Short answer
No. The highest thing Guru Arjan asks for is the very thing Paradise promises. The Guru Granth Sahib is honoured by Sikhs as their living Guru. In it Guru Arjan says, "I long not for empire, I long not for salvation". He asks only for love of the Lord and "a sight of Thee". Sikhs read this as pure devotion: the lover wants God (﷾), not a prize, not even mukti (liberation). Islam puts that same hope at the summit of Paradise. Its greatest bliss is God's (﷾) good pleasure. The Prophet (ﷺ) said nothing given to its people is dearer than looking at their Lord. So Paradise is love of God (﷾) fulfilled, not a prize beside Him. And the servant stays a servant, because love and sight need someone to love and to see.
Full explanation
Mukti: freedom by grace
Mukti means liberation. In Sikhism (Sikhs also say Sikhi) it is freedom from coming and going, the round of birth and death. It comes by God's (﷾) grace (nadar, His glance of favour), not by effort alone. The Japji of Guru Nanak (Sikhs say Guru Nanak Dev Ji) says that by His favour we reach the gate of salvation. The Japji is the hymn that opens 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. Islam agrees that the end is reached by mercy and not bought by deeds. The Prophet (ﷺ) said no one's deeds will save him, not even his own, unless Allah (﷾) covers him with mercy. Whether there are many births or one life is answered on the page "Do Sikhs believe in one life or many?". This page asks a different question. What is the end, and is it higher than Paradise?
“The Kind One will give us a robe of honour, and by His favour we shall reach the gate of salvation.”
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.
Jivan mukti: freedom while still alive
Sikh teaching does not leave mukti for after death. The Sukhmani is a long hymn of Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, much loved and often recited by Sikhs. At Ang 275 it describes the jivan mukt, the one liberated while living. The one "whose heart loveth God's order" is "said to have obtained salvation during life". To him "joy and sorrow are the same", and he "is ever happy and is never separated from God". He takes "what cometh from God as best". This is why a Sikh may say that mukti is better than Paradise. It is a freedom you can taste now, while Paradise waits until after death.
“He whose heart loveth God's order Is said to have obtained salvation during life To him joy and sorrow are the same; He is ever happy and is never separated from God, To him as is gold so is dross, As is nectar so is bitter poison, As is honour so is dishonour, As is the poor man so is the king. He who deemeth what cometh from God as best, Shall, O Nanak, be said to have obtained salvation during life.”
Islam gives peace now too
Islam agrees that the believer does not wait for death to find peace. The Qur'an says "in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction". Whoever does good with faith is given "a life that is good and pure". The Prophet (ﷺ) said the affair of the believer is wonderful. If good comes he gives thanks, and if hardship strikes he is patient, and both are good for him. That is close to the Sukhmani's man who takes what comes from God (﷾) as best. The word Islam itself means submission to God (﷾). How God's (﷾) order and His command differ is on the page "Is hukam the same as God's decree?". So Islam does not set a freedom now against a reward later. It gives the first, and then tells you what comes next, and whom you will meet.
“"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.”
“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions.”
Suhayb reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the affair of the believer is wonderful, for there is good for him in all of it, and this is so for no one but the believer: if something pleasing happens he gives thanks, and that is good for him; if hardship strikes he is patient, and that is good for him.
Light blended with Light
What is the end of the journey? Guru Arjan describes it in the Sukhmani at Ang 278. The soul "Shall ever abide with the Supreme Being". Then: "As water blendeth with water, So light is blended with light." "Transmigration is ended and rest obtained". A Sikh may say this is higher than any garden. The soul does not receive a reward from God (﷾). It goes back into the Light it came from. Guru Nanak says, "The light which is in everything is Thine". The Japji ends its account of the soul's stages with Sach Khand, the Realm of Truth: "God dwelleth in the true realm." Professor Sahib Singh, whose commentary Sikhs widely use, explains it as the state of being one with the Timeless One. Of the stage before it the Japji says: "There dwell congregations of saints; They rejoice; the True One is in their hearts."
“Sometimes man obtaineth the saints' society, From which He returneth not again, And which shall not perish: The light of divine knowledge shall then shine in his heart. His soul and body dyed with the name of the one God Shall ever abide with the Supreme Being. As water blendeth with water, So light is blended with light. Transmigration is ended and rest obtained— Nanak is ever a sacrifice to the Lord.”
“The light which is in everything is Thine, O Lord of light.”
