By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |
In this piece I want to explore some of the similarities and differences between Sikhi, Vedanta and Sufism, which are often subtle yet profound. While cultural expressions, such as dress, diet, language, ritual, and social practices, can make these traditions appear distinct, such differences frequently emerge from history and culture rather than theology or philosophy. At the same time, some cultural practices do indeed have theological origins, as seen for example in ritual sacrifice within Islamic and Sanātan traditions and rituals that Sikhi explicitly rejects, despite their continued presence in certain sects that self-identify as Sikh.
There is no doubt that concepts from both Vedantic thought and Sufi Islam appear in Sikh writings. This is unsurprising, given the context in which Sikhi emerged in the 15th century, where the languages available to the Gurus, as well as those used by the Bhagats, reflected these diverse and dominant traditions. However, this does not imply, as is often suggested in many texts appearing in the 20th Century, that Sikhi is merely a blend of Hinduism and Islam. Considering that both of these great traditions encompass numerous internal divisions in doctrine and theology, such a claim is not only inaccurate but also deeply misleading.
Comparative Analysis
Today, partly in response to the misrepresentation of Sikhi, both in terms of its teachings and even in the labelling of it as a religion called “Sikhism”, there is a growing trend among young Sikh scholars to engage in philosophical discussions about Sikhi in an open, informed, and thoughtful manner. There are multiple ways to study a belief tradition such as Sikhi. Some choose to make deep dives into Sikh scripture and literature whilst others prefer to take a broader approach by situating Sikhi within time and space. One approach is to examine its internal dynamics and logic, exploring its teachings, practices, and values on their own terms. This allows us to understand how its concepts, such as meditation, ethical living, and devotion to Waheguru, fit together coherently and guide the lives of its adherents.
Another approach is comparative: analysing the tradition in relation to other religions or philosophies to identify similarities, differences, and historical influences. Such comparisons can reveal what is distinctive about Sikhi, how it has interacted with broader cultural and religious currents, and how its ethical and spiritual ideals resonate with or diverge from those of other traditions. Both approaches are complementary: internal study illuminates the tradition from within, while comparative study situates it within a wider landscape, together providing a richer, multidimensional understanding.
In engaging in a comparative examination of Sikhi in relation to Vedanta and Sufism, what becomes clear is that each of these traditions is vast and deeply complex. Though all the great spiritual traditions share common concerns of love, devotion, humility, and the yearning for the Divine, one needs to go below the surface to understand the deeper differences in how these principles are understood and embodied in spiritual life, ethics, and community.
Sikhi and Vedanta
It is here that Sikhi stands apart, sometimes radically so. Unlike Vedanta, most critically, Sikhi affirms the physical world, or Kudrat, as both real and spiritually significant. This is precisely what Guru Nanak argues in the following Shabad:
ਸਲੋਕੁ ਮਃ ੧ ॥
Shalok, First Mehla:
ਸਚੇ ਤੇਰੇ ਖੰਡ ਸਚੇ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੰਡ ॥ਸਚੇ ਤੇਰੇ ਲੋਅ ਸਚੇ ਆਕਾਰ ॥
True are Your worlds, True are Your solar Systems.
True are Your realms, True is Your creation.
ਸਚੇ ਤੇਰੇ ਕਰਣੇ ਸਰਬ ਬੀਚਾਰ ॥ਸਚਾ ਤੇਰਾ ਅਮਰੁ ਸਚਾ ਦੀਬਾਣੁ ॥
True are Your actions, and all Your deliberations.
True is Your Command, and True is Your Court.
ਸਚਾ ਤੇਰਾ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਸਚਾ ਫੁਰਮਾਣੁ ॥ਸਚਾ ਤੇਰਾ ਕਰਮੁ ਸਚਾ ਨੀਸਾਣੁ ॥
True is the Command of Your Will, True is Your Order.
True is Your Mercy, True is Your Insignia.
ਸਚੇ ਤੁਧੁ ਆਖਹਿ ਲਖ ਕਰੋੜਿ ॥ਸਚੈ ਸਭਿ ਤਾਣਿ ਸਚੈ ਸਭਿ ਜੋਰਿ ॥
Hundreds of thousands and millions call You True.
In the True Lord is all power, in the True Lord is all might.
ਸਚੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਸਿਫਤਿ ਸਚੀ ਸਾਲਾਹ ॥ਸਚੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਸਚੇ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹ ॥
True is Your Praise, True is Your Adoration.
True is Your creation, True King.
ਨਾਨਕ ਸਚੁ ਧਿਆਇਨਿ ਸਚੁ ॥ਜੋ ਮਰਿ ਜੰਮੇ ਸੁ ਕਚੁ ਨਿਕਚੁ ॥੧॥
O Nanak, true are those who meditate on the True One.
