Short answer
No. Both faiths teach that women are equal in worth, and the Sikh honour for women is real. Guru Nanak (Sikhs say Guru Nanak Dev Ji) asks why a woman should be called bad, when kings are born of her. Sikh women sit in the congregation, serve in the langar and take leading parts in Sikh ceremonies. Islam teaches the same equal worth. The Qur'an promises men and women the same reward, and holds them to the same account (33:35; 33:73). It also wrote a woman's rights into its law in the seventh century. Her property is her own, and she inherits a fixed share. Her marriage gift is hers, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said she must be asked before she is married. He set women a day of their own to be taught. Where Islam gives men and women different tasks, each comes with a duty, not a higher rank. Islam's answer: men and women stand equal before God (﷾), and their rights come from His own word.
| For women | Sikh scripture and code | Qur'an and Sunnah |
|---|---|---|
| Equal in worth | ||
| A place in congregational worship | ||
| Killing daughters forbidden | ||
| A widow may remarry | ||
| A fixed share of inheritance | ||
| A marriage gift that is hers | ||
| A wife's property named as her own |
- Set out in the texts
- Not set out in the texts
Full explanation
What Guru Nanak said about women
In the hymn called Asa ki Var, Guru Nanak asks: "Why call her bad from whom are born kings?" The line is at Ang 473 of the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs honour as their living Guru. An Ang is a page of its standard 1,430-page edition. The lines around it say that man is conceived in a woman and born of her. No one, they say, may exist without her. Macauliffe presents the verse as Guru Nanak's rebuke to a man who spoke ill of women. Sikhs read it as the root of their teaching that women are equal. So for Sikhs the honour of women is in their scripture itself, not only in custom.
“Why call her bad from whom are born kings?”
Women in the sangat and the langar
Sikhism (Sikhs also say Sikhi) gives women a full place in the sangat (the congregation) and the langar (the free kitchen). The Guru Granth Sahib itself names a woman who served in the langar. The bards Satta and Balwand praise Khivi, the wife of Guru Angad. She gives shade to all and hands out the Guru's bounty in the langar (Ang 967). Sikhs honour her as Mata Khivi. So Sikhs see women at the heart of the langar from the time of the second Guru.
In the Var of the bards Satta and Balwand, whose verses are in the Guru Granth Sahib, Balwand says that Khivi, the wife of Guru Angad, is a good woman who gives soothing, leafy shade to all. She hands out the Guru's bounty in the langar, sweet rice pudding made with ghee. A later line of the stanza calls her mother Khivi.
What the Sikh code of conduct says
The Sikh Rehat Maryada is the Sikh code of conduct, issued by the SGPC, the committee that manages the main gurdwaras in Punjab. It says only a Sikh, man or woman, may sit in attendance of the Guru Granth Sahib in the congregation (p. 30). Women may be among the six Sikhs who conduct Amrit, the Sikh initiation (p. 51). A woman may lead a Sikh wedding (p. 42). The code forbids a Sikh to kill his daughter, or to keep company with one who does (p. 38). It forbids child marriage, and taking money for a son's or daughter's match (pp. 41, 45). A widow may remarry if she wishes (p. 45). So Sikhs hold that women share fully in worship and in its ceremonies.
In the chapter on taking the Hukam in the congregation, the Rehat Maryada says that only a Sikh, man or woman, is entitled to sit in attendance of the Guru Granth Sahib during the congregational session.
On the Amrit ceremony, the Sikh initiation, the Rehat Maryada says six initiated Sikhs should be present, one in attendance of the Guru Granth Sahib and five to give the Amrit, and that these six may include Sikh women. It says any man or woman of any country, religion or caste who embraces Sikhism and undertakes to keep its principles is entitled to receive it.
At a Sikh wedding the officiant, who may be a man or a woman, explains the couple's shared duties and then each one's own. The groom is to regard his wife as his better half, give her unflinching love, share all he has with her, protect her person and honour, and be loyal to her. The bride is to regard him as the lord and master of her love and trust, stay loyal to him and serve him in joy and sorrow. Each is to honour the other's parents and relatives as their own. The bride and groom then bow before the Guru Granth Sahib to show that they accept these instructions.
