Short answer
Islam names the same five thieves, and for each one it gives a step that God (﷾) revealed and the Prophet (ﷺ) showed. The Guru Granth Sahib calls haumai, the ego, a chronic disease. It names five thieves inside us: lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride. It says the cure comes by God's (﷾) grace. The Qur'an agrees: the soul "is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy" (12:53). It says "he succeeds that purifies it" (91:9). For anger, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: if you are standing, sit down. For lust: marry, or else fast. For greed: look at those who have less. For pride, Muslims put their foreheads on the ground in every prayer. Prayer, fasting and zakat train the self all year. God (﷾) forgives those who turn back. And every effort is seen on one Day. The Qur'an invites everyone to test it.
| Thief | In Islam | The step |
|---|---|---|
| Lust (kaam) | Desire (shahwa) | Lower the gaze. Marry, and if you cannot, fast. |
| Anger (krodh) | Anger (ghadab) | Seek refuge with Allah (﷾) from Satan. Sit down, and if that is not enough, lie down. Restrain it and pardon. |
| Greed (lobh) | Greed (hirs, shuhh) | Look at those who have less. Give zakat. |
| Attachment (moh) | Love of this world (hubb al-dunya) | Live as a stranger or a traveller. Let nothing turn you from remembering God (﷾). |
| Pride (ahankar) | Pride (kibr) | Put the forehead on the ground in prayer. Humble yourself for Allah's (﷾) sake. |
Full explanation
Haumai: the sickness the Guru Granth Sahib names
Sikhism (Sikhs also say Sikhi) takes the ego very seriously. Its word is haumai, literally "I, me": the self that puts itself at the centre. The Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs honour as their living Guru, has a hymn on it by Guru Angad, the second Guru. It is cited here by Ang, a page of its standard 1,430-page edition. Macauliffe's 1909 English renders haumai here as "pride". It says: "Pride is a chronic disease, but there is also a medicine for it in the heart." The same hymn says this pride keeps a person coming back in birth after birth. It also gives the cure: "If God bestow His grace, man shall avail himself of the Guru's instruction". Guru Nanak (Sikhs say Guru Nanak Dev Ji) names a cure too, in the Japji, the hymn that opens the scripture. There God's (﷾) order is called hukam, and Macauliffe renders haumai as egoism: "He who understandeth God's order, O Nanak, is never guilty of egoism." His note explains that egoism as the claim to exist by oneself, apart from God (﷾). So Sikh teaching does not see the ego as a small fault. It sees it as the root of the trouble. It looks to God's (﷾) grace for the cure, and to knowing that all things are in His order. Islam agrees with much of this, as this page shows. The page "Is hukam the same as God's decree?" looks at hukam itself.
“It is the nature of pride that it produceth pride. This pride is a trammel which subjecteth man to repeated transmigration. What is the origin of pride, and by what device shall it depart? For pride it is ordained that man wander according to his previous acts. Pride is a chronic disease, but there is also a medicine for it in the heart. If God bestow His grace, man shall avail himself of the Guru's instruction; Saith Nanak, hear, O ye men, in this way trouble shall depart.”
“By His order bodies are produced; His order cannot be described. By His order souls are infused into them; by His order greatness is obtained. By His order men are high or low; by His order they obtain preordained pain or pleasure. By His order some obtain their reward; by His order others must ever wander in transmigration. All are subject to His order; none is exempt from it. He who understandeth God's order, O Nanak, is never guilty of egoism.”