Those who are subject to birth and death are totally false. ||1||
From this shabad, it follows that enlightenment or liberation is not something to be found by escaping the world; it is something to be realised within it. The world is not an illusion, nor is it a distraction from the Divine. It is the sargun manifestation of Kartar, the Creative Being, and the very arena in which spiritual life must be lived and expressed.
One way to grasp the theological difference is in a simple turn of phrase. Vedanta teaches that the soul realises it was always God. Sikhi, by contrast, teaches that the soul realises it belongs to God. As Guru Nanak states:
ਸਾਗਰ ਮਹਿ ਬੂੰਦ ਬੂੰਦ ਮਹਿ ਸਾਗਰੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਬੁਝੈ ਬਿਧਿ ਜਾਣੈ ॥
“The drop is in the ocean, and the ocean is in the drop. Who understands this? Who knows the way?”
There are many interpretations of this line, but for me Nanak is saying, just like a drop taken from the ocean, the soul shares the essence of the Divine, but it retains its own distinct identity, shape and properties. – both are the same, but both have their own nature. This distinction might seem subtle, but it transforms everything our ethics, our worship, our humility, and the way we live in community and ultimately the path to liberation.
Historically, this distinction shaped the vision of the Sikh Gurus. They rejected world-denying asceticism and abstract metaphysical speculation. Instead, they built enduring institutions like the Langar, the Sangat, and organised forms of Seva. Sikh scripture sometimes critiques yogis and renunciants, not because they lacked sincerity, but because non-dual metaphysics, if misunderstood, can quietly erode the moral urgency of engaged spiritual life. For the Sikh Gurus, spirituality was inseparable from ethical action and social responsibility.
One of the methods for liberation according to Vedanta’s, is Yoga, which literally means ‘connection’. Sikhi largely rejects the many/most ritualistic aspects of Yoga and presents the true ‘Yogi’ as someone that has managed to remain detracted whilst living in ‘grist jeevan’, i.e. a social family and community orientated life. There is a beautiful shabad from Guru Nanak that perfectly captures this key aspect of Sikhi.
ਸੂਹੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ਘਰੁ ੭ ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Soohee, First Mehla, Seventh House: One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਖਿੰਥਾ ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਡੰਡੈ ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਭਸਮ ਚੜਾਈਐ ॥ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਮੁੰਦੀ ਮੂੰਡਿ ਮੁਡਾਇਐ ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਸਿੰਙੀ ਵਾਈਐ ॥
Yoga is not the patched coat, Yoga is not the walking stick. Yoga is not smearing the body with ashes.
Yoga is not the ear-rings, and not the shaven head. Yoga is not the blowing of the horn.
ਅੰਜਨ ਮਾਹਿ ਨਿਰੰਜਨਿ ਰਹੀਐ ਜੋਗ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਇਵ ਪਾਈਐ ॥੧॥ਗਲੀ ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਹੋਈ ॥ਏਕ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਕਰਿ ਸਮਸਰਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਜੋਗੀ ਕਹੀਐ ਸੋਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Remaining unblemished in the midst of the filth of the world – this is the way to attain Yoga. ||1||
By mere words, Yoga is not attained. One who looks upon all with a single eye and knows them to be one and the same – he alone is known as a Yogi. ||1||Pause||
ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਮੜੀ ਮਸਾਣੀ ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਤਾੜੀ ਲਾਈਐ ॥ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਦੇਸਿ ਦਿਸੰਤਰਿ ਭਵਿਐ ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਤੀਰਥਿ ਨਾਈਐ ॥ਅੰਜਨ ਮਾਹਿ ਨਿਰੰਜਨਿ ਰਹੀਐ ਜੋਗ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਇਵ ਪਾਈਐ ॥੨॥ Yoga is not wandering to the tombs of the dead; Yoga is not sitting in trances. Yoga is not wandering through foreign lands; Yoga is not bathing at sacred shrines of pilgrimage. Remaining unblemished in the midst of the filth of the world – this is the way to attain Yoga. ||2||
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਭੇਟੈ ਤਾ ਸਹਸਾ ਤੂਟੈ ਧਾਵਤੁ ਵਰਜਿ ਰਹਾਈਐ ॥ਨਿਝਰੁ ਝਰੈ ਸਹਜ ਧੁਨਿ ਲਾਗੈ ਘਰ ਹੀ ਪਰਚਾ ਪਾਈਐ ॥ਅੰਜਨ ਮਾਹਿ ਨਿਰੰਜਨਿ ਰਹੀਐ ਜੋਗ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਇਵ ਪਾਈਐ ॥੩॥ Meeting with the True Guru, doubt is dispelled, and the wandering mind is restrained. Nectar rains down, celestial music resounds, and deep within, wisdom is obtained. Remaining unblemished in the midst of the filth of the world – this is the way to attain Yoga. ||3||
ਨਾਨਕ ਜੀਵਤਿਆ ਮਰਿ ਰਹੀਐ ਐਸਾ ਜੋਗੁ ਕਮਾਈਐ ॥ਵਾਜੇ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਸਿੰਙੀ ਵਾਜੈ ਤਉ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਪਦੁ ਪਾਈਐ ॥ਅੰਜਨ ਮਾਹਿ ਨਿਰੰਜਨਿ ਰਹੀਐ ਜੋਗ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਤਉ ਪਾਈਐ ॥੪॥੧॥੮॥ O Nanak, remain dead while yet alive – practice such a Yoga. When the horn is blown without being blown, then you shall attain the state of fearless dignity. Remaining unblemished in the midst of the filth of the world – this is the way to attain Yoga. ||4||1||8||
Sikhi and Sufism
The comparison with Sufism is also illuminating. Here, too, there is overlap, especially in the shared emphasis on universal love, devotion, and music, as expressed in qawwali. Yet Sufism is grounded in Islamic frameworks, with its own metaphysical and eschatological assumptions. The Sufi goal is fanāʾ, the dissolution of the self in God, followed by baqāʾ, subsistence in God. The language is one of intoxication, union, and loss: “I am He whom I love, and He whom I love is I.” The self merges completely with the Beloved.
