Some questions form a non religious person

Sangat Jee, I know a person is sort of like an agnostic. This person is from a regular Sikh family but does not believe in Sikhi or any other religion for that matter. Even though he is a very good person but since he did not get into Sikhi from childhood, he grew up becoming a faithless person. Some of his questions were:

-How is Sikhi better than other religions?

-He believes in God, but is confused as to why he should think of himself as a Sikh. He wants to know what does Sikhi offer for a person like him,

-Why does God want Sikhs to Jap Naam? and how will doing Jaap of Naam benefit a person?

-He thinks Sikhs have only been keeping kesh since the time of Guru Gobind Singh Jee, the Sikhs before Dasam Guru did not keep Kesh. How would one answer that?

Singh1699,

I have seen such questions discussed online a lot of times. My view is that is it a wrong approach to convince another person about Sikhi based upon an FAQ. No argument is final, it can carry on and on and on.

My view is that a person gets into Sikhi not by getting all his questions answered.

One of the ways of getting into Sikhi which is in my view the correct way of getting into Sikhi is to get attracted by life of Guru Nanak Sahib ji Maharaj. When one reads life and sakhis of Guru Nanak Sahib one falls in love with him. And slowly and slowly everything becomes personal, everything. It is no longer an issue of FAQs. It was never meant to be! It was meant to a path of love! And love should be starting point of Sikhi.

So my suggestion and advice would be, do not try to answer the queries (a little discussion should be okay, but just a little, only to start an interest). My suggestion would be to ask him to read a good book on life of Guru Nanak and then on the later Gurus. Then another book on Guru Dashmesh Pita.
After one knows the basic life history and sakhis of Guru Nanak, I strongly recommend Bhai Vir Singh ji's Guru Nanak Chamatkar, Asht Guru Chamatkar and Kalgidhar Chamatkar.

Another suggestion, since a person is not very familiar with Sikhi, I would NOT recommend reading Bhai Randheer Singh ji's books straight away. Those should come later on, as a desire to know further, to look for deeper things.

There comes a time, when one is convinced, not at the verbal level, but at the understanding level, that Guru Nanak ji was a puran purakh, if there was ever a puran purakh. And that Guru Nanak cannot be wrong, all this bani, all thie re-iteration of Naam, Naam and Naam, all this exhortations, all this urgings, all this reminding; there has to be Truth in these. And lives of Gurus, the Shaheedis, they stand out as a real testimonies about the spiritual truth of Guru's Nanak Sahib's House.

Singh ji, there is no replacement of love and faith. All the logic and reasoning is futile and should be used sparingly and just for practical purposes. Encourage the person to find out for himself. If Sikhi is written in his Bhaag, he would be attracted, if he not then it is not time yet.

VAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, VAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

-How is Sikhi better than other religions?

Let's avoid the superiority debate (because everyone says their religion is better). Rather, look at the objectives of each religion. They are different from each other. Sikhi wants union with the Almighty, dead or alive. Others have aspirations of heaven, nirvana, and many other things. For a Sikh, the state of "So Satgur Pyara Mere Naal Hai, Jithe Kithae Mainu Laye Chaadaiyaee" - that you are with the Guru/Almighty at all times is paramount. Hell would be heaven for a Sikh because the Almighty is with him/her. Conversely, "Tudh Bin Rog Rajiyaa Da Odan" - the comforts of luxury and heaven are a burden and hellish if the Almighty is not with the Sikh. If this attracts the person, he should look at Sikhi. If he is really serious about this question, tell him to read the sacred texts of other religions and compare with Gurbani. [sacred-texts.com] - religions sacred texts are located here so he doesn't have to go searching.

-He believes in God, but is confused as to why he should think of himself as a Sikh. He wants to know what does Sikhi offer for a person like him.

That is personal. Reading Gurbani will answer that question. At a point, the person has to make a choice as to whether to go towards a religious path. It is very hard to take an unwilling person towards Sikhi unless he/she has some motivation to do so. Doing Sangat can have that effect - discussions may not. Gurprasad is vital, without which the spark towards Sikhi is not ignited. Is the person someone remotely interested in Sikhi or are you trying to convince him/her to turn towards Sikhi?

-Why does God want Sikhs to Jap Naam? and how will doing Jaap of Naam benefit a person?