The five thieves
The Guru Granth Sahib often names five thieves (panch chor) that live inside a person. They are kaam (lust), krodh (anger), lobh (greed), moh (attachment) and ahankar (pride). Guru Amar Das, the third Guru, says these five thieves live within this body and steal its nectar, and the self-willed person does not notice. Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru, says they have grown strong in this age and set people against one another. Macauliffe's English reads: "Lust, wrath, avarice, worldly love, and pride have increased". The hymn's next line says that God (﷾) brings the one He is merciful to into the company of the saints. The hymns give the cure again and again: the Guru's word, the Name of God (Naam), and the company of the holy (sangat). Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, says lust, anger, greed and attachment are burnt away in that company. The hymns also give counsel on single thieves. The Bhagat Kabir, whose hymns are in the Guru Granth Sahib, says: "Where there is covetousness there is death; where there is forgiveness there is God Himself." His next lines warn that leaving the world is not enough: "what availeth it to abandon worldly love if pride be not also abandoned?" The page "Is Naam simran like dhikr?" looks at the Sikh practice of remembering the Name.
Guru Amar Das, the third Guru, says that five thieves live within this body: lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego (kaam, krodh, lobh, moh and ahankar). They steal the nectar, and the self-willed person does not see it. He says that without the Guru there is only darkness, and the hymn's refrain says that without the Shabad, the Guru's word, the world wanders astray. An earlier hymn on the same page says that one who meets the True Guru obtains the Name and sheds ego and attachment.
“Lust, wrath, avarice, worldly love, and pride have increased; And, on account of the quarrels resulting from these deadly sins, there are many factions in this age.”
Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, says that lust, anger, greed and attachment are burnt away in the company of the holy (the sangat).
“Kabir, where there is divine knowledge there is virtue; where there is falsehood there is sin; Where there is covetousness there is death; where there is forgiveness there is God Himself.”
“Kabir, what availeth it to abandon worldly love if pride be not also abandoned? Munis and their spiritual superiors perished by pride; their pride ate them all up.”
Islam names the same struggle
The Qur'an describes the self, the nafs, in three ways. In the story of Joseph it records the words: "the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy" (12:53). In Arabic it is al-nafs al-ammara bil-su', the soul that urges to evil. The Qur'an also swears by "the self-reproaching spirit" (75:2), the soul that blames itself. And it speaks of the soul "in (complete) rest and satisfaction", called back to its Lord (89:27-28). It says God (﷾) showed the soul its wrong and its right, and "Truly he succeeds that purifies it, And he fails that corrupts it!" (91:7-10). Each of the five thieves has a name in Islam too: desire (shahwa), anger (ghadab), greed (hirs and shuhh), love of this world (hubb al-dunya) and pride (kibr). So a Sikh who has fought these five is not a stranger to Islam. Muslims fight the same battle every day.
“"Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy: but surely my Lord is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."”
“And I do call to witness the self-reproaching spirit: (Eschew Evil).”
“(To the righteous soul will be said:) "O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! "Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him! "Enter thou, then, among My devotees! "Yea, enter thou My Heaven!”
“By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;- Truly he succeeds that purifies it, And he fails that corrupts it!”
| The soul | What the Qur'an says of it |
|---|---|
| The soul that urges to evil | Prone to evil unless God (﷾) shows mercy. |
| The soul that blames itself | The Qur'an swears by it. |
| The soul at rest | Called back to its Lord, well pleased and well-pleasing. |
Anger: what to do when it comes
A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) for advice. He said: do not become angry. The man asked again and again, and each time he gave the same answer (Bukhari 6116). He also said that the strong man is not the one who overpowers others. The strong man controls himself when he is angry (Bukhari 6114). He gave steps for the moment itself. Two men were insulting each other, and one went red in the face. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that if the man sought refuge with Allah (﷾) from Satan, saying a'udhu billahi min al-shaytan, his anger would go (Bukhari 3282). He also said: if you are angry while standing, sit down, and if that is not enough, lie down (Abu Dawud 4782, graded sound, sahih). The Qur'an praises those "who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men". It says "Allah loves those who do good", and it names them among the righteous for whom a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth is prepared (3:133-134). It also says, "Repel (Evil) with what is better" (41:34). So for the moment of anger there are words to say, a change of posture, and a reward to hope for. This matters because anger is fast. A person needs something he can do at once.