“There dwell congregations of saints; They rejoice; the True One is in their hearts. God dwelleth in the true realm. He looketh on its denizens with an eye of favour, and rendereth them happy.”
Professor Sahib Singh's Punjabi commentary explains these lines as follows. Ang 534: I do not ask for rule, I do not ask for mukti; be merciful, and let only the love of Your feet stay in my mind. People want the sight of Brahma, Shiva, yogis, sages and Indra, but I need only the sight of the Lord. Ang 275: the person who accepts the Lord's will as sweet is the one called liberated while living. Ang 278: such people dwell for ever in the Lord's presence, and as water mixes with water, the soul is absorbed in the Lord's light. Ang 8 (Japji, pauri 37): devotees of many worlds dwell in the stage of grace, ever joyful because the True One is in their minds. Sach Khand is the state of being one with the Timeless One, in which He Himself dwells within the person.
"I long not for salvation": love above reward
The Sikh reply that goes deepest is about love. At Ang 534, in Raga Devgandhari, Guru Arjan says: "I long not for empire, I long not for salvation; my soul loveth Thy lotus feet." Macauliffe, whose 1909 translation is quoted, adds a footnote: the Guru loves God (﷾) and expects no reward. Professor Sahib Singh explains the line the same way. I ask for neither rule nor mukti, he reads, only that the love of Your feet stay in my heart. The Sukhmani has already said who is free while living: the one whose heart loves God's (﷾) order. So for Sikhs mukti is not a prize set beside God (﷾). At its heart it is this love. The Bhagat Kabir is a saint whose hymns are in the Guru Granth Sahib, though he is not a Guru. He says the same at Ang 337: "Long not for a dwelling in heaven, and fear not to dwell in hell". He asks what devotion or fasting is worth "Unless thou know the way to love and serve God". So, a Sikh may say, a Muslim who hopes for Paradise is serving for wages. A lover asks for nothing but the Beloved.
“I long not for empire, I long not for salvation; my soul loveth Thy lotus feet. There may have been Brahma, Shiv, Sidhs, Munis, and Indar, but I desire only a sight of Thee.”
Professor Sahib Singh's Punjabi commentary explains these lines as follows. Ang 534: I do not ask for rule, I do not ask for mukti; be merciful, and let only the love of Your feet stay in my mind. People want the sight of Brahma, Shiva, yogis, sages and Indra, but I need only the sight of the Lord. Ang 275: the person who accepts the Lord's will as sweet is the one called liberated while living. Ang 278: such people dwell for ever in the Lord's presence, and as water mixes with water, the soul is absorbed in the Lord's light. Ang 8 (Japji, pauri 37): devotees of many worlds dwell in the stage of grace, ever joyful because the True One is in their minds. Sach Khand is the state of being one with the Timeless One, in which He Himself dwells within the person.
“He whose heart loveth God's order Is said to have obtained salvation during life To him joy and sorrow are the same; He is ever happy and is never separated from God, To him as is gold so is dross, As is nectar so is bitter poison, As is honour so is dishonour, As is the poor man so is the king. He who deemeth what cometh from God as best, Shall, O Nanak, be said to have obtained salvation during life.”
“Long not for a dwelling in heaven, and fear not to dwell in hell; What will be, will be; O my soul, hope not at all. Sing the praises of God from whom the supreme reward is obtained. What is devotion, what penance and austerities, what fasting and ablutions, Unless thou know the way to love and serve God?”
What Guru Arjan asks for instead
Read the next line of the same hymn. After setting aside empire and salvation, Guru Arjan says: "I desire only a sight of Thee." The Gurmukhi word is darsan (darshan), the sight of the Lord. Professor Sahib Singh reads it the same way. Others seek the sight of gods and sages, but the Guru needs only the sight of the Lord. So the line is not a wish for nothing. It names what love wants: the Lord Himself, and to see Him. Kabir's hymn is the same. It tells the soul to sing the praises of God (﷾) "from whom the supreme reward is obtained". He does not refuse a reward. He refuses every reward but God (﷾). That matters for this question. The real comparison is not release against a garden. In Guru Arjan's hymn and in the Qur'an alike, the highest good is God Himself: His love and the sight of Him. The question then is where that sight is promised, and to whom.
“I long not for empire, I long not for salvation; my soul loveth Thy lotus feet. There may have been Brahma, Shiv, Sidhs, Munis, and Indar, but I desire only a sight of Thee.”