Among the rules for a Sikh's personal life, the Rehat Maryada says a Sikh should not kill his daughter, nor keep any relationship with one who kills a daughter.
On marriage, the Rehat Maryada says child marriage is taboo for Sikhs. A girl is to be married when she is mature in body, in feeling and in character, and a suitable Sikh match has been found. No Sikh should accept a match for a son or daughter for money.
The Rehat Maryada says a widow may remarry if she wishes and finds a suitable match, and the same holds for a widower. It says that generally no Sikh should marry a second wife while the first wife is alive.
Equal in worth, in reward and in account
The Qur'an says God (﷾) created all people from a single soul, and from it its mate (4:1). It speaks to men and women side by side. It names believing, devout, truthful, patient and charitable men and women, who fast, guard their chastity and remember God (﷾) much. For all of them it promises forgiveness and great reward (33:35). Whoever does good, male or female, and has faith will enter Paradise, and no one will be wronged in the least (4:124). The account is the same too. God (﷾) punishes the hypocrites and unbelievers, men and women, and turns in mercy to the believers, men and women (33:73). So in Islam a woman is never judged for being a woman. Like a man, she is judged by her faith and her deeds.
“O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.”
“For Muslim men and women,- for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise,- for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.”
“If any do deeds of righteousness,- be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them.”
“(With the result) that Allah has to punish the Hypocrites, men and women, and the Unbelievers, men and women, and Allah turns in Mercy to the Believers, men and women: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
“And their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them: "Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: Ye are members, one of another: Those who have left their homes, or been driven out therefrom, or suffered harm in My Cause, or fought or been slain,- verily, I will blot out from them their iniquities, and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing beneath;- A reward from the presence of Allah, and from His presence is the best of rewards."”
Equal in worship and in learning
Islam gives women the same duties of worship and a place in the community. The Qur'an calls believing men and women protectors of one another. Both enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil, and both pray and give charity (9:71). Women came to the Prophet (ﷺ) to pledge their faith themselves, and he was told to accept their pledge (60:12). He said not to stop God's (﷾) female servants from going to His mosques (Bukhari 900). Women once told him the men were taking all his time. He set them a day of their own and taught them (Bukhari 101). His wife Aisha passed on 2,210 hadiths, by al-Dhahabi's count, and he knew of no woman more learned. So a Muslim woman's place in worship and learning was set by the Prophet (ﷺ) himself.
“The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practise regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.”
“O Prophet! When believing women come to thee to take the oath of fealty to thee, that they will not associate in worship any other thing whatever with Allah, that they will not steal, that they will not commit adultery (or fornication), that they will not kill their children, that they will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood, and that they will not disobey thee in any just matter,- then do thou receive their fealty, and pray to Allah for the forgiveness (of their sins): for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Ibn Umar reports that a wife of Umar used to pray the dawn and night prayers in congregation in the mosque. She was asked why she went out when she knew Umar disliked it. She asked what stopped him from forbidding her. The answer given was the Prophet's (ﷺ) saying: do not stop the female servants of Allah from going to the mosques of Allah.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports that some women asked the Prophet (ﷺ) to set a day for them, because the men were taking all his time. He promised them a day, and on it he met them and taught them about their religion. The same event is told in Sahih al-Bukhari 7310.
Credits Aisha with 2,210 hadith, 174 of them in both al-Bukhari and Muslim, says he knows of no woman in the community, or among women at all, more learned than she, and gives her age at death as sixty-three and some months.
Her rights, written into law
Islam did not leave women's rights to custom. It wrote them into its law in the seventh century. The Qur'an gives women a share of what parents and relatives leave, "a determinate share" (4:7). It tells men to give women their marriage gift, the mahr, "as a free gift" (4:4). If a man divorces his wife, he may not take back "the least bit" of it, even if it was "a whole treasure" (4:20). So the gift is hers. Zaynab, the wife of Ibn Mas'ud, kept her husband and the orphans in her care from her own wealth. She asked if this counted as her charity. The Prophet (ﷺ) said yes, with two rewards: one for helping relatives and one for the charity (Bukhari 1466). So a wife's wealth was her own, to give as she chose. The Prophet (ﷺ) said a woman must not be married without being asked (Bukhari 5136). When a father married off his daughter Khansa against her wishes, the Prophet (ﷺ) declared the marriage invalid (Bukhari 5138). A widow is free to marry again once her waiting time is over (2:234). The Qur'an condemned the burying of baby girls alive (81:8-9). Why does this matter? A right written in revealed law does not wait on a ruler or a custom. A woman can point to the verse and claim it. The page "Does Islam oppress women?" sets out these rights in full.