Abu Hurayra reports that a man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) for advice. He said: do not become angry. The man asked again and again, and each time he said: do not become angry.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: the strong man is not the one who overpowers people by his strength. The strong man is the one who controls himself when he is angry.
Sulayman ibn Surad reports that two men were insulting each other near the Prophet (ﷺ). One of them went red in the face with anger. The Prophet said he knew a word that would make that man's anger go if he said it: I seek refuge with Allah from Satan.
Abu Dharr reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: when one of you becomes angry while standing, let him sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good. If not, let him lie down.
“Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous,- Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men;- for Allah loves those who do good;-”
“Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!”
Remember the advice
Do not become angry.
Say the words
I seek refuge with Allah (﷾) from Satan.
Change your posture
If standing, sit down. If that is not enough, lie down.
Hold it in and pardon
Allah (﷾) loves those who do good.
Lust: fences and a lawful way
Islam does not call desire evil in itself. The Qur'an counts marriage among God's (﷾) signs: He made mates for people "that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them", and He put love and mercy between them (30:21). So the task is to guide desire, not to kill it. The Qur'an tells believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty, and says "that will make for greater purity for them" (24:30). The next verse tells believing women the same (24:31). It says, "Nor come nigh to adultery" (17:32). It does not only forbid the act. It forbids the road that leads to it. The Prophet (ﷺ) told young men: whoever can marry should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his chastity. Whoever cannot should fast, for fasting will curb his desire (Bukhari 5066). The Qur'an promises the Garden to the one who feared standing before his Lord "and had restrained (their) soul from lower desires" (79:40-41). So there is a lawful way, marriage, and a practice for when it is not yet possible, fasting.
“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.”
“Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.”
“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.”
“Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).”
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) told the young men with him: whoever of you is able to marry should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his chastity; and whoever cannot should fast.
“And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from lower desires, Their abode will be the Garden.”
Greed: contentment and set charity
The Prophet (ﷺ) described greed plainly. If a person had a valley full of gold, he would want a second one, and nothing fills his mouth but dust. He went straight on: Allah (﷾) forgives whoever turns to Him (Bukhari 6439). He said that riches are not many possessions. True riches are a contented soul (Bukhari 6446). He gave a simple habit, and the reason for it. Look at those who have less than you, not at those who have more. That keeps you from making light of Allah's (﷾) favours (Muslim 2963). The Qur'an warns that piling up more and more distracts people "Until ye visit the graves" (102:1-2). It says that those "saved from the covetousness of their own souls" are the ones who prosper (64:16). And it makes giving a duty. Zakat, a set share of savings given every year, is taken "that so thou mightest purify and sanctify them" (9:103). So greed is met by a habit of the heart and a duty of the hand. The duty does not wait for a generous mood.
Anas ibn Malik reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: if the son of Adam had a valley full of gold, he would want a second one, and nothing fills his mouth but dust. And Allah forgives whoever turns to Him in repentance.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said riches do not lie in having many possessions; true riches are contentment of the soul.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: when one of you looks at someone given more than him in wealth and in body, let him also look at someone below him. In another wording he said: look at those below you and not at those above you, for that is more likely to keep you from making light of Allah's favours.
“The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things), Until ye visit the graves.”
“So fear Allah as much as ye can; listen and obey and spend in charity for the benefit of your own soul and those saved from the covetousness of their own souls,- they are the ones that achieve prosperity.”
“Of their goods, take alms, that so thou mightest purify and sanctify them; and pray on their behalf. Verily thy prayers are a source of security for them: And Allah is One Who heareth and knoweth.”