Professor Sahib Singh's Punjabi commentary explains these lines as follows. Ang 534: I do not ask for rule, I do not ask for mukti; be merciful, and let only the love of Your feet stay in my mind. People want the sight of Brahma, Shiva, yogis, sages and Indra, but I need only the sight of the Lord. Ang 275: the person who accepts the Lord's will as sweet is the one called liberated while living. Ang 278: such people dwell for ever in the Lord's presence, and as water mixes with water, the soul is absorbed in the Lord's light. Ang 8 (Japji, pauri 37): devotees of many worlds dwell in the stage of grace, ever joyful because the True One is in their minds. Sach Khand is the state of being one with the Timeless One, in which He Himself dwells within the person.
“Long not for a dwelling in heaven, and fear not to dwell in hell; What will be, will be; O my soul, hope not at all. Sing the praises of God from whom the supreme reward is obtained. What is devotion, what penance and austerities, what fasting and ablutions, Unless thou know the way to love and serve God?”
Not empire
Not salvation (mukti)
Love of the Lord's lotus feet
"I desire only a sight of Thee."
The summit of Paradise is God Himself
The Qur'an promises the believers, men and women, gardens and "beautiful mansions". Then it says: "But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah: that is the supreme felicity." The verse before names those believers. They enjoin what is just, forbid what is evil, pray, give charity, and obey Allah (﷾) and His Messenger. On the Day, "Some faces" will beam, "Looking towards their Lord". Of those who denied that Day, the Qur'an says they will be veiled from their Lord. The Prophet (ﷺ) told his Companions they would see their Lord as clearly as the full moon. He then told them to guard the prayers before sunrise and before sunset. He said that when the people of Paradise have entered it, Allah (﷾) lifts the veil. Then nothing they were given is dearer to them than looking at their Lord. The report adds that he then recited: "To those who do right is a goodly (reward)- Yea, more (than in measure)!" So the sight is the "more", promised to those who do right. He also said Allah (﷾) will tell the people of Paradise that He bestows His good pleasure on them. He will never be angry with them after that. So the sight Guru Arjan longs for is the very summit Islam names. Gardens are real, but they are the gifts. The Giver is the goal. For the rest of what the Qur'an says of Paradise, see "What is Paradise like in Islam?".
“Allah hath promised to Believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss. But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah: that is the supreme felicity.”
“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.”
“Some faces, that Day, will beam (in brightness and beauty);- Looking towards their Lord;”
“Verily, from (the Light of) their Lord, that Day, will they be veiled.”
Jarir reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) looked at the full moon one night and said: you will see your Lord as you see this moon, with no difficulty in seeing Him; so, if you can, let nothing make you miss the prayer before sunrise and the prayer before sunset. Al-Bukhari places it in the chapter on the verses about faces that look towards their Lord (75:22-23).
Suhayb reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that when the people of Paradise have entered it, Allah asks whether they wish Him to give them anything more. They answer that He has already brightened their faces, admitted them to Paradise and saved them from the Fire. Then He lifts the veil, and nothing they have been given is dearer to them than looking at their Lord. Muslim places it in the chapter on affirming that the believers will see their Lord in the Hereafter.
The same report of Suhayb by another chain, through Hammad ibn Salama, which adds that he then recited the verse: those who do good will have the best reward, and more (Qur'an 10:26). Muslim places it in the chapter on affirming that the believers will see their Lord in the Hereafter.
“To those who do right is a goodly (reward)- Yea, more (than in measure)! No darkness nor shame shall cover their faces! they are companions of the garden; they will abide therein (for aye)!”
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah will call the people of Paradise, and they will answer Him. He will ask whether they are pleased, and they will ask how they could not be, when He has given them what He gave no one else. He will say He will give them something better. Asked what could be better, He will say that He bestows His good pleasure on them, and will never be angry with them after that.
| Promise | To whom | Where it is said |
|---|---|---|
| Gardens and beautiful mansions | Believers, men and women, who pray, give charity and obey Allah (﷾) and His Messenger | Qur'an 9:71-72 |
| God's (﷾) good pleasure, the greatest bliss | The same believers; the people of Paradise | Qur'an 9:72; Sahih al-Bukhari 6549 |
| The sight of their Lord | Those who do right; the people of Paradise | Qur'an 10:26 and 75:22-23; Sahih Muslim 181 |
| Veiled from their Lord | Those who denied the Day | Qur'an 83:15 |
Love in Islam is not wages
Islam does not teach that the believer serves for pay. The Qur'an says "those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah". It speaks of a people "whom He will love as they will love Him". It praises those who give with no reward expected from anyone, "But only the desire to seek for the Countenance of their Lord Most High". Of the ones who feed the poor it says they do it "for the love of Allah", wanting "no reward" or thanks from people. And the way to that love is named: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you". The Qur'an itself promises the gardens, so hoping for them is no fault. But a Muslim's hope of Paradise is not a trader's hope. Its heart is the hope to be loved by God (﷾), to please Him, and to see Him. Someone who longs to see the One he loves is not working for wages.
“Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah): They love them as they should love Allah. But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah. If only the unrighteous could see, behold, they would see the penalty: that to Allah belongs all power, and Allah will strongly enforce the penalty.”
“O ye who believe! if any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him,- lowly with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproaches of such as find fault. That is the grace of Allah, which He will bestow on whom He pleaseth. And Allah encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things.”
“Those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification, And have in their minds no favour from anyone for which a reward is expected in return, But only the desire to seek for the Countenance of their Lord Most High;”
“And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive,- (Saying),"We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.”
“Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."”
Love needs two
Here the Sikh account holds two pictures. The same stanza says the soul will "ever abide with the Supreme Being", and that light is blended with light. Professor Sahib Singh explains the first as dwelling for ever in the Lord's presence. The Japji speaks of saints who dwell and rejoice, with the True One in their hearts. Guru Arjan's own wish is to love the Lord's feet and to see Him. Each of these needs someone left to love and someone to be seen. If the soul were blended so that no one remained, there would be no lover, no sight and no joy. A Sikh may answer that the blended soul still knows bliss. Then someone is still there to know it. The end then has the shape of Paradise: a soul in joy with its Lord. What is left in dispute is whether it stays His servant. That is why this point matters. The highest thing Guru Arjan asks for can only be had if the servant stays a servant. Islam keeps that line for ever. "Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant." Even in Paradise their cry is "Glory to Thee, O Allah!".
“Sometimes man obtaineth the saints' society, From which He returneth not again, And which shall not perish: The light of divine knowledge shall then shine in his heart. His soul and body dyed with the name of the one God Shall ever abide with the Supreme Being. As water blendeth with water, So light is blended with light. Transmigration is ended and rest obtained— Nanak is ever a sacrifice to the Lord.”
Professor Sahib Singh's Punjabi commentary explains these lines as follows. Ang 534: I do not ask for rule, I do not ask for mukti; be merciful, and let only the love of Your feet stay in my mind. People want the sight of Brahma, Shiva, yogis, sages and Indra, but I need only the sight of the Lord. Ang 275: the person who accepts the Lord's will as sweet is the one called liberated while living. Ang 278: such people dwell for ever in the Lord's presence, and as water mixes with water, the soul is absorbed in the Lord's light. Ang 8 (Japji, pauri 37): devotees of many worlds dwell in the stage of grace, ever joyful because the True One is in their minds. Sach Khand is the state of being one with the Timeless One, in which He Himself dwells within the person.
“There dwell congregations of saints; They rejoice; the True One is in their hearts. God dwelleth in the true realm. He looketh on its denizens with an eye of favour, and rendereth them happy.”
“I long not for empire, I long not for salvation; my soul loveth Thy lotus feet. There may have been Brahma, Shiv, Sidhs, Munis, and Indar, but I desire only a sight of Thee.”
“Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant.”
“(This will be) their cry therein: "Glory to Thee, O Allah!" And "Peace" will be their greeting therein! and the close of their cry will be: "Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!"”
Guru Arjan asks to love the Lord and to see Him.
What does love need?
Someone who loves, and Someone loved.
What does sight need?
Someone who sees, and Someone seen.
If no one remained?
No lover, no sight and no joy.
So the servant stays a servant, and meets his Lord.
You will meet your Lord, and never become Him
The Qur'an speaks to every person: "thou art ever toiling on towards thy Lord- painfully toiling,- but thou shalt meet Him." It says to the soul at rest, "Come back thou to thy Lord", and then, "Enter thou, then, among My devotees!". It does not promise that the soul will dissolve into God (﷾). This matters for three reasons. First, love needs one who loves and One who is loved, as Guru Arjan's own line shows. Second, God (﷾) stays unlike His creation: "there is nothing whatever like unto Him". Guru Arjan also calls God "unsullied by the whole creation". How God (﷾) is near without being in His creation is on the page "Is God without attributes (nirgun) or with them (sargun)?". Third, worship belongs to God (﷾) alone. If a creature could become God, the line between the One worshipped and those who worship Him would fall. The Qur'an keeps that line in this life and the next, and so the meeting can be a joy. There is Someone to meet, and someone left to be glad.