“From what is left by parents and those nearest related there is a share for men and a share for women, whether the property be small or large,-a determinate share.”
“And give the women (on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, Take it and enjoy it with right good cheer.”
“But if ye decide to take one wife in place of another, even if ye had given the latter a whole treasure for dower, Take not the least bit of it back: Would ye take it by slander and manifest wrong?”
Zaynab, the wife of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, used to provide for her husband and for the orphans in her care. After the Prophet (ﷺ) urged women to give charity, even from their jewellery, she had Bilal ask him whether spending on her husband and those orphans would count for her. He said yes, and that she would have two rewards: one for helping relatives and one for the charity.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a woman who has been married before is not to be married again without being consulted, and a virgin is not to be married without her permission.
Khansa bint Khidam, who had been married before, reports that her father married her off against her wishes, so she went to the Prophet (ﷺ), and he declared the marriage invalid.
“If any of you die and leave widows behind, they shall wait concerning themselves four months and ten days: When they have fulfilled their term, there is no blame on you if they dispose of themselves in a just and reasonable manner. And Allah is well acquainted with what ye do.”
“When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned - For what crime she was killed;”
Praise, and rights a woman can claim
The Guru Granth Sahib is a book of hymns. It honours women in praise and teaching, as at Ang 473. It does not set out a share of inheritance, a marriage gift, or a rule that a wife's property is her own. The Rehat Maryada's rules on marriage do not set them out either (pp. 41-45). They forbid money for a match, and they have bride and groom bow to show they accept their duties. This says nothing about how Sikh women are treated. Sikhs, like everyone, live under the laws of their countries, which deal with inheritance and property. The point is only where each right is written. The Qur'an names each of them in its own verses (4:7; 4:4; 4:20). So the two faiths do not differ on whether a woman deserves honour. They differ on this: in Islam a woman can find her rights, item by item, in the scripture itself.
“Why call her bad from whom are born kings?”
On marriage, the Rehat Maryada says child marriage is taboo for Sikhs. A girl is to be married when she is mature in body, in feeling and in character, and a suitable Sikh match has been found. No Sikh should accept a match for a son or daughter for money.
At a Sikh wedding the officiant, who may be a man or a woman, explains the couple's shared duties and then each one's own. The groom is to regard his wife as his better half, give her unflinching love, share all he has with her, protect her person and honour, and be loyal to her. The bride is to regard him as the lord and master of her love and trust, stay loyal to him and serve him in joy and sorrow. Each is to honour the other's parents and relatives as their own. The bride and groom then bow before the Guru Granth Sahib to show that they accept these instructions.
The Rehat Maryada says a widow may remarry if she wishes and finds a suitable match, and the same holds for a widower. It says that generally no Sikh should marry a second wife while the first wife is alive.
“From what is left by parents and those nearest related there is a share for men and a share for women, whether the property be small or large,-a determinate share.”
“And give the women (on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, Take it and enjoy it with right good cheer.”
“But if ye decide to take one wife in place of another, even if ye had given the latter a whole treasure for dower, Take not the least bit of it back: Would ye take it by slander and manifest wrong?”
Where men and women differ, and why
Equal worth does not mean the same tasks, in Islam or in Sikh teaching. Islam puts the cost of the family on the man. The Qur'an calls men "the protectors and maintainers of women", "because they support them from their means" (4:34). A woman's property and her marriage gift stay hers (4:4; 4:20). A son inherits twice a daughter's share (4:11). Ibn Kathir, a fourteenth-century commentator on the Qur'an, gives the reason: the man must bear the cost of keeping others. And the rule is not always two to one. When someone dies and leaves children, his mother and his father each inherit a sixth (4:11). The page "Does Islam oppress women?" explains the rest of 4:34. One more difference is in the prayer. A woman does not lead men in the congregational prayer. An-Nawawi, a thirteenth-century scholar of Islamic law, records this as the view of the great majority of scholars. All four schools of Islamic law hold it. Leading the prayer does not make a man worth more before God (﷾). The most honoured before God (﷾) is the most righteous (49:13). So a different task is never a lower worth.