Attachment: love what God (﷾) gave, but not above Him
Islam does not ask anyone to leave home, wife or children. It asks that they never come between a person and God (﷾). The Qur'an says, "Let not your riches or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah" (63:9). It calls wealth and sons the allurements of this life, and says "the things that endure, good deeds, are best" (18:46). It says the life of this world is "play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting", like rain-fed crops that grow yellow and crumble (57:20). The Prophet (ﷺ) took hold of the shoulder of Ibn Umar, a young Companion, and said: be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller (Bukhari 6416). A traveller cares for his things, but he does not forget where he is going. So attachment is not cured by loving less. It is cured by loving God (﷾) most, and holding everything else as a gift from Him. The page "Is the world an illusion (maya)?" looks at the pull of the world in both faiths.
“O ye who believe! Let not your riches or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. If any act thus, the loss is their own.”
“Wealth and sons are allurements of the life of this world: But the things that endure, good deeds, are best in the sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes.”
“Know ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children. Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah). And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?”
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) took hold of his shoulder and said: be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller. Ibn Umar used to add his own advice: do not expect the morning when evening comes, and take from your health for your sickness and from your life for your death.
Pride: the first refusal, and the cure in every prayer
In the Qur'an's story of Adam, the first refusal came from pride. When the angels were told to bow to Adam, Iblis "refused and was haughty" (2:34). The Prophet (ﷺ) said that no one will enter Paradise who has in his heart a mustard seed's weight of pride (Muslim 91). A man asked whether liking fine clothes and shoes was pride. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah (﷾) is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride, he said, is rejecting the truth and looking down on people (Muslim 91). The scholar an-Nawawi explains what the warning means. The view he prefers, with Qadi Iyad, a scholar of the twelfth century, is that such a person will not enter Paradise without first being paid back for that pride, if Allah (﷾) chooses to pay him back. It is also said that Allah (﷾) may pardon him. So the warning is grave, and the way out is to turn back to God (﷾) (39:53). The Qur'an says, "Nor walk on the earth with insolence" (17:37). It gives the Home of the Hereafter to those who seek no high-handedness on earth (28:83). The cure is built into worship. The Qur'an ties the two together. Believers are those who "fall down in prostration, and celebrate the praises of their Lord, nor are they (ever) puffed up with pride" (32:15). Five times a day a Muslim bows and puts his forehead on the ground (Bukhari 812; 22:77). The Prophet (ﷺ) said that a servant is nearest to his Lord when he is prostrating (Muslim 482). So the lowest posture is the closest one. He also said that no one humbles himself for Allah's (﷾) sake but Allah (﷾) raises him (Muslim 2588). Belief in God's (﷾) decree cuts at pride too. The Qur'an says that every misfortune is written beforehand, so that people neither despair over a loss nor exult over what they are given: "For Allah loveth not any vainglorious boaster" (57:22-23). The Japji draws the same lesson from hukam.
“And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam" and they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: He was of those who reject Faith.”
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: no one will enter the Fire who has in his heart a mustard seed's weight of faith, and no one will enter Paradise who has in his heart a mustard seed's weight of pride.
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said no one with an atom's weight of pride in his heart will enter Paradise. A man said that people like their clothes and shoes to be fine. The Prophet answered that Allah is beautiful and loves beauty; pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.
Al-Nawawi says the hadith is about pride as people know it: rising above people, looking down on them and rejecting the truth. He calls two other readings far-fetched for that reason. He says the plain meaning, chosen by Qadi Iyad and other careful scholars, is that the proud person will not enter Paradise without first being paid back for it, if Allah pays him back. It is also said that Allah may be generous and not pay him back, and that everyone who believed in the One God will in the end enter Paradise, some at once and some after punishment for major sins they died persisting in. A third view he reports is that such a person will not enter with the God-fearing at the very first.
“Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
“Nor walk on the earth with insolence: for thou canst not rend the earth asunder, nor reach the mountains in height.”
“That Home of the Hereafter We shall give to those who intend not high-handedness or mischief on earth: and the end is (best) for the righteous.”
“Only those believe in Our Signs, who, when they are recited to them, fall down in prostration, and celebrate the praises of their Lord, nor are they (ever) puffed up with pride.”
