice of truth is more laudable than truth as a principle. Truth is higher than all things, but higher than truth is the truthful living. "Truth is a remedy of all ills and washes away all sins". One must avoid falsity and remain truthful to others.
Sikh ideas
Contentment (Santokh) is having no ambition, envy, greed or jealousy. One must abide by the Will of God and, in that state, pleasure or pain makes no difference to him. Such a man is above ordinary happiness and misery.
Compassion (Daya) generates feeling to help and serve others. Service to mankind is service to God because the spirit of the Infinite resides in every soul.
Charity (Daan) means giving away things without any expectation or reward. It is compassion, which generates charitable disposition among men. Charity, in Sikhism, is invariably associated with tranquillity, humility and disinterestedness. It should not be construed or confused with begging. Begging, as a means to earn daily bread, is strictly taboo.
Purity (Shuddhi or Snan) of body and mind. Inner purity is more important than the purity of the body.
Forgiveness (Khama) It means pardoning an offender out of compassion and love for him. Forgiveness generates compassion and compassion encourages the concept of peace, tranquillity, humility and cooperation in men, which checks the tendency of men for supremacy over other fellowmen. ‘To err is human, but to forgive is divine’.
Humility (Garibi) In perfect humility all selfishness disappears and the soul no longer lives for itself. Everyone who humbles himself is exalted in spirit.
Tolerance (Sabr) To accept truth, whatever it is, and no matter where it comes from; even to die for the religious views of others.
Non-Injury (Ahimsa) According to Guru Nanak, when a man commits a sin, if it does not harm the social balance, we should over-look it. Cruelty to all living beings, men and animals, is decried.
Inspired Optimism (Chardi Kala) It means that everything should be faced and accepted in cheerful spirit as the Will of God.
Our knowledge of moral virtues expounded by the teachings of Guru Nanak gives us an idea of the moral vices. According to Guru Nanak moral vices (or sins, things which are wrong) are –
Falsity or lack of truthfulness; taking resort to dishonesty, injustice and unrighteousness; egoism; lack of humility; intolerance; discontent; lack of self-control; affliction of men and animals by thought, word and deed; remaining discontented in mind under the sway of greed, envy or jealousy; impurity of mind and body; intolerance to other’s beliefs and practices; falling a prey to the passions and instincts; pessimism; lack of self-dependence.
Sharing: The principle of Wand Chhakna – to share with others who are less fortunate and unable to help themselves – propounded by the founding Guru – is one of the cardinal fundamentals of Sikhism which underlines the ethical rule for rendering self-less service where needed for the good of the society.