Short answer
No, and Muslims should not claim that he was. A Muslim bears witness that there is no god but Allah (﷾) and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His messenger, and then follows him. Guru Nanak (Sikhs say Guru Nanak Dev Ji) taught one Creator. But he did not teach that witness, or the prayer, fast, zakat and Hajj as duties. He said the word of the Lord came to him. In the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs honour as their living Guru, a hymn by Guru Arjan says, "I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman". Using the name Allah, or respecting Muslims, does not make someone a Muslim. This is about his teaching. God (﷾) alone knows his heart. Claiming him is unfair to Sikhs, and it weakens the case for Islam. The real question is whether the Qur'an is God's (﷾) word, and it invites you to test it.
| Pillar | Islam | The Gurus |
|---|---|---|
| Witness that God (﷾) is One | ||
| Witness that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His messenger | ||
| Salah, the five daily prayers | ||
| Zakat, the yearly alms | ||
| The fast of Ramadan | ||
| The Hajj |
- Taught
- Not taught
Full explanation
What makes someone a Muslim
Islam has a clear answer to who is a Muslim. The Prophet (ﷺ) said Islam is built on five things (Bukhari 8). The first is to bear witness that there is no god but Allah (﷾) and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the Messenger of Allah (﷾). This is the Shahada, the testimony of faith. The other four are the prayer, zakat (the yearly alms), the Hajj and the fast of Ramadan. The Shahada has two halves. The first, one God (﷾), is where Sikhs and Muslims stand closest. The page "Do Sikhs and Muslims believe in the same God?" shows where they agree and where they part. The second, that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His messenger, means taking guidance from him: "He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah" (4:80). The Qur'an also calls him "the Seal of the Prophets" (33:40), so no prophet comes after him. This matters because whether a person is a Muslim is decided by that testimony, not by kindness, belief in one God (﷾) or a good name.
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Islam is built on five: to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, to pay zakah, to perform the pilgrimage, and to fast the month of Ramadan.
“Know, therefore, that there is no god but Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy fault, and for the men and women who believe: for Allah knows how ye move about and how ye dwell in your homes.”
“He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah: But if any turn away, We have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds).”
“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.”
What Guru Nanak said of his own teaching
Guru Nanak (Sikhs say Guru Nanak Dev Ji) is the first of the ten Gurus of Sikhism (Sikhs also say Sikhi). His Mul Mantar opens the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs honour as their living Guru. It names one God (﷾), the Creator, unborn and self-existent. He did not present his message as learned from the Prophet (ﷺ). In a hymn at Ang 722 he says, "As the word of the Lord cometh to me, so I make known". (An Ang is a page of the standard 1,430-page Guru Granth Sahib.) The historian J. S. Grewal writes that Guru Nanak claims divine sanction for his message and complete originality for his faith. Sikhs hold that the same Light passed from him to each Guru after him (Ang 966). So in his own words he is a teacher who received the word himself, not a follower of Muhammad (ﷺ). That is the plainest reason he was not a Muslim.
“There is but one God whose name is true, the Creator, devoid of fear and enmity, immortal, unborn, self-existent”
“As the word of the Lord cometh to me, so I make known, O Lalo”
Grewal, a historian of the Sikhs, reviews the work of W. H. McLeod. He reports that McLeod, in Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion (1968), held that Guru Nanak thought Hindu and Islamic beliefs fundamentally wrong and that his religion is not a synthesis of Hindu and Islamic beliefs, but also called the pattern he set a reworking of the Sant synthesis. Grewal agrees that Guru Nanak treats the Brahmanical, ascetic and Islamic traditions as none of them authoritative. He answers that McLeod passes over Guru Nanak's own statements of divine sanction: one does not have to believe in revelation to see that Guru Nanak claims complete originality for his faith.
In their Var in the Ramkali raga, the bards Satta and Balvand say of Guru Nanak and Guru Angad, who was first called Lehna, that they shared the same Light and the same way, and that the Master only changed his body. Sikhs take this as the teaching that one Light, one Word, passes through all the Gurus.