Ibn Abbas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said he had been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead, and he pointed to his nose as well, the two hands, the two knees and the tips of the two feet. He was also told not to gather up his clothes or hair.
“O ye who believe! bow down, prostrate yourselves, and adore your Lord; and do good; that ye may prosper.”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a servant is nearest to his Lord when he is prostrating, so make much supplication then.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that charity does not lessen wealth. Allah adds to the honour of one who forgives, and no one humbles himself for Allah's sake but Allah raises him.
“No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence: That is truly easy for Allah: In order that ye may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you. For Allah loveth not any vainglorious boaster,-”
“By His order bodies are produced; His order cannot be described. By His order souls are infused into them; by His order greatness is obtained. By His order men are high or low; by His order they obtain preordained pain or pleasure. By His order some obtain their reward; by His order others must ever wander in transmigration. All are subject to His order; none is exempt from it. He who understandeth God's order, O Nanak, is never guilty of egoism.”
Worship that trains the self all year
Beside these steps, Islam sets worship that trains the self on a timetable, whatever a person feels on a given day. The Qur'an says, "establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds" (29:45). Fasting is prescribed "that ye may (learn) self-restraint" (2:183). For a month each year, a Muslim gives up food, drink and lawful pleasure by day, for God's (﷾) sake. That is practice in saying no to the self. Zakat purifies the giver (9:103). And remembrance runs through it all: "in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction" (13:28). The pages "Why remember God so often?" and "Is Naam simran like dhikr?" look at remembrance more closely. This matters because one decision is easy to make and hard to keep. A set practice, the same for every Muslim, keeps working when the feeling is gone.
“Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.”
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-”
“Of their goods, take alms, that so thou mightest purify and sanctify them; and pray on their behalf. Verily thy prayers are a source of security for them: And Allah is One Who heareth and knoweth.”
“"Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”
| Act | What the Qur'an says it does |
|---|---|
| Prayer | Restrains from shameful and unjust deeds. |
| Fasting | Teaches self-restraint. |
| Zakat | Purifies the giver. |
| Remembrance | Gives hearts rest. |
Where the two ways differ
Both look to God (﷾) for help. The Guru Granth Sahib says the cure comes when God (﷾) bestows His grace (Ang 466). The Qur'an says the soul is prone to evil "unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy" (12:53). The Prophet (ﷺ) himself prayed: give my soul its sense of right and purify it, for You are the best to purify it (Muslim 2722). So the difference is not effort against grace. Both ask for daily practice too. Sikhs keep a round of set prayers each day, the Nitnem, and remember the Name in the company of the holy. The page "Why do Muslims pray five times a day at set times?" looks at the two side by side. Both also speak of an account. The closing verse of the Japji says that merits and demerits will be read out before the Judge (Ang 8). The first real difference is where the cure is placed. The hymns give wise counsel on the thieves. But the cure they return to again and again is inward: the Guru's word, the Name and the company of the holy. Guru Arjan says, "I practise not fasting, nor observe the Ramzan" (Ang 1136). Islam agrees that the battle is won in the heart, and it keeps remembrance at the centre. But it says that God (﷾) Himself prescribed acts of the body to train the heart: the forehead on the ground at set times, a month of fasting and a fixed share of zakat. Beside these, the Prophet (ﷺ) taught a step for each thief, and his life shows each one being done. So the question is not which way asks more of a person. It is whether God (﷾) prescribed these acts, and that turns on whether the Qur'an is His word. The second difference is how it ends. The Guru Granth Sahib ties the ego to being born again and again (Ang 466). The Qur'an says this life is the one test. After death no one is sent back to try again (23:99-100). Then comes one Day when every atom's weight of good and evil is seen (99:7-8). The page "Do Sikhs believe in one life or many?" looks at this. This matters because a struggle with an end, before a Judge who sees every effort, gives each day its full weight.
