Islam, Sufism and Sikhism, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The peoples of the world are scattered in various religions that are distributed in various parts of the world. Christianity is the leading religion in terms of popularity with followed by Islam Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism (Hisham, p557). The various religions have their differences in the ideologies and teachings that are adopted by the founders of such religions but the commonality shared by all the religions of the world is the observation of a deity who has powers beyond nature and human.

There are various differences that separate the religions of Islam, Sufism and Sikhism.

Comparing the Three Religions Overview

The world religions have been classified into the following categories;

Abrahamic Religions

This category is composed of the world religions that share a commonality in their recognition of Abraham as one of the religious ancestors. There may be differences elsewhere but both philosophies and writings of the abrahamic religions are convergent on the existence of Abraham as a prophet of god/Allah and respect him in their readings and rituals. This category of the religions consists of the three major religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Judaism as a religion has remained with the faith and belief that their most superior reverence is paid to Abraham. As such they believe in the old testament of the present day bible.Christianity on the other hand believes in continuation of the Old Testament through the New Testament that was written by apostles and other preachers of the early centuries who were influenced by the Holy Spirit. They consider that the Old Testament was confirmed and/or reviewed through Jesus Christ who is considered as the son of God. The other religion in this category is Islam. The Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last prophet of Allah and to him the holy Q’uran (their holy book) was revealed to mankind.

Indian Religions

The genesis of this category of world religions can be traced to the Indian sub continent. Included in this category are the religions of Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Arguments are rife as to whether Sikhism is a religion in its own right or just a part of the Hindu religion (Khushwant, p15).

Taoic Religions

A category of religions whose origin is confined to the eastern Asia region of the Asian continent. The tenets of this religion anchor on the natural order of the universe. Thus as the other religions especially abrahamic religions consider the control of the peoples lives to be under the control of a superior being above the reach of nature, Taoic religions, while observing the uncontrollability of certain occurrences of nature, believe that its natures order for things to happen the way they do.

Sufism, just like Sikhism in the Indian religions is considered as part of Islam (abrahamic religions). It’s a sort of break up from the mainstream Islamic religion while still using the Q’uran and other several aspects of the Islamic religion. The origin of this religion is believed to be due to a different interpretation of the Q’uran especially in terms of terms of life after death and the relationship between ones actions and their bearing on future( eternal) life(Khushwant, p15).

Analytical Comparison of the Three Religions

As is now clear from the brief introduction and the above overview, it is prudent to classify the above three religions as they are set out in the broader classification of the world religions. The differences are not that outstanding but this makes it even more interesting as the small differences between them e.g. between Sufism and Islam make one exploit them in an endeavor to establish their separate existence even when history shows them to have had, and still share, a common stand on the various stands in religion. It is therefore appropriate to discuss and analyze thee three world religions through the following categories and help bring them out in terms of what each stands fro in each category:

• History/origin
• Geographical distribution
• Philosophy / fundamental teachings

It is also appropriate to summarize in juxtaposition the differences and similarities among these religions using the afore- mentioned categories.

Islam

The term is derived from an Arabic term which means to surrender. Thus the name denotes the religion as one of submission to Allah. Among the oldest religions of the world (second to Christianity), the Islamic faith traces its origin to the Arabic peninsula in what was referred to as the Islamic caliphate in the 5^th -7^th BC in the present day Saudi Arabia (Hisham, p557). Migrations thereafter the apparitions to Muhammad and the Q’uran revelation led Muhammad from medina to Mecca. The Islamic religion spread and the settlement of nomads practicing the faith around the caliphate extended such that by the 650 AD the Islamic world extended across from the Atlantic Ocean to central Asia. As of today, Islam is spread throughout the world. There are mosques from Africa to Europe, South America to North America. The greatest density of Muslims however is in the Asian continent. Saudi Arabia is the seat of Islamic faith with Muhammad’s tomb in the great mosque at medina. This is the holy city where Muslims have to pay homage during their time (Hisham.p557).The Muslims believe in one revealed scripture that explains and offers guidance on how Muslims should live in relation with one another and to Allah. The biding belief is that there is no other god other than Allah. And that Muhammad is Allah’s last and the greatest prophet. They belief that Allah created man from blood. And just like the Christians, the Muslims also belief that man was Allah’s (god fro Christians) most superior creature. Man was created to obey his creator and do as He wished man to do. The Muslims belief in life after death, a state of everlasting happiness with the creator if one does according to the teachings of god. According to Islam, there is an account of everyone and this account is used to judge one before they can gain paradise. The Muslims subscribe to a prayer that must be recited at least five times daily. Fasting and alms giving are also among the tenets of the Islamic faith. Fating is done during a special month once annually. The alms giving is meant for the help of the poor in the society. All these form a pillars that governs the Muslims in their spiritual life. The Muslims exist as various subsets of the same faith such as the Sunni and the shier, and their interpretation of the Q’uran, though the same may show certain variations in its application. For example the pillars may look different in terms of their application in life but in their depth they entail the same message from the foundation of the faith and based on the holy book.

