Short answer
Partly. Hukam means God's (﷾) order. The Japji is the hymn that opens the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs honour as their living Guru. It says all things come to be by His order, and "none is exempt from it". Islam says the same of God's (﷾) decree (qadar): nothing happens outside His knowledge and will. Both say that knowing this should end pride. Hukam is also an order to obey, and Islam has that too: God's (﷾) command. The Qur'an keeps the two apart in plain words. God (﷾) decrees everything that happens, yet He commands and loves only what is good. So "it was God's will" never excuses a wrong. The real difference is where His command is written. Islam says it is in the law He revealed, last of all in the Qur'an. And each person reads his own record on one Day, after one life.
| Point | The Guru Granth Sahib | Islam |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing is outside God's (﷾) order | ||
| Pain and pleasure are written beforehand | ||
| Knowing this should end pride | ||
| His order is also to be obeyed | ||
| Deeds are read out before the Judge | ||
| His command is the law revealed in the Qur'an | ||
| One life, then one Day |
- Yes
- No
Full explanation
Hukam in the Guru Granth Sahib
Sikhism (Sikhs also say Sikhi) began with Guru Nanak (Sikhs say Guru Nanak Dev Ji). Its scripture is the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs honour as their living Guru. It is cited here by Ang, a page of its standard 1,430-page edition. The Japji opens it, and Sikhs recite it each morning. Its verses are called pauris. The first pauri asks how a person can become true before God (﷾). The answer is to walk in the will of the Commander, as written for him. The second pauri is about hukam, God's (﷾) order. By His order bodies are made and souls are put into them. By His order some are high and some low, and pain and pleasure come as written. By His order some are rewarded, and others wander from birth to birth. "All are subject to His order; none is exempt from it." It ends that whoever understands His order is never guilty of egoism.
Hukam is also an order to obey. In another hymn Guru Nanak says: "By obeying His order man is acceptable" (Ang 471). Such a person, he says, reaches his Master's court. Guru Angad was the second Guru. He says that for pride it is ordained that a person wander according to his past acts. In the same hymn he calls that pride "a chronic disease" with a medicine (Ang 466). So Sikh teaching does not say that every deed pleases God (﷾). Hukam has two sides: the order that none can leave, and the order a person is asked to obey.
“How shall man become true before God? How shall the veil of falsehood be rent? By walking, O Nanak, according to the will of the Commander as preordained.”
“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.”
“That worshipper whom God causeth to abide by His order, will worship Him. By obeying His order man is acceptable, and shall then reach his Master's court.”
“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.”
| Hukam | The Guru Granth Sahib | In Islam |
|---|---|---|
| The order none can leave | "none is exempt from it" (Ang 1) | The decree (qadar) |
| The order a person obeys | "By obeying His order man is acceptable" (Ang 471) | God's (﷾) command, set out in His law |
Islam agrees: nothing is outside God's (﷾) decree
Islam teaches the same of God's (﷾) decree, called qadar. "Verily, all things have We created in proportion and measure" (54:49). Not a leaf falls without His knowledge, and everything is in a clear record (6:59). No misfortune strikes unless it was written in a decree before it came (57:22). Even a person's will works inside His: "ye shall not will except as Allah wills" (81:29). The angel Jibril (Gabriel) once asked the Prophet (ﷺ) what faith is. Among its parts he named belief in the decree, its good and its evil. So on this first point the Japji and the Qur'an meet. Nothing at all happens outside God's (﷾) hand.
“Verily, all things have We created in proportion and measure.”
“With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read).”
“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,-”
“(With profit) to whoever among you wills to go straight: But ye shall not will except as Allah wills,- the Cherisher of the Worlds.”
Umar ibn al-Khattab reports that a stranger in very white clothes sat before the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked him about Islam. The Prophet said Islam is to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, pay zakat, fast in Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to the House if one is able. Asked about faith, he said it is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Last Day, and to believe in the divine decree, its good and its evil. Afterwards the Prophet told Umar the stranger was Gabriel (Jibril), who had come to teach them their religion.