“It is the nature of pride that it produceth pride. This pride is a trammel which subjecteth man to repeated transmigration. What is the origin of pride, and by what device shall it depart? For pride it is ordained that man wander according to his previous acts. Pride is a chronic disease, but there is also a medicine for it in the heart. If God bestow His grace, man shall avail himself of the Guru's instruction; Saith Nanak, hear, O ye men, in this way trouble shall depart.”
“"Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy: but surely my Lord is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."”
Zayd ibn Arqam reports a prayer the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say. In it he asked Allah to give his soul its sense of right (taqwa) and to purify it, for He is the best to purify it, its Guardian and its Master. He also sought refuge with Allah from weakness, laziness, cowardice and miserliness, and from a soul that is never satisfied.
The Sikh Rehat Maryada, the Sikh code of conduct issued by the SGPC, says a Sikh should wake in the ambrosial hours, three hours before dawn, bathe, and repeat the name Waheguru. It lists hymns to be recited every day: the Japu and two other compositions in the morning, the Sodar Rehras in the evening after sunset, and the Sohila at night before going to bed. The morning and evening recitations end with the Ardas, which it calls a formal supplication. While it is said, men and women in the congregation stand with hands folded, and at its end the congregation bows before the Guru Granth Sahib.
Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, says that lust, anger, greed and attachment are burnt away in the company of the holy (the sangat).
“Merits and demerits shall be read out in the presence of the Judge. According to men's acts, some shall be near, and others distant from God.”
Guru Amar Das, the third Guru, says that five thieves live within this body: lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego (kaam, krodh, lobh, moh and ahankar). They steal the nectar, and the self-willed person does not see it. He says that without the Guru there is only darkness, and the hymn's refrain says that without the Shabad, the Guru's word, the world wanders astray. An earlier hymn on the same page says that one who meets the True Guru obtains the Name and sheds ego and attachment.
“Kabir, where there is divine knowledge there is virtue; where there is falsehood there is sin; Where there is covetousness there is death; where there is forgiveness there is God Himself.”
“I practise not fasting, nor observe the Ramzan: I serve Him who will preserve me at the last hour. The one Lord of the earth is my God, Who judgeth both Hindus and Musalmans. I go not on a pilgrimage to Makka, nor worship at Hindu places of pilgrimages. I serve the one God and none other. I neither worship as the Hindus, nor pray as the Musalmans. I take the Formless God into my heart, and there make obeisance unto Him. I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman. The soul and body belong to God whether He be called Allah or Ram. Kabir hath delivered this lecture. When I meet a true guru or pir, I recognize my own Master.”
“Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.”
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-”
“Of their goods, take alms, that so thou mightest purify and sanctify them; and pray on their behalf. Verily thy prayers are a source of security for them: And Allah is One Who heareth and knoweth.”
“(In Falsehood will they be) Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "O my Lord! send me back (to life),- "In order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected." - "By no means! It is but a word he says."- Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up.”
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.”
| Teaching | The Guru Granth Sahib | The Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| The ego and the five as the trouble | ||
| The cure needs God's (﷾) grace | ||
| Remembrance at the centre | ||
| Deeds read out before the Judge | ||
| A fast prescribed to train the self | ||
| One life, then one Day |
- Taught
- Not taught
When you fail
Everyone loses to one of the thieves at times. Islam says what to do next. The Qur'an praises those who, after a wrong, "earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins,- and who can forgive sins except Allah?" It adds that they do not persist in the wrong knowingly (3:135). It says, "Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins" (39:53). He forgives all sins to those who turn back to Him (39:54). Good deeds also wipe out wrongs (11:114). The Prophet (ﷺ) said which ones: the five prayers, and one Friday prayer to the next, wipe out the sins between them, as long as major sins are not committed (Muslim 233). So worship wipes out minor sins. The scholar an-Nawawi explains this, and quotes Qadi Iyad: major sins are wiped out only by repentance, or by the mercy and bounty of Allah (﷾). A wrong done to another person must also be put right with that person, or it is paid back on the Day (Muslim 2581). The Prophet (ﷺ) said that no one's deeds alone will save him, not even his own, unless Allah (﷾) covers him with His mercy (Bukhari 6463). So a person who falls is not finished. He turns back, puts right what he can, and keeps going.