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).”
“And give the women (on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, Take it and enjoy it with right good cheer.”
“But if ye decide to take one wife in place of another, even if ye had given the latter a whole treasure for dower, Take not the least bit of it back: Would ye take it by slander and manifest wrong?”
“Allah (thus) directs you as regards your Children's (Inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females: if only daughters, two or more, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is a half. For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if the deceased left children; if no children, and the parents are the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; if the deceased Left brothers (or sisters) the mother has a sixth. (The distribution in all cases ('s) after the payment of legacies and debts. Ye know not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These are settled portions ordained by Allah; and Allah is All-knowing, Al-wise.”
On the verse of inheritance, Ibn Kathir explains that the male receives twice the female's share because he must bear the cost of maintaining others, along with the labour of trade and earning and the hardship that comes with it.
An-Nawawi says the scholars of his own Shafi'i school agree that a grown man or a boy may not pray behind a woman, in the obligatory prayers, Tarawih and other voluntary prayers alike. He gives this as the view of the great majority of scholars of the earlier and later generations, and as the school of Malik, Abu Hanifa, Sufyan, Ahmad and Dawud. He records that Abu Thawr, al-Muzani and Ibn Jarir held that men's prayer behind her is valid. He adds that her own prayer, and the prayer of women who pray behind her, is valid. The Hanafi manual al-Hidaya states the same rule for men.
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
| Matter | In Islam |
|---|---|
| Worth before God (﷾) | The same for both |
| Reward and account | The same for both |
| Prayer, charity, enjoining good | The same duty for both |
| Providing for the family | The man's duty |
| Her property and marriage gift | Hers alone |
| A son and a daughter inheriting | The son twice her share, because he must provide |
| A mother and a father inheriting beside children | A sixth each |
| Leading men in the prayer | Men |
Sikh teaching gives husband and wife different duties too
Different duties are not unique to Islam. The Rehat Maryada sets out the duties told to a Sikh couple at their wedding (pp. 43-44). The groom is to protect his wife's person and honour, love her and share all he has. The bride is to regard him as the lord and master of her love and trust. She is to serve him in joy and sorrow. The code presents these as each spouse's own duties, not as a ranking. Muslims say the same of their own teaching. So the fair question is not whether roles differ. It is whether each role is just, and who has the right to set it.
At a Sikh wedding the officiant, who may be a man or a woman, explains the couple's shared duties and then each one's own. The groom is to regard his wife as his better half, give her unflinching love, share all he has with her, protect her person and honour, and be loyal to her. The bride is to regard him as the lord and master of her love and trust, stay loyal to him and serve him in joy and sorrow. Each is to honour the other's parents and relatives as their own. The bride and groom then bow before the Guru Granth Sahib to show that they accept these instructions.
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).”
Islam's answer: whose word sets her rights?
Sikhs and Muslims agree that a woman is equal in worth, and that agreement is a bridge. What remains is whose word sets her rights. Islam says God (﷾) Himself named them in the Qur'an, and the Prophet (ﷺ) lived by them. Muslims hold that he is the last messenger God (﷾) sent (33:40). The Qur'an invites everyone to test it: if you doubt it, produce a chapter like it (2:23). Read it in a translation you trust, and begin with the chapter called The Women, Surat al-Nisa. Then ask where words like these could have come from in seventh-century Arabia.
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.”
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
“From what is left by parents and those nearest related there is a share for men and a share for women, whether the property be small or large,-a determinate share.”
“If any do deeds of righteousness,- be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them.”
Sikhs and Muslims agree: a woman is equal in worth.
Who sets her rights?
Islam says God (﷾) named them in the Qur'an, and the Prophet (ﷺ) lived by them.
