Forgive me for being naive, But whats the difference between Sikhs and Muslims?

Answer 1

Sikh:
Size of Group: around 20 million followers worldwide, 80% in India
History of the Group
The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, was born into a Hindu family. He followed this lifestyle for many years and had established his own family when he decided to leave in search of a Truth that he did not believe was to be found in his present life situation. Nanak traveled for several years, learning and seeking this Truth or Reality.

In 1499 (around the age of 30), Guru Nanak is said to have had a life-altering conversion experience, though the location of this epiphany is debated. Some say it occurred in a forest, while others say that Nanak was bathing in a river. He disappeared for three days, and then returned an altered man. Nanak claimed that God, the True Name, had confronted him and asked him to spread a message of truth and love.

Nanak's first words after returning from this experience embodied this calling: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim." (This quote is addressed in more detail in another section of this page). After this conversion and calling, Nanak travelled all over the Punjab region spreading his ideas of love and truth, which caught on quickly with many people.

By the time Nanak died, his new movement had a following, and Guru Angad stepped into the leadership of the group. Angad was followed by eight other Gurus (making a total of ten human Gurus), all of whom were highly revered leaders, teachers and warriors. The teachings of the ten Gurus were compiled at the end of the last human Guru's life to create the Guru Granth Sahib (or Adi Granth). This book contained all the wisdom by which Sikhs lived, and was venerated by all Sikhs as the eternal successor to the tenth and final Guru. 2 The Guru Granth Sahib remains as the present Guru of the Sikh faith and is treated as a person would be. (More details about the Guru Granth Sahib can be found below in the Beliefs section).

Conflict with Hindu and Islam

One of Sikhism's claims is that it is not a syncretic religion 3 (i.e., created by the merger of two religions, in this case, Hindu and Islam), but that it is its own new creation and new idea that has simply adopted some Hindu and Muslim concepts. This issue was actually addressed during the first moments of Sikhism's life, in Guru Nanak's words "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim." Nanak's search for the True values and Reality had been instigated because he began to see less and less Truth in humankind. Specifically, Nanak began to see deterioration and exploitation in the Hindu and Islam religions. His statement therefore, pertained to the fact that Nanak saw no people who were True Hindus or True Muslims because they were blocked from the truth by their corruption. 4 The new faith, as commanded by God, would spread the ideas of searching for the True love and reality in this world, which had been perverted by their culture. "Sikh" actually means "learner" or "disciple," adhering to Nanak's call.

Another problem faced by the Sikhs is more political. In 1947, when the nations of Pakistan and India emerged from Britain's control of the area, the Sikhs and their homeland were split in half by the two countries' boundaries. 5 Sikhs, fleeing to India, were then separated from many of their most revered and historical sites. Since that time, Sikhs have experienced persecution by Hindus and Muslims on several occasions, and many lives have been lost on both sides.

A culmination of this conflict was realized in 1984 in two stages. The first was an attack by the Indian/Hindu army on a Sikh temple. Supposedly, some rebellious Sikh leaders were hiding there, planning against the government. During this conflict, called Operation Blue Star, many Sikhs died unarmed at the hands of heavily armed Indian soldiers. The Indian leader who authorized this June attack was Prime Minister Indira Ghandi, who was a spark for the next conflict, in October. This second riot began because of the assassination of Indira Ghandi by her two Sikh bodyguards. :

Islam:
The literal meaning of Islam is peace; surrender of one’s will i.e. losing oneself for the sake of God and surrendering one’s own pleasure for the pleasure of God. The message of Islam was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings on him) 1, 400 years ago. It was revealed through angel Gabriel (on whom be peace) and was thus preserved in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran carries a Divine guarantee of safeguard from interpolation and it claims that it combines the best features of the earlier scriptures.

The prime message of Islam is the Unity of God, that the Creator of the world is One and He alone is worthy of worship and that Muhammad (peace and blessings on him) is His Messenger and Servant. The follower of this belief is thus a Muslim - a Muslim’s other beliefs are: God’s angels, previously revealed Books of God, all the prophets, from Adam to Jesus (peace be on them both), the Day of Judgement and indeed the Decree of God. A Muslim has five main duties to perform, namely; bearing witness to the Unity of God and Muhammad (peace and blessings on him) as His Messenger, observing the prescribed prayer, payment of Zakat, keeping the fasts of Ramadhan and performing the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Islam believes that each person is born pure. The Holy Quran tells us that God has given human beings a choice between good and evil and to seek God’s pleasure through faith, prayer and charity. Islam believes that God created mankind in His image and by imbuing the attributes of God on a human level mankind can attain His nearness. Islam’s main message is to worship God and to treat all God’s creation with kindness and compassion. Rights of parents in old age, orphans and the needy are clearly stated. Women’s rights were safeguarded 1,400 years ago when the rest of the world was in total darkness about emancipation. Islamic teachings encompass every imaginable situation and its rules and principles are truly universal and have stood the test of time.