“O thou man! Verily thou art ever toiling on towards thy Lord- painfully toiling,- but thou shalt meet Him.”
“(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!”
“(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).”
“Thou alone art my spiritual and temporal Lord; Thou art unsullied by the whole creation.”
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
Why the servant stays a servant
- Love needs one who loves and One who is loved.
- God (﷾) stays unlike His creation: nothing is like Him.
- Worship belongs to God (﷾) alone.
Paradise is not a heaven that runs out
A Sikh may hear "heaven" as surag, a reward that ends. Paradise is not that. Its people are never asked to leave, and they wish for no change. It is promised "for ever" to "such as fear their Lord and Cherisher", with "Allah well pleased with them, and they with Him". It is not wages paid for deeds, since no one enters by deeds alone. The page "Is moksha better than Paradise?" answers the claim that every heaven ends. The page "Is nirvana better than Paradise?" answers the Buddhist form of this question.
“There no sense of fatigue shall touch them, nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave.”
“As to those who believe and work righteous deeds, they have, for their entertainment, the Gardens of Paradise, Wherein they shall dwell (for aye): no change will they wish for from them.”
“Their reward is with Allah: Gardens of Eternity, beneath which rivers flow; they will dwell therein for ever; Allah well pleased with them, and they with Him: all this for such as fear their Lord and Cherisher.”
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.
| Question | Mukti in the Guru Granth Sahib | Paradise in the Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| How is it reached? | By God's (﷾) grace (nadar) | By God's (﷾) mercy, not by deeds alone |
| When does it begin? | In this life: jivan mukti | Peace in this life; Paradise after it |
| What becomes of the soul? | It abides with the Supreme Being; light is blended with light | It stays a servant and meets its Lord |
| What is highest? | No prize, not even mukti: love of the Lord and the sight of Him | Above the gardens: God's (﷾) good pleasure and the sight of Him |
Which account is true?
So the question is not which end sounds higher. Guru Arjan's hymn and the Qur'an both name God Himself as the highest good: His love, His pleasure and the sight of Him. They part on two things. Does the soul remain a servant for ever, and who has told us the truth about the end? No one can go and look at either end from here. But a scripture's claim to be from God (﷾) can be tested now. The Qur'an asks to be considered with care, and it challenges anyone in doubt to produce a chapter like it. God (﷾) sent Muhammad (ﷺ) to all mankind as the last of the prophets. The page "Did God speak through the Sikh Gurus?" sets out how to weigh that claim. If the Qur'an is from God (﷾), the sight Guru Arjan longed for is promised to those who believe and follow it. The way to it is open to you now.
“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.”
“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."”
“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.”
Eight replies answered
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 534 — Raga Devgandhari, Guru Arjan
“I long not for empire, I long not for salvation; my soul loveth Thy lotus feet. There may have been Brahma, Shiv, Sidhs, Munis, and Indar, but I desire only a sight of Thee.”
Cited for
Guru Arjan says, "I long not for empire, I long not for salvation; my soul loveth Thy lotus feet." A Muslim who hopes for Paradise is serving for wages.
The response
Read the next line: "I desire only a sight of Thee." Guru Arjan does not want nothing. He wants the Lord, and to see Him. That is what the Prophet (ﷺ) named as the summit of Paradise. When the veil is lifted, nothing its people were given is dearer to them than looking at their Lord. The Qur'an puts God's (﷾) good pleasure above the gardens. It praises those who give seeking only the Countenance of their Lord. The hope to see the One you love is not a wage.
Where it lands — Guru Arjan's line and the Qur'an both put God (﷾) Himself, and the sight of Him, highest (Ang 534; 9:72; 10:26; Muslim 181a).
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 337 — Raga Gauri Purbi, the Bhagat Kabir
“Long not for a dwelling in heaven, and fear not to dwell in hell; What will be, will be; O my soul, hope not at all. Sing the praises of God from whom the supreme reward is obtained. What is devotion, what penance and austerities, what fasting and ablutions, Unless thou know the way to love and serve God?”