Reading Gurbani is a testament to why Naam Simran is vital. It is the breath of a Sikh- without which a Sikh dies. "Nanak Jit Vela Visrai Mera Swami, Tith Vele Mar Jayaoo Jeea Mera". Gurbani explains it, a Sikh lives it, a non-Sikh may not understand it. One who does Naam Simran knows the "Goongai Ki Mithiai" taste of it and cannot describe it in words.

-He thinks Sikhs have only been keeping kesh since the time of Guru Gobind Singh Jee, the Sikhs before Dasam Guru did not keep Kesh. How would one answer that?

Where is his evidence that the Sikhs prior to Dasam Patshah did not keep Kesh (there are references to Bhai Mardana Ji being told to keep kesh as one of the three requirements of following Guru Sahib. I don't know the reference, sorry). And despite that, even if the Tenth Master made it mandatory, what is the issue with that? All Sikh Gurus are one light in different bodies and now that light is in Sahib Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Never mind that Gurbani speaks of "Gurmukh Roam Roam Har Dhiavaiye" - linked to Simran (see above) as to the spiritual necessity of Kesh.

If the person shows interest in Sikhi, give him Sangat and encourage him to do as much Sangat as possible. If he likes Sangat of Gursikhs, questions of Rehat and requirements dissolve and rather the individual develops a desire to follow the Rehats and doesn't care for rationalizations and explanations, as well as an inner desire for reading, understanding and living Gurbani.

Its comical to suggest that Sikhs only kept Kes primarily since 1699. Some even use the argument that Bhai Sahib Singh Ji was a Barber before taking Amrit and therefore must only have been sabat surat from Amrit Sanchaar onwards. They were Barbers by caste not by trade. For exampe all people classed as Tarkhans would not have worked with wood.

Please refer to this short article I found:

In Sikh philosophy and practice, the keeping of unshaven hair (Kesh) means that the Sikh lives in and resigns himself to the Will of God (Hukam). Again it is by the Will of God that man has been created the highest being in God's creation. This wonderful universe with its innumerable suns and planets came into being according to His command (Hukam). The whole of His creation and the laws that govern it and operate the highly complicated system of the universe, are in accordance with His Will. God's Will is supreme. Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, writes about this supreme Will of the Creator in Japji: "By the Will of God all forms come into being. The working of that Will cannot be described. It is by His Will that the forms develop life in them and grow exalted; Some become good and others evil, And receive pain and pleasure accordingly. By that Will some are brought under grace; And the others are doomed forever. All the subject to the supreme Will, none is outside its pale, Nanak, if this be rightly understood, no one would assert himself. "

It was thus quite apt that the form and appearance of the Guru's Sikh should essentially be that which God almighty has given him according to His Will (Hukam). In a debate at Mecca, Guru Nanak explained his viewpoint regarding the Kesh (unshaven hair) to Pir Bahauddin in the following words reported in the Janam Sakhi (Traditional Story) :

Pir Bahauddin: Why have, you, O Baba Nanak, overlooked both the Hindu and Muslim traditions in their entirety?
Baba Nanak: Listen Bahauddin, I tell you that both the Hindus and the Muslims have degraded themselves by shaving their hair.
Pir Bahauddin: Without the Muslim law, no one can become pure. Without circumcision, a man cannot receive honour in God's court.
Baba Nanak: The real circumcision is to live in God's Will. One should die with the hair intact; the hair with which one is born. He who keeps the hair as God's trust, is really a great man. The first circumcision is the hair and keeping it on the head is to live in His Will. He who keeps the hair intact, lives by honest labour, and shuns other's right, is honoured by God. Some undergo circumcision, others cut holes in their ears; it is only the dishonest who try to tamper with God's gift of completeness of human form.

Finally Guru Nanak declared that with a turban on, the human form becomes complete in all respects and the unshaven hair is the symbol of the one universal religion, which we all inherit at birth.

The sanctity of keeping uncut hair (Kesh) with Keski (Turban) on has been observed by all Sikh Gurus (From Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh) and it was Guru Arjan who wrote in Raag Maru (page 1084 of the Sikh Holy Book.) "Sabat Surat Dastar Sira" which means 'Keep the God-given form intact with a turban donned on your head'