In Islam virtue does not connote forsaking the bounties of nature that are lawful. On the contrary one is encouraged to lead a healthy, active life with the qualities of kindness, chastity, honesty, mercy, courage patience and politeness. In short, Islam has a perfect and complete code for the guidance of individuals and communities alike. As the entire message of Islam is derived from the Holy Quran and indeed the Sunnah and Hadith (the traditions and practices of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings on him) it is immutable in the face of change in time and place. It may appear rigid to the casual eye, in actual fact it is most certainly an adaptable way of life regardless of human changes.

Islam teaches that the path to spiritual development is open to all. Any individual who searches the One Creator can seek nearness to God through sincere and earnest worship; it is central to establishing a relationship with the Almighty. This positive message for humanity fills hearts with hope and courage.

At present there are 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide and they form the majority in more than 50 countries of the world. Today Islam is the fastest growing faith in the world - its beautiful message is reaching millions in the far corner of the earth.

Answer 2

gladiator22m said some info about Sikh
Muslims follow Islam which is a global religion and not confined only to mid-east.It's origin was in Arabia in Mecca before 14 centuries. Muslims believe in Jesus ,Moses and all the prophets piece upon them beside Prophet Mohamed piece and blessings upon him and all prophets. Muslims also believe in Quraan "their holy book" ,the Bible and Torah but they also believe that the latters have been manipulated and changed partially.Muslims are very different than Sikhs in every thing and you can't compare between the two religions. Islam the natural continuation of Christianity and Judaism line as it completes the chain of prophets.You can't see a European Sikh or rarely see an American Sikh "American in origin" because this religion is geographically limited. Islam as I said before is global and I know many Europeans who converted to Islam.A last info is that the Muslims count for more than 1000 millions while Sikh are only 22 millions.

Answer 3

they both r totally different religions
Sikhs, followers of the Sikh religion, centered in Punjab State, in northwestern India. The Sikh religion has a following of 22 million people worldwide. Sikhism is an ethical monotheism fusing elements of Hinduism and Islam. It was founded by Nanak (1469-1539), a mystic who believed that God transcends religious distinctions

Answer 4

Sikhism is a little-understood religion, slighty odd in that it does not delegate women to positions of lesser .. hmmmm .. authority?

it seems to have a good track record of not killing other people for practicing other religions

"Now there is here presented a religion totally unaffected by Semitic or Christian influences. Based on the concept of the unity of God, it rejected Hindu formalities and adopted an independent ethical system, ritual, and standards which were totally opposed to the theological beliefs of Guru Nanak’s age and country. It would be difficult to point to a religion of greater originality or to a more comprehensive ethical system."

Answer 5

sikhs beleive that god and allah is the same person while muslams think god is fake and there is only allah , sikhs spend there lifge protecting good and praying to god , sikhs have a knife (kirpan) with them at all times to symbolize that they will protect the good and innocent and they wear turbans symbolizing that they worship god , sikhs are referd to saint soldiers

Answer 6

There is no association of any kind between the two.as far as i know. they tend to wear a turban which likens them to looking like muslims. and ofthen they grow long beards too which also likens them to muslims.

I believe they are not allowed to cut their hair.. which is why they were a turban. i may be wrong on that..

Answer 7

sikhs are an indian religious group. muslims are from the middle east religion. each has it's own, and quite different , beliefs.

Answer 8

Naiveity is better than bigotry like the words of dumb-*** number 3.

I expect he's never seen anyone different from himself, and doesn't know how to react when he sees someone without a banjo who doesn't fck his own sister.

Answer 9

Some interesting answers

Answer 10

Let's put it it this way - have you heard of any Sikh/ aircraft hijack news items? No? 'Nuff said.

Answer 11

Here are some links::

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam

read them and you'll get an idea of what tehy believe, and then you can decide and pcik out wahat makes them different....

hope I helped.