Cited for
Kabir says, "Long not for a dwelling in heaven, and fear not to dwell in hell". True love of God looks past both.
The response
Kabir is a Bhagat whose hymns are in the Guru Granth Sahib. In the same hymn he says to sing the praises of God (﷾) "from whom the supreme reward is obtained". So he does not refuse every reward. He refuses every reward but God (﷾). Islam says the same of its summit. God (﷾) bestows His good pleasure on the people of Paradise, and is never angry with them after that.
Where it lands — Kabir's supreme reward is from God (﷾). The Qur'an names it as His good pleasure (Ang 337; 9:72; Bukhari 6549).
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 278 — Raga Gauri, Sukhmani, Guru Arjan
“Sometimes man obtaineth the saints' society, From which He returneth not again, And which shall not perish: The light of divine knowledge shall then shine in his heart. His soul and body dyed with the name of the one God Shall ever abide with the Supreme Being. As water blendeth with water, So light is blended with light. Transmigration is ended and rest obtained— Nanak is ever a sacrifice to the Lord.”
Cited for
Mukti is light blended with light. Paradise keeps a separate self, so it is a lower end.
The response
The same stanza says the soul will "ever abide with the Supreme Being". Abiding needs someone who abides. Guru Arjan's own wish at Ang 534 is to love and to see, and both need two. The Qur'an keeps them two: every being comes to God (﷾) as a servant, and nothing is like Him. A soul that stays itself and meets its Lord is not lacking. It is the only kind of soul that can love Him for ever.
Where it lands — Love and sight need one who loves and One who is loved. The Qur'an promises the meeting and keeps God (﷾) unlike His creation (19:93; 42:11; 84:6).
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 275 — Raga Gauri, Sukhmani, Guru Arjan
“He whose heart loveth God's order Is said to have obtained salvation during life To him joy and sorrow are the same; He is ever happy and is never separated from God, To him as is gold so is dross, As is nectar so is bitter poison, As is honour so is dishonour, As is the poor man so is the king. He who deemeth what cometh from God as best, Shall, O Nanak, be said to have obtained salvation during life.”
Cited for
Jivan mukti is freedom now. Paradise is only a promise for after death.
The response
Islam gives peace now as well. Hearts find satisfaction in remembering Allah (﷾). Whoever does good with faith is given a life that is good and pure. The believer gives thanks in good times and is patient in hard ones, and both are good for him. The Sukhmani's man takes what comes from God (﷾) as best. A Muslim can recognise him. What Islam adds is a plain promise of what comes after this life, and whom you will meet.
Where it lands — Islam gives peace before death and a named meeting after it (13:28; 16:97; Muslim 2999; 84:6).
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 2 — Jap, Guru Nanak (Japji, pauri 4)
“The Kind One will give us a robe of honour, and by His favour we shall reach the gate of salvation.”
Cited for
Mukti comes by grace. Paradise is earned by good works, so it is a lower, transactional thing.
The response
Islam also says that no one is saved by his deeds alone. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that not even he would be, unless Allah (﷾) covered him with mercy. Paradise is promised and given. Deeds count, and they show faith, but they are not its price. So both teachings put the end in God's (﷾) mercy. They differ on what the end is.
Where it lands — Both put the end in God's (﷾) mercy, not in deeds alone (Ang 2; Bukhari 6463).
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 8 — Jap, Guru Nanak (Japji, pauri 37)
“There dwell congregations of saints; They rejoice; the True One is in their hearts. God dwelleth in the true realm. He looketh on its denizens with an eye of favour, and rendereth them happy.”
Cited for
Sach Khand is a state of oneness with God, not a garden of pleasures. Paradise in Islam is a sensual reward.
The response
Paradise does have real joys, and the Qur'an does not hide them. But it says plainly that the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah (﷾). The Prophet (ﷺ) said the sight of the Lord is dearer than anything given there. Joy with God (﷾) is not foreign to the Granth either. In the stage before Sach Khand, the Japji has saints who dwell and rejoice with the True One in their hearts. So the two do not differ on whether there is joy. They differ on whether the soul stays a servant who sees his Lord. The page "What is Paradise like in Islam?" gives the Qur'an's full picture.
Where it lands — The summit of Paradise is God's (﷾) good pleasure and the sight of Him, not its gifts (9:72; Muslim 181a).
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 13 — Sohila (the Arti), Guru Nanak
“The light which is in everything is Thine, O Lord of light.”