“And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins,- and who can forgive sins except Allah?- and are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done.”
“Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
“"Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped.”
“And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: For those things, that are good remove those that are evil: Be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord):”
Abu Hurayra reports that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: the five prayers, and one Friday prayer to the next, wipe out the sins between them, as long as major sins are not committed.
On the words "as long as he has not committed a major sin", al-Nawawi says the meaning is that all the sins are forgiven except the major ones. He quotes Qadi Iyad: this is the way of the people of the Sunna, and major sins are wiped out only by repentance, or by the mercy and bounty of Allah. On the next chapter he adds that each such deed can wipe out sins. If it finds minor sins it wipes them out. If it finds none, good deeds are written and ranks are raised. If it meets a major sin and no minor one, it is hoped that it will lighten the major sin.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) asked who the bankrupt is. He said the bankrupt of his community comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, fasting and charity. But he insulted one, slandered another, took another's wealth, shed another's blood and beat another. Each is given some of his good deeds. If his good deeds run out before the account is settled, their sins are taken and thrown on him, and then he is thrown into the Fire.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said no one's deeds will save him. Asked whether that included him, he said: not even me, unless Allah covers me with His mercy. He then told them to do good deeds properly, sincerely and in moderation.
Bring Allah (﷾) to mind
Ask Him for forgiveness, and do not persist in the wrong.
Do not despair
Allah (﷾) forgives all sins to those who turn back to Him.
Put right what you owe
A wrong done to a person is put right with that person, or it is paid back on the Day.
Keep up the prayers
They wipe out the sins between them, as long as major sins are not committed.
Islam's answer: a purified soul, and a Day to meet your Lord
The five thieves are real, and both Sikhs and Muslims know it. Islam's answer is a whole way of life (deen): belief, worship and character together. It names each thief, gives a step for each, sets worship that trains the self, and forgives those who turn back. Its promise is that the soul at rest will hear: "Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him!" (89:27-28). No past need keep anyone away. The Qur'an says that those who come to faith will have their past forgiven (8:38). The Prophet (ﷺ) told a man who came to him that Islam wipes out what came before it (Muslim 121). What is owed to other people must still be returned. There is no compulsion in religion (2:256), and the choice is yours. The Qur'an asks to be read with care and tested (4:82; 2:23). Then consider the Messenger it names, Muhammad (ﷺ), the Seal of the Prophets (33:40), sent to all people (7:158). The page "I'm a Sikh: why should I consider Islam?" is a good place to go next.
“(To the righteous soul will be said:) "O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! "Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him! "Enter thou, then, among My devotees! "Yea, enter thou My Heaven!”
“Say to the Unbelievers, if (now) they desist (from Unbelief), their past would be forgiven them; but if they persist, the punishment of those before them is already (a matter of warning for them).”
Amr ibn al-As, near death, said that before Islam no one was more hateful to him than the Prophet (ﷺ), and he had wished to kill him. He told how he came to the Prophet to accept Islam. He asked the Prophet to stretch out his right hand so he could pledge, then drew his own hand back. Asked why, he said he wanted a condition: that he be forgiven. The Prophet asked whether he did not know that Islam wipes out everything that came before it.
Says that when a non-Muslim becomes Muslim, Allah forgives what he did before, citing Qur'an 8:38 and Sahih Muslim 121, with an-Nawawi's explanation that Islam erases the sins before it and wipes them out. It quotes Ibn Uthaymin that property taken from its owner by force must still be returned to him.