Both say it should end pride
Both books also draw the same lesson. The Japji says that whoever understands God's (﷾) order is never guilty of egoism. The word in the original is haumai. Macauliffe, whose 1909 translation is quoted here, writes "egoism" in this line and "pride" in other hymns. He explains the egoism meant: saying "I exist by myself", apart from God (﷾). The Qur'an says misfortunes are written beforehand for a reason. It is so that people neither despair over a loss nor exult over a gain. "For Allah loveth not any vainglorious boaster" (57:23). Pride says, "I did this by myself." Both answer that nothing is done by oneself alone. This is real common ground, and a Sikh reader can start from it. The page "How does Islam deal with the ego (haumai) and the five thieves?" takes it further.
“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.”
“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.”
“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,-”
What God (﷾) decrees and what He commands
The Qur'an sets the two sides apart in plain words. God (﷾) decrees everything that happens, but He does not love everything that happens. The Qur'an says that if people reject Him, "He liketh not ingratitude from His servants" (39:7). It says, "Allah never commands what is shameful" (7:28). And it names what He does command: "justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin" (16:90).
Ibn Taymiyya was a scholar of Damascus who died in 1328. He explains that God's (﷾) will and command come in two kinds in the Qur'an. One kind is His decree of what happens. It falls on believer and unbeliever, the good and the wicked alike, and no one passes beyond it. The other kind is the religion He loves, is pleased with and rewards. Its commands are in the books He revealed, and the wicked disobey them.
Take a theft. It happens within God's (﷾) decree, since nothing is outside it. Yet God (﷾) forbids it. The Prophet (ﷺ) took a pledge from his companions that they would not steal (Bukhari 18). The Qur'an sets the same promise in the pledge of the believing women: "that they will not steal" (60:12). The thief answers for it. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever has wronged another must seek his release from it in this life. Otherwise, on the Day, his good deeds are taken in proportion to the wrong. If he has none, some of the wronged person's bad deeds are laid on him (Bukhari 2449). So what is within God's (﷾) decree is not always what pleases Him.
“If ye reject (Allah), Truly Allah hath no need of you; but He liketh not ingratitude from His servants: if ye are grateful, He is pleased with you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. In the end, to your Lord is your Return, when He will tell you the truth of all that ye did (in this life). for He knoweth well all that is in (men's) hearts.”
“When they do aught that is shameful, they say: "We found our fathers doing so"; and "Allah commanded us thus": Say: "Nay, Allah never commands what is shameful: do ye say of Allah what ye know not?"”
“Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.”
Asked which of God's will, permission, writing, judgment, decree and forbidding are of the religion (what He loves and is pleased with, and commands) and which are of creation (what He wills to happen), Ibn Taymiyya answers that in the Book of God each of these, like His command, comes in two kinds. One kind concerns the religion that God loves and is pleased with, whose people He rewards and admits to Paradise. The other concerns the events He has decreed, which believer and unbeliever, the righteous and the wicked, share alike. God's words that no righteous or wicked person can pass beyond are those by which things come to be; they are not His command and prohibition, for the wicked disobey His command. His command and prohibition are in the revealed books: the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms and the Qur'an. He warns that some looked only at the decree and stopped there. They saw that God creates all things, and then no longer told apart faith and unbelief, truth and falsehood, justice and wrong, or the deeds of the people of Paradise and of the Fire. He answers them with Qur'an 68:35-36, 38:28 and 45:21.
Ubada ibn al-Samit, who fought at Badr, reports that on the night of the Aqaba pledge the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the companions around him to pledge not to worship anything beside Allah, not to steal, not to commit unlawful sexual intercourse, not to kill their children, not to slander an innocent person, and not to disobey in what is good. He said that whoever keeps the pledge, his reward is with Allah. Whoever falls into any of these, apart from associating partners with Allah, and is punished for it in this world, the punishment expiates it. If Allah conceals it, it is for Him to forgive or punish him.
“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.”