Is he God's (﷾) last messenger?
Muslims hold that he is.
How can I test it?
Read the Qur'an for yourself. If you doubt it, produce a chapter like it.
Perspectives
Sikh: Sikhi gives women full equality
Many Sikhs hold that the Gurus gave women full equality. They point to Guru Nanak's words at Ang 473 and to women in the sangat and the langar. They also point to the Rehat Maryada, which gives women a place in Sikh ceremonies.
Guru Nanak asks why a woman should be called bad, when kings are born of her (Ang 473). So Sikhi honours women as equals.
Rebuttal
The honour is real, and Islam teaches it too. The Qur'an promises men and women the same forgiveness and great reward (33:35). The work of none is lost, male or female (3:195). It also names her rights in its own verses: a fixed share of inheritance, and a marriage gift that stays hers (4:7; 4:4; 4:20).
The Gurus taught that women are equal, and that teaching covers every right. A list of rights is not needed.
Rebuttal
A teaching of equal worth still has to be applied, and families, customs and rulers apply it in different ways. The Qur'an gives the teaching and the detail together. It promises men and women the same reward (33:35). Then it names a fixed share and a marriage gift (4:7; 4:4). A right that is named can be claimed in any country and any century.
A Sikh woman may sit in attendance of the Guru Granth Sahib, conduct Amrit and lead a wedding. A Muslim woman cannot lead men in the prayer.
Rebuttal
In Islam a woman does not lead men in the congregational prayer. An-Nawawi records this as the view of the great majority of scholars and of all four schools. Leading the prayer does not make a man worth more: the most honoured before God (﷾) is the most righteous (49:13). The Prophet (ﷺ) told men not to stop women going to the mosques (Bukhari 900). He set women a day to be taught (Bukhari 101). Al-Dhahabi knew of no woman more learned than the Prophet's (ﷺ) wife Aisha.
Some Sikhs ask why a daughter should inherit less than a son, when the Qur'an gives a son twice a daughter's share.
Rebuttal
The larger share comes with a duty. A man must provide for his family from his means (4:34), and Ibn Kathir gives that as the reason. A woman's property and marriage gift are hers alone (4:4; 4:20). The rule is not always two to one: a mother and a father each inherit a sixth beside the children (4:11). And her share is fixed by the Qur'an itself, so no family or custom can take it from her (4:7).
The Rehat Maryada says that generally no Sikh should marry a second wife while the first is alive. Islam allows a man more than one wife.
Rebuttal
Islam allows a second wife only if the husband can be fair to each. If he fears he cannot, the Qur'an says marry only one (4:3). Each wife has her own full rights, and few Muslims marry more than one. The page "Why does Islam allow a man more than one wife?" gives the reasons and the figures.
The Rehat Maryada says it is not proper for a Sikh woman to veil her face. Islam asks women to cover.
Rebuttal
Islam asks modesty of both. The Qur'an first tells believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty (24:30). Then it tells believing women the same, and to cover (24:31). Scholars differ on whether that includes the face. Dress is a duty God (﷾) set, not a mark of lower worth. The page "Is the hijab a sign of oppression?" gives the reasons.
The Islamic perspective
Islam holds that men and women are equal in worth, with the same reward and the same account before God (﷾). It wrote women's rights into its law in the seventh century. It gives men and women some different tasks, each with its own duty.
The Qur'an promises men and women the same forgiveness and reward for the same faith and deeds.
The Qur'an names hypocrites and unbelievers, men and women, for punishment, and believers, men and women, for mercy.
The Qur'an gives believing men and women the same duties of prayer, charity and enjoining good.
The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade men to stop women going to the mosques, and he set women a day to be taught.
The Qur'an gives women a fixed share of inheritance, and a marriage gift that a husband may not take back.
A wife in the Prophet's (ﷺ) time kept her husband from her own wealth, and he counted it as her charity.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said a woman must be asked before she is married. He annulled a marriage forced on a woman by her father.
A man's larger share of inheritance comes with his duty to provide for the family.
A woman does not lead men in the congregational prayer. An-Nawawi records this as the view of the great majority of scholars and of all four schools.