“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Say: "O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided."”
Perspectives
Sikh (the Guru Granth Sahib)
Haumai is a chronic disease that keeps a person in the round of births. The five thieves, lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride, rob the soul. The cure is God's grace, the Guru's word and the Name, remembered in the company of the holy, and knowing that all is in God's order (hukam).
Sikh teaching, from the Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib already gives the cure: "If God bestow His grace, man shall avail himself of the Guru's instruction" (Ang 466). Nothing needs to be added.
Rebuttal
Islam agrees that the cure is God's (﷾) gift (12:53; Muslim 2722). The question is which instruction comes from God (﷾). The Qur'an asks to be tested as His word (4:82; 2:23). It gives a set step for each thief, shown in the life of the Prophet (ﷺ), as this page sets out. The page "Did God speak through the Sikh Gurus?" looks at the source of the Gurus' hymns.
Outward duties can feed the ego. Kabir asks what use it is to give up worldly love if pride remains, and says that sages "perished by pride" (Ang 1372). Guru Arjan keeps no fast (Ang 1136). Remembering the Name works inside.
Rebuttal
Islam warns its own worshippers against exactly that pride. No one's deeds alone will save him (Bukhari 6463), and Allah (﷾) looks at the heart (Muslim 2564). Prayer is set for remembering Him (20:14), and the forehead on the ground five times a day is the opposite of pride (Bukhari 812; 32:15). The Prophet (ﷺ) said that no one humbles himself for Allah's (﷾) sake but Allah (﷾) raises him (Muslim 2588). An outward act can be done with pride. That is a reason to mend the heart, not to drop an act that God (﷾) commanded.
Sikhs are not without practice. They keep set prayers each day, the Nitnem, and remember the Name in the company of the holy. Guru Arjan says that lust, anger, greed and attachment are burnt away there (Ang 318).
Rebuttal
Islam values good company and worship together too, and it commands sharing and service (9:103; 76:8-9). The difference is not whether a person practises, but who set the practice and what it leads to. Islam's acts were set by the Qur'an and the Prophet (ﷺ), and the Qur'an asks to be tested as God's (﷾) word (4:82). They lead to one Day of account (99:7-8). The page "Why do Muslims pray five times a day at set times?" takes this up.
Guru Nanak already gave the root cure: "He who understandeth God's order, O Nanak, is never guilty of egoism" (Japji, pauri 2). Whoever sees that all is in God's order has nothing left to be proud of.
Rebuttal
Islam agrees, and the Qur'an says the same of God's (﷾) decree: misfortunes are written beforehand, so that no one despairs over a loss or exults over a gain (57:22-23). But knowing this and living it are two things. So beside what God (﷾) decrees, Islam sets out what He commands: worship at set times and a step for each thief. The page "Is hukam the same as God's decree?" sets the two side by side.
The Islamic perspective
The soul is prone to evil unless God (﷾) shows mercy, and it succeeds when it is purified. Islam names each of the five struggles and gives a revealed step for each: words and posture for anger, marriage, modesty and fasting for lust, contentment and zakat for greed, the traveller's view of this world for attachment, and prostration and humility for pride. Daily worship trains the self, God (﷾) forgives those who turn back, and every deed is seen on one Day.
The human soul is prone to evil unless God (﷾) shows mercy, and he succeeds who purifies it.
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught: do not become angry; seek refuge with Allah (﷾) from Satan; sit down, and if that is not enough, lie down.
Whoever can marry should marry, and whoever cannot should fast; believers lower their gaze.
True riches are a contented soul; look at those who have less; zakat purifies.
Pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people. Believers fall down in prostration and are not puffed up with pride, and whoever humbles himself for Allah (﷾) is raised.
Prayer restrains from shameful deeds and fasting teaches self-restraint.
Allah (﷾) forgives all sins to those who turn back to Him, and every atom's weight of good and evil will be seen.