Sufism

This is a puritanical kind of a religion that beliefs in purifying oneself as the way through which to reach your creator. The religion was a breakaway faction of Islam after dissatisfaction with what they considered as mundane lifestyle among the Muslims. They felt that ones life had to be perfectly in accordance with the holy readings every minute of their lives. And as Godlas (Godlas, p1) discusses, the main difference between Islam and Sufism in terms of life after death   is that while the Muslims belief they shall come close to Allah after death, the Sufis actually look at a possibility of similar closeness with the creator while on earth. And this, the Sufis belief can be achieved through living in cleanliness and purity in life. Geographically, the distribution of this religion is found in the middle and eastern countries such as turkey, India and china. Sufis had also found its way to Algeria, Africa by the time of western colonization of the continent. The Sufism just like Islam take their origin from Muhammad the prophet. It however remained a lowly among it followers and later (as from the Middle Ages) on when writings began. The writings were to elaborate on the doctrine of the Sufis. The Sufis have for long, through their spiritual writings concurred that they are within the mainstream Islamic faith. But despite this closeness to, or even identity with, Islam in certain doctrines, the Sufis adopt a different line when compared with the Muslims in the observation of the pillars of Islam. For one to enroll into the religion, one goes through a recognized spiritual leader (spiritual teacher) to whom he or she explains his/her life and then the teacher is supposed to help the faithful on ways to overcome his/shortcomings in life and come closer to his/her god and remain clean thereafter in order to remain in good times with the deity. The teacher gives a guide that serves as more or less like an instruction book on dos and don’ts in the Sufi faith. The faithful is asked to remain faithful in the new found status and avoid temptations to slide back into their former lifestyle (Emin, p20).But a detailed look at the daily practices of the Sufi faith indicates that there is no major difference in terms of their guiding doctrine compared to that of the Muslims. Thus the argument that the Sufis are just a section of the Muslims stands more credibility than attempts to label the two religions as being different. The main difference lies in the ideology behind the daily practices while in the practice of the faith.

Sikhism

Arguments are rife as to whether Sikhism is a religion in its own right or just a part of the Hindu religion. This religion was founded by Guru Nanak in the fifteenth century in present day Pakistan. However, to date, the majority of the Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab (Khushwant, p15).The concept of belief in this religion is that of a supreme god who does not have metaphoric equalization. The supreme deity is indeed everything that exists and can be likened to the whole universe, the whole life! Just like other religions discussed above, Sikhism has spiritual writings done by renowned religious leaders (Gurus) of the Sikh religion on top of a spiritual writing akin to the Q’uran and the bible.  Like the Muslims and the Sufis, the Sikhs also adhere to some norms such as recitation of certain verses from the scripture and singing hymns. Offering of gifts and other religious ceremonies also take place among the Sikh community. Among the differences between Sikhism and the pother religions is that this particular religion does not encourage reaching out for converts. It discourages spiritual activities such as pilgrimages. To add to the differences, god is perceived as the reason behind all happenings whether good or not. He is the cause of war and the provider of peace. The one distinguishing feature about this religion is the manner in which a Sikh is at liberty to, through meditation, interpret the supreme deity as anything within their lives.

Analytical Summary

These descriptive analysis given above of the three religions is two pronged. In one, it gives an impression of different religions with far fetched ideologies and different philosophies. Islam for example can be looked at as a perfectionist religion reliant on strict observation of the Holy Scripture, even applying it to their political rule. There is a strict list of what to do in order to keep within the expected norms of the faith. Every aspect of life is covered by the religion and varied areas of the society such as social issues and arbitration are provided for in the doctrine of the faith. This cannot for example be said of the Christianity, which is seen as being the most liberal religion in the world. One striking difference in the religion is the belief in the spread of their religion through violence, if need be. This is what has made the worlds perception of the religion as being synonymous with violence. The Sufis take a similar stand like the Muslims but only differ at certain instances. To them, it is the how not the what that differentiates them from the Muslims when it comes to the observation of the religious rules and practices. The Sikhs are even more different when compared to the other two religions. To them, in spite of the existence of guidelines through the holy writings, one is at liberty to discern what is right to do. This is the kind of liberty missing in the other two, and it happens during meditations which themselves are done at the whims of individual wisdom not by following some rules cast on stone. On the other prong, the same religions present an array of similarities when looked at from a broader perspective. All the religions fro example encourage their followers to engage in the virtuous deeds of life such as good relations with their neighbors, leading straight lives, helping the poor and engaging in charities. All the religions shun evil deeds such as murder, adultery, false witness and unlawful acquisition of the another persons property. In a nutshell, the broader picture of religion is one of good living and paying adoration to a superior deity (whatever term is used to refer to the same) who has all the ability to control us and the nature we live in.

Works Cited

Emin, E.M Laws of the Heart: A Practical Introduction to the Sufi Path New Delhi: Shifâ Publishers, 2008

Godlas, A.  Sufism’s Many Paths Web Retrieved 13 December 2009 < http://www.uga.edu/islam/sufismintro.html>

Hisham, K.M. Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition. Michigan: Islamic Supreme Council of America.2004

Khushwant, S. The Illustrated History of the Sikhs. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. 2006