Guru Arjan's hymn at Ang 1136, in full
Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, compiled the first edition of the Guru Granth Sahib. At Ang 1136, in the raga (musical mode) Bhairao, stands a hymn in his section. Macauliffe, who translated it into English in 1909, heads it as written on a theme of Kabir, and it closes with Kabir's name. It is given whole below. Its speaker keeps no Ramadan fast and goes on no pilgrimage to Mecca. He does not pray as the Musalmans, and he does not worship as the Hindus. He says, "I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman" (that is, a Muslim). Sikhs read the hymn as their Gurus' own way: one God (﷾) served in the heart, apart from the rites of both faiths. So the Sikh scripture answers this page's question itself, and its answer is no. A Muslim who says otherwise is arguing with the book Sikhs honour as their Guru.
“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.”
Guru Nanak on the true Muslim
Guru Nanak speaks about Muslims in Var Majh, a set of verses at Ang 140 and 141. He says it is hard to be a true Muslim, and that the name belongs to the one who is kind to all. He then gives each part of Muslim worship a new meaning. Kindness becomes the mosque and sincerity the prayer-carpet. The five prayers become truth, what is right, charity, good intentions and the praise of God (﷾). Some Muslims quote these lines as if he were speaking as a Muslim. He is not. He is speaking to Muslims as a teacher in his own right, and he turns their duties into virtues. In these lines he does not tell the reader to pray the five prayers as Muslims pray them. So the lines quoted to make him a Muslim show the opposite.
“To be a Musalman is difficult; if one be really so, then one may be called a Musalman. Let one first love the religion of saints, and put aside pride and pelf as the file removeth rust. Let him accept the religion of his pilots, and dismiss anxiety regarding death or life; Let him heartily obey the will of God, worship the Creator, and efface himself— When he is kind to all men, then Nanak, shall he be indeed a Musalman.”
“Make kindness thy mosque, sincerity thy prayer-carpet, what is just and lawful thy Quran, Modesty thy circumcision, civility thy fasting, so shalt thou be a Musalman; Make right conduct thy Kaaba, truth thy spiritual guide, good works thy creed and thy prayer, The will of God thy rosary, and God will preserve thine honour, O Nanak.”
“There are five prayers, five times for prayer, and five names for them— The first should be truth, the second what is right, the third charity in God's name, The fourth good intentions, the fifth the praise and glory of God.”
"There is no Hindu and no Musalman"
The Janamsakhis, the traditional stories of Guru Nanak's life, tell how his mission began. After a day of silence he said, "There is no Hindu and no Musalman". Macauliffe records that Sikhs take this to mean that both Hindus and Muslims had forgotten what their own religions taught. In the same story, the Governor's Qazi, a Muslim judge, asks him what he means. He answers with the lines on the true Muslim given above. So the story his followers tell does not show him joining either faith. It shows him calling both back, as a teacher with a message of his own. That is why the saying cannot be used to place him inside Islam.
Macauliffe retells the Janamsakhi story of the start of Guru Nanak's mission. After a day of silence, the Guru said, "There is no Hindu and no Musalman". Macauliffe adds that Sikhs take this to mean that both Hindus and Muslims had forgotten the teachings of their own religions. The Governor's Qazi then asked him what he meant, and the Guru answered with the lines on what it takes to be a true Muslim (Ang 141).
“To be a Musalman is difficult; if one be really so, then one may be called a Musalman. Let one first love the religion of saints, and put aside pride and pelf as the file removeth rust. Let him accept the religion of his pilots, and dismiss anxiety regarding death or life; Let him heartily obey the will of God, worship the Creator, and efface himself— When he is kind to all men, then Nanak, shall he be indeed a Musalman.”
Why some people say he was a Muslim
Some Muslims point to four things. First, the Guru Granth Sahib calls God Allah and Khuda, a Persian word for God (﷾). Guru Arjan writes, "O Allah, Thou Thyself art the Lord of the world, the merciful Khuda" (Ang 724). But the Gurus also call Him Ram, a Hindu name for God (Ang 1136), and Guru Arjan notes that some call Him Ram and some Khuda (Ang 885). A shared name for God (﷾) shows a shared language, not a shared faith. Second, Guru Nanak praised the sincere Muslim (Ang 141). Praise for a good Muslim is not the Shahada. Third, the saloks (couplets) of Sheikh Farid, a Muslim Sufi, are in the Guru Granth Sahib (Ang 1377). But Guru Arjan chose the hymns that went in, and turned some away. The book is the Sikhs' own scripture, not a Muslim one. Fourth, the Janamsakhi stories tell of a journey to Mecca, answered below. Each of these is a likeness. A likeness is not a testimony of faith.