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever has wronged another, in his honour or in anything else, should seek his release from it today, before the Day when there will be no money. If he has good deeds, they will be taken from him in proportion to the wrong. If he has none, some of the wronged person's bad deeds will be laid on him.
| Question | What He decrees | What He commands |
|---|---|---|
| What does it cover? | Everything that happens | Only what is good |
| Can anyone go against it? | No one passes beyond it | The wicked disobey it |
| Does He love all of it? | No. He does not like ingratitude | Yes. He loves and rewards it |
| Can we know it? | Hidden until it happens | Told plainly in a revealed law |
| Is it an excuse? | Never an excuse for a sin | What each person answers for |
Why the line matters
Suppose God's (﷾) will meant only what happens. Then every wrong would be His will too, and His will could not tell right from wrong. Ibn Taymiyya warns of exactly this. He says some looked only at the decree and stopped there. They no longer told apart faith and unbelief, truth and falsehood, or justice and wrong. He answers them with the Qur'an: "Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin?" (68:35).
The Guru Granth Sahib does not teach that either, as the hymns above show. The Qur'an states the line in plain words, and gives rules that follow from it. A Muslim meets each side in its own way. What has already happened to him, he meets with patience, since it was decreed (57:22-23). A wrong in front of him, he does not accept as God's (﷾) will. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever sees a wrong should change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue; if he cannot, then he should hate it in his heart. And no one may excuse his own sin by the decree. The Qur'an quotes idol-worshippers who said that if God (﷾) had wished, they would not have done it. It calls this mere conjecture (6:148). The page "Does Islam say our choices don't matter?" explains how real choice works inside God's (﷾) decree.
Asked which of God's will, permission, writing, judgment, decree and forbidding are of the religion (what He loves and is pleased with, and commands) and which are of creation (what He wills to happen), Ibn Taymiyya answers that in the Book of God each of these, like His command, comes in two kinds. One kind concerns the religion that God loves and is pleased with, whose people He rewards and admits to Paradise. The other concerns the events He has decreed, which believer and unbeliever, the righteous and the wicked, share alike. God's words that no righteous or wicked person can pass beyond are those by which things come to be; they are not His command and prohibition, for the wicked disobey His command. His command and prohibition are in the revealed books: the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms and the Qur'an. He warns that some looked only at the decree and stopped there. They saw that God creates all things, and then no longer told apart faith and unbelief, truth and falsehood, justice and wrong, or the deeds of the people of Paradise and of the Fire. He answers them with Qur'an 68:35-36, 38:28 and 45:21.
“Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin? What is the matter with you? How judge ye?”
“That worshipper whom God causeth to abide by His order, will worship Him. By obeying His order man is acceptable, and shall then reach his Master's court.”
“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.”
“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,-”
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever of you sees a wrong, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then in his heart, and that is the weakest of faith.
“Those who give partners (to Allah) will say: "If Allah had wished, we should not have given partners to Him nor would our fathers; nor should we have had any taboos." So did their ancestors argue falsely, until they tasted of Our wrath. Say: "Have ye any (certain) knowledge? If so, produce it before us. Ye follow nothing but conjecture: ye do nothing but lie."”
A man steals.
Was it within God's (﷾) decree?
Yes. Nothing is outside it.
Did God (﷾) command it?
No. He never commands what is shameful, and He forbids theft.
Can the thief plead the decree?
No. The Qur'an rejects that excuse.
And those who see it?
Change it with the hand, or the tongue, or at least hate it in the heart.
Where God's (﷾) command is written
So both faiths speak of an order to obey. The difference is where that order is written. Sikhs look for it in the Guru's word. Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, says the bani, the Word, came from the Primal Lord (Ang 628). Islam says God's (﷾) command is in the law He revealed through His messengers, last of all in the Qur'an. It tells the Prophet (ﷺ): "Then We put thee on the (right) Way of Religion: so follow thou that (Way)" (45:18). The Arabic word for that Way is sharia. When Jibril asked what Islam is, the Prophet (ﷺ) set out what God (﷾) asks. Islam is to bear witness that there is no god but Allah (﷾) and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (﷾). It is to pray, pay zakat, fast in Ramadan and make the pilgrimage if one is able. So the same teaching that names the decree also names the commands.