Cited for
God's light is in everyone already. To speak of seeing Him is to picture God as a body.
The response
The Qur'an says "No vision can grasp Him", and "there is nothing whatever like unto Him". It also says faces will be "Looking towards their Lord". To see Him is not to grasp Him or picture Him as a creature. And the wish to see Him is in the Granth itself: Guru Arjan says, "I desire only a sight of Thee". The Prophet (ﷺ) said the believers will see their Lord as clearly as the full moon.
Where it lands — Seeing God (﷾) without grasping Him is what the Qur'an promises and what Guru Arjan asks for (6:103; 75:22-23; Ang 534).
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 724 — Raga Tilang, Guru Arjan
“Why should they who adore Thee day and night go to hell?”
Cited for
Mukti is open to anyone who loves God, whatever his faith. Guru Arjan asks, "Why should they who adore Thee day and night go to hell?" Paradise is only for Muslims.
The response
It is a fair question. Islam does not pass sentence on any person. That judgement is God's (﷾). The Qur'an teaches that no one is punished until a messenger has reached him. Allah (﷾) is never unjust in the least degree. It also says that once the message has reached a person, God (﷾) accepts no way but Islam from him. That is why this page sets the promise before you and asks you to weigh it. The page "Do Sikhs and Muslims believe in the same God?" answers this more fully.
Where it lands — No one is punished before a message reaches him, and God (﷾) wrongs no one. Once it has reached him, Islam asks him to weigh it (17:15; 4:40; 3:85).
Perspectives
Sikh: mukti by grace, and love at its heart
Mukti is freedom from coming and going, reached by God's grace. It can begin in this life, as jivan mukti, and its end is the soul abiding with God, light blended with light. Guru Arjan asks for neither rule nor mukti as a prize, only love of the Lord and the sight of Him. For Sikhs that love is the heart of mukti.
Mukti can be tasted now: the one who loves God's order "is said to have obtained salvation during life" (Ang 275). Paradise must wait until after death.
Rebuttal
Islam also gives peace before death: hearts find satisfaction in remembering Allah (﷾), and the believer is thankful in good and patient in hardship. It then names what comes after, and whom you will meet.
The end is light blended with light (Ang 278). A soul that receives gifts from God is lower than one that returns into the Light.
Rebuttal
The same stanza says the soul will "ever abide with the Supreme Being". Abiding, loving and seeing need someone left to do them. In the Qur'an the soul meets its Lord, and every being comes to Him as a servant.
"I long not for empire, I long not for salvation; my soul loveth Thy lotus feet" (Ang 534). The Guru loves God and expects no reward, so hoping for Paradise is a lower kind of faith.
Rebuttal
The next line says, "I desire only a sight of Thee." Islam names that sight as the summit of Paradise: nothing given there is dearer than looking at the Lord. Above the gardens is God's (﷾) good pleasure.
"Long not for a dwelling in heaven, and fear not to dwell in hell" (Kabir, Ang 337). The lover of God looks past both.
Rebuttal
The same hymn calls God the one "from whom the supreme reward is obtained". Kabir refuses every reward but God (﷾). The Qur'an praises those who seek only the Countenance of their Lord, and says they will be satisfied.
The Islamic perspective
Paradise is love of God (﷾) fulfilled, not a lesser goal. Its greatest bliss is God's (﷾) good pleasure and the sight of Him. The servant stays a servant and meets his Lord. Love and sight need two, God (﷾) stays unlike His creation, and worship belongs to Him alone.
The greatest bliss of Paradise is the good pleasure of Allah (﷾), above its gardens and mansions.
Those who do right will see their Lord, and nothing given to them in Paradise is dearer than that sight. Those who denied the Day are veiled from Him.
Guru Arjan asks for neither empire nor salvation, only love of the Lord and "a sight of Thee" (Ang 534). What he longs for is what the Qur'an puts at the summit of Paradise.
Love in Islam is not wages: the believers love Allah (﷾), He loves them, and the best give seeking only His Countenance.
Every being comes to God (﷾) as a servant, and nothing is like Him. The soul meets its Lord and does not become Him.
Love, abiding and sight need someone left to love, abide and see. So the end Guru Arjan longs for keeps the servant a servant.
Paradise does not run out: its people are never asked to leave, and it is given by mercy, not paid as wages.
The Qur'an asks to be tested, and Muhammad (ﷺ) was sent to all mankind as the last of the prophets.