“O Allah, Thou Thyself art the Lord of the world, the merciful Khuda.”
“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.”
Guru Arjan writes that some call God Ram, Ram and some Khuda, and that some serve Him as Gusain and others as Allah. He calls Him the Cause of causes, the Generous, the Merciful. The hymn goes on to list how people differ: some bathe at holy waters and some go to Mecca, some read the Vedas and some the Kateb, some say Hindu and some say Muslim. It ends that whoever knows God's Will knows the secret of his Lord.
“To be a Musalman is difficult; if one be really so, then one may be called a Musalman. Let one first love the religion of saints, and put aside pride and pelf as the file removeth rust. Let him accept the religion of his pilots, and dismiss anxiety regarding death or life; Let him heartily obey the will of God, worship the Creator, and efface himself— When he is kind to all men, then Nanak, shall he be indeed a Musalman.”
From Ang 1377 to Ang 1384 the Guru Granth Sahib holds the saloks (couplets) of Sheikh Farid, a Muslim Sufi. Saloks of the Gurus are set among them; one by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru, stands at Ang 1378 among Farid's.
Macauliffe retells Sikh tradition about the making of the Adi Granth, the first form of the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Arjan compiled it. He invited the followers of the saints to bring hymns for it, and he adopted some and turned others away; Macauliffe gives examples of hymns that the Guru rejected.
| Pointed to | The answer |
|---|---|
| He called God Allah and Khuda | The Gurus also call Him Ram. A shared name is not a shared faith. |
| He praised the true Muslim | He turns the five prayers into five virtues, and tells no one to pray them. |
| Sheikh Farid's saloks are in the Guru Granth Sahib | Guru Arjan chose the hymns that went in, and turned some away. |
| The journey to Mecca | A journey cannot show what a man believed, and the stories do not say he became a Muslim. |
The journey to Mecca
The Janamsakhi stories say that Guru Nanak travelled to Mecca. Macauliffe retells them: the Guru goes dressed as a Muslim pilgrim, and the scholars of Mecca question him. Some Muslims take the journey as proof that he was a Muslim, because the pilgrimage to Mecca is a Muslim act of worship. Muslims should not use the story that way, and they should not call it made up either. This page takes no side on whether the journey happened. It does not need to, for two reasons. First, a journey cannot show what a man believed. Second, the stories do not say that he became a Muslim. On the road a fellow pilgrim asks him whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim. At Mecca the Qazis ask him whether the Hindu or the Muslim religion is better. He answers that without good deeds the followers of both will suffer. So the claim says more than the story it rests on. This matters because the case for Islam rests on the Qur'an, not on a journey.
Macauliffe retells the Janamsakhi story of Guru Nanak's journey to Mecca (Makka). The Guru goes dressed as a Muslim pilgrim, with his minstrel Mardana. On the road a fellow pilgrim asks him whether he is a Hindu or a Musalman, and he answers with a hymn. At Mecca the Qazis ask him which is better, the Hindu religion or the Muslim one. He answers that without good deeds the followers of both will suffer, and he sings a hymn on the true fast. A Qazi praises him as a saint. The story does not tell of him becoming a Muslim.
Why Muslims should not claim him
There are three reasons. The first is truth. The Qur'an says, "pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge" (17:36). No one can claim a man was a Muslim when his own words and his followers' scripture point the other way. The second is fairness. The Qur'an commands justice towards everyone: "Be just: that is next to piety" (5:8). Taking another community's founder from them, against their own scripture, is not just, and it is unkind to Sikhs. The third is the case for Islam itself. A Sikh can open Ang 1136 in a minute. A Muslim who has claimed Guru Nanak then loses the trust that every later point depends on. Islam does not need Guru Nanak to be a Muslim. Its truth rests on the Qur'an, not on any famous name.
“And pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge; for every act of hearing, or of seeing or of (feeling in) the heart will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).”
“O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.”
“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.”
Three reasons not to claim him
- Truth: "pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge".
- Fairness: "Be just: that is next to piety". Taking Sikhs' founder from them, against their own scripture, is not just.
- Trust: a Sikh can open Ang 1136 in a minute. Islam rests on the Qur'an, not on a famous name.