Sikhi, in contrast, seeks union not in identity but in alignment. The self is transformed and humbled, but it never becomes God. Living in hakam, the divine order, and embracing humility are central. The Guru Granth Sahib captures this beautifully: “He alone is Himself; all others belong to Him.” Whereas Sufism allows poetic language of ontological union, Sikhi carefully preserves the distinction between the soul and the Divine.
This distinction extends to the very conception of God. In Sufism, as with the wider Abrahamic tradition, God is separate and transcendent, and any closeness is poetic or mystical. In Sikhi, however, Ik Onkar is both transcendent and immanent and hence the rejection of ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’ and the idea that liberation occurs in a day of judgement when our physical bodies perish. For Sikhs God is Akaal Purkah or the timeless invite entity, for whome by definition, the past, present and future exist at once. That is why God in Sikhi is ever present and can be located throughout time and space without being reduced to it. The world is real, sacred, and purposeful, and withdrawal from it is rejected. Engagement, service, and ethical action are not optional; they are the path itself.
Even authority is treated differently. Sufism often emphasises the central role of a Pir or Shaykh, with spiritual knowledge transmitted through established lineages. Though sadly we have not been able to totally escape from the clutches of self-appointed God Men, by embracing the idea of ‘Shabada Guru’ and ‘Gian Guru’ , Sikhi rejects human intermediaries. Authority rests in the Guru Granth Sahib and the Guru Panth, emphasising equality within the community and rejecting hierarchy.
The Contemporary Context
In the past religious affiliation was very much determined by family and community connections and lineage. It wasn’t a question ion belief as much as it was about holding onto certain traditions. Everybody sort of knew where they belonged and questions of theology were not of much concern of rat common person who saw their religion as being about performing certain different rituals.
But in today’s world, especially with the easy availability of information and therefore misinformation, traditional allegiances to faith can no longer be taken for granted. Whereas in the past, conversions were often forced, either through threats to life and liberty, or through material inducements (money, free health care and education). Some of this still takes place, especially in relation to poor Sikhs being enticed by all kinds of false promised by the so called ‘Christian missionaries’ in the Majha belt of Panjab.
Also, today, young people are educated and are not afraid to question the beliefs and practices that have been handed down to them by their elders. And especially so in Western countries where atheism is very widespread, especially amongst younger generations, who, due to misinformation or lack of insight into Sikhi, are simply abandoning Sikhi in favour of a more secular lifestyle.
In the end, today’s youth will make their own choices based on what information they can access. It is therefore important that, following the teachings of tolerance that is central to Sikhi, we must reject all forms of religious hate. That said, we must also provide our youth and ourselves with the opportunity to realise the true essence of Sikhi, for this is sadly not happening in our Gurdwaras and jathebandhis, who are most trapped in identity politics.
Conclusion
While Sikhi, Vedanta, and Sufism all share similar concepts and a language of devotion, love, and transcendence, they diverge sharply in the way spirituality is lived in the world. Sikhi insists that liberation is not found by fleeing the world, dissolving the self, or retreating into mystical interiority. It is found by living truthfully, serving others, and fully engaging with life as it is. That is what makes Sikhi both radical and enduring, deeply ethical, and profoundly human. We should both seek to apply these teachings in our lives and to take pride in sharing these beautiful life affirming teachings with others, Sikh and non-Sikhs.
Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is a Professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK. He can be contacted at Gurnam.singh.1@warwick.ac.uk
* This is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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