The two sets of words do not ask the same things. The page "What does the Guru Granth Sahib say about Muslims?" shows where they part. So a person who wants to obey God (﷾) must first ask which words are His. That is the real difference between the two. The Japji says His order cannot be described. Islam agrees that the decree is hidden: "With Him are the keys of the unseen" (6:59). But the command is told plainly. No one knows what is decreed for tomorrow (31:34). Anyone can know what God (﷾) asks of him today.
In a Sorath hymn Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, says that the bani (the hymn, the Word) came from the Primal Lord, and that it removes all anxiety. Sikhs often cite this line for the teaching that Gurbani comes from God.
“Then We put thee on the (right) Way of Religion: so follow thou that (Way), and follow not the desires of those who know not.”
Umar ibn al-Khattab reports that a stranger in very white clothes sat before the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked him about Islam. The Prophet said Islam is to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, pay zakat, fast in Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to the House if one is able. Asked about faith, he said it is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Last Day, and to believe in the divine decree, its good and its evil. Afterwards the Prophet told Umar the stranger was Gabriel (Jibril), who had come to teach them their religion.
“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.”
“With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read).”
“Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does any one know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does any one know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).”
“Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.”
Two writings, and one Day
Islam speaks of two writings, and they do different jobs. The first was written before: the decree of what will happen (57:22). The second is written as a person acts. Angels write down what each person does (82:10-12). On the Day of Judgment each person is given this second record and told, "Read thine (own) record" (17:13-14). He is judged by what he did, not by what was written before. So the decree takes nothing away from his answering for his deeds. The Guru Granth Sahib also says that merits and demerits will be read out before the Judge (Ang 8). But the Japji says that by His order some wander from birth to birth. Islam teaches one life, and no return after death (23:99-100). The reading comes once, on one Day. The page "Do Sikhs believe in one life or many?" sets out that difference.
“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,-”
“But verily over you (are appointed angels) to protect you,- Kind and honourable,- Writing down (your deeds): They know (and understand) all that ye do.”
“Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck: On the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll, which he will see spread open. (It will be said to him:) "Read thine (own) record: Sufficient is thy soul this day to make out an account against thee."”
“Verily We shall give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before and that which they leave behind, and of all things have We taken account in a clear Book (of evidence).”
“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.”
“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.”
“(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.”
Written before
The decree of what will happen.
Written as you act
Angels write down what each person does.
Read on the Day
Each person reads his own record, and is judged by what he did.
Islam's invitation
The Japji asks how a person becomes true, and answers: walk in God's (﷾) will. The Qur'an gives its religion a name that means just that. "The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will)" (3:19). So the question between the two is not whether to walk in His will. It is where His will is written. Islam says it is in the Qur'an, brought by Muhammad (ﷺ), the Seal of the Prophets (33:40). Whoever obeys the Messenger obeys Allah (﷾) (4:80). The Qur'an asks to be tested. Look for the many contradictions a human book would hold (4:82). Or produce a chapter like it (2:23). The page "Did God speak through the Sikh Gurus?" sets out that test. Read the Qur'an in a translation you trust, and see whose voice it is.
“How shall man become true before God? How shall the veil of falsehood be rent? By walking, O Nanak, according to the will of the Commander as preordained.”
“The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will): Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them. But if any deny the Signs of Allah, Allah is swift in calling to account.”
“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.”
“He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah: But if any turn away, We have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds).”
“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.”
Line by line
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1 — Jap, Guru Nanak (Japji, pauri 2)
“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.”
Cited for
Hukam and qadar are the same idea. Both say nothing is outside God's (﷾) will, so the two faiths agree.
The response
On the decree they do meet: all things are by measure (54:49), and no one wills except as Allah (﷾) wills (81:29). Hukam is also an order to obey (Ang 471). Islam calls that God's (﷾) command. He commands and loves only the good (39:7; 7:28; 16:90), and the wicked disobey that command.
Where it lands — Hukam as the order none can leave matches the decree. Hukam as an order to obey matches God's (﷾) command. The two faiths differ on where that command is written.
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1 — Jap, Guru Nanak (Japji, pauri 2)
“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.”
Cited for
If none is outside His order, then whatever anyone does is His will.
The response
In Islam, whatever happens is within His decree, but not everything is what He wants. He never commands what is shameful (7:28). The Qur'an rejects using His will to excuse a wrong (6:148). A wrong is to be changed with the hand, the tongue or the heart (Muslim 49).
Where it lands — Within His decree is not the same as pleasing to Him.
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 471 — Raga Asa, Asa ki Var (pauri 15), Guru Nanak
“That worshipper whom God causeth to abide by His order, will worship Him. By obeying His order man is acceptable, and shall then reach his Master's court.”
Cited for
Gurbani already keeps the two apart. Guru Nanak says the one who obeys His order is accepted, so Sikhs do not call every deed God's pleasure.
The response
That is right, and Islam does not say otherwise of Sikh teaching. The Qur'an states the same line in plain words (39:7; 7:28). So the question moves on: which order is to be obeyed? Islam points to the law God (﷾) revealed (45:18), and the Qur'an asks to be tested (4:82; 2:23).
Where it lands — Both faiths have an order to obey. They differ on where it is written, so the question is whose words are God's (﷾).
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 8 — Jap, the closing salok of the Japji
“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.”
Cited for
The Japji's closing verse already says merits and demerits are read out before the Judge. Islam adds nothing there.
The response
The record is shared ground. Islam says angels write it as a person acts (82:10-12). Each person reads it himself, once, on one Day after one life (17:13-14). He is judged by what he did, not by what was written before.
Where it lands — Both speak of a record before the Judge. Islam places its reading on one Day, after one life.
Perspectives
Sikh: all is within God's hukam
Everything happens by God's (﷾) order, and none is outside it. The way to become true is to walk in His will, and the one who obeys His order is accepted. Whoever understands His order is free of egoism.
The Japji says all things come to be by God's (﷾) order, and none is exempt from it.
Rebuttal
Islam agrees in full: all things are created by measure (54:49), and no one wills except as Allah (﷾) wills (81:29). The Qur'an then says in plain words that He commands and loves only the good (39:7; 7:28). So nothing is outside His decree, yet a wrong is never His command.
A person becomes true by walking in the will of the Commander, as written for him.
Rebuttal
The Qur'an's name for its religion means submission to His will (3:19). The question is where that will is set out. Islam says His decree is hidden (6:59), but His command is told plainly in the law He revealed (45:18).
Guru Nanak says that the one who obeys God's (﷾) order is accepted and reaches the Master's court. So hukam is also a command, and not every deed pleases God (﷾).
Rebuttal
Islam agrees, and this page grants it. The Qur'an sets the decree and the command apart in plain words (39:7; 7:28). It refuses the decree as an excuse (6:148). What is left to settle is where His command is written (45:18).
Gurbani, the Guru's Word, came from God (﷾), so it shows how to walk in His will.
Rebuttal
Then both faiths agree that God's (﷾) will must be told in words from Him. Which words are His is the real question. The Qur'an asks to be tested on exactly that (4:82; 2:23).
By His order some are rewarded and others wander from birth to birth.
Rebuttal
Islam teaches one life, and no return after death (23:99-100). Each person reads the record of what he did, on one Day (17:13-14; 82:10-12). The page on one life or many answers the question of rebirth.
The Islamic perspective
Nothing happens outside God's (﷾) decree, and belief in it is part of faith. But He commands and loves only the good. He has told people plainly what He asks of them, last of all in the Qur'an. Each person reads the record of what he chose, on one Day, after one life.
All things are created by measure, and every misfortune is written in a decree before it comes.
Belief in the decree, its good and its evil, is one of the parts of faith the Prophet (ﷺ) named to Jibril.
A person's will is real and works inside God's (﷾) will, never outside it.
God (﷾) does not love all that He decrees. He does not like ingratitude, and He never commands what is shameful.
Ibn Taymiyya explains that God's (﷾) will and command come in two kinds: what He decrees, and the religion He loves and commands.
The decree is no excuse for a sin, and a wrong is to be changed, not accepted.
What God (﷾) asks is told plainly in a revealed law, set out in the hadith of Jibril.
Angels write down each person's deeds, and on the Day each person reads his own record.