What Islam says about his teaching
Islam does not mock Guru Nanak or the Guru Granth Sahib. When this page says he was not a Muslim, it speaks of what he taught, as his own tradition records it. It does not speak of his heart, or of how God (﷾) will judge him. That judgement belongs to God (﷾) alone, who will not "treat with injustice" a single soul (18:49). Muslims can say plainly where his teaching agrees with the Qur'an. He taught one Creator, and he warned against worship without a sincere heart. The Qur'an teaches both (112:1-4; 2:177). Muslims can say just as plainly where it differs. The Gurus' way sets aside the prayer, the fast and the Hajj (Ang 1136), which the Qur'an says God (﷾) Himself commanded (4:103; 2:183; 3:97). And he taught as one who received the word, after the Prophet (ﷺ) the Qur'an calls the last (33:40). Both cannot be right. That is why the question that matters is not who Guru Nanak was. It is which book is from God (﷾).
“And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! what a Book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!" They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice.”
“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.”
“It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.”
“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.”
“When ye pass (Congregational) prayers, celebrate Allah's praises, standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides; but when ye are free from danger, set up Regular Prayers: For such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times.”
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-”
“In it are Signs Manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it attains security; Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah,- those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures.”
“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.”
The real question: is the Qur'an God's (﷾) word?
The Qur'an does not ask anyone to accept it because a great man followed it. It asks to be tested. It says that a book from anyone other than Allah (﷾) would hold much discrepancy (4:82). It challenges those in doubt to produce one sura (chapter) like it (2:23). If it passes, then its word is God's (﷾) word. Then Muhammad (ﷺ) is the last prophet, sent "unto you all" (7:158), Sikhs included. No one may be forced to believe (2:256). The page "Did God speak through the Sikh Gurus?" sets out the test step by step. The page "I'm a Sikh: why should I consider Islam?" shows what Islam keeps of what you already hold, and what it adds.
“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."”
“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.”
Test the Qur'an
Look for discrepancy in it, and try to produce one sura like it.
If it passes, it is God's (﷾) word
Then Muhammad (ﷺ) is the last prophet, sent to all
Point by point
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 724 — Raga Tilang, Guru Arjan
“O Allah, Thou Thyself art the Lord of the world, the merciful Khuda.”
Cited for
He called God Allah. Anyone who calls on Allah is a Muslim.
The response
Many people use the name Allah for God (﷾). The Gurus use it beside Ram (Ang 1136), and Guru Arjan notes that people call God by different names (Ang 885). Islam asks for the whole Shahada: that there is no god but Allah (﷾), and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His messenger (Bukhari 8).
Where it lands — Calling God (﷾) by a name is not the testimony of faith.
The Sikh Religion (1909), vol. 1, pp. 174-176
Macauliffe retells the Janamsakhi story of Guru Nanak's journey to Mecca (Makka). The Guru goes dressed as a Muslim pilgrim, with his minstrel Mardana. On the road a fellow pilgrim asks him whether he is a Hindu or a Musalman, and he answers with a hymn. At Mecca the Qazis ask him which is better, the Hindu religion or the Muslim one. He answers that without good deeds the followers of both will suffer, and he sings a hymn on the true fast. A Qazi praises him as a saint. The story does not tell of him becoming a Muslim.
Cited for
The stories say Guru Nanak went to Mecca. Only a Muslim would go there.
The response
The Janamsakhi stories say he went, and Muslims need neither prove nor deny it. The stories do not say he became a Muslim there. In them he speaks to Mecca's scholars as a teacher in his own right. He tells them that without good deeds the followers of both faiths will suffer.
Where it lands — A journey cannot show what a man believed.
Qur'an 3:67 — Surat Al 'Imran (The Family of Imran), verse 67
“Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in Faith, and bowed his will to Allah's (Which is Islam), and he joined not gods with Allah.”
Cited for
The Qur'an calls Abraham a muslim though he lived before Islam. So Guru Nanak can be called one too.
The response
Abraham is called that in the Qur'an, by God (﷾). No revelation says it of Guru Nanak, who lived long after the Prophet (ﷺ). A hymn in the Sikh scripture says, "I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman" (Ang 1136).
Where it lands — Only God (﷾) can say who submitted in the Qur'an's sense, and He said it of Abraham, not of Guru Nanak.
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1136 — Raga Bhairao, Guru Arjan
“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.”
Cited for
If Guru Nanak was not a Muslim, Muslims must think he was a bad man.
The response
No. Muslims do not judge his heart or his end, which belong to God (﷾) alone (18:49), and they may not mock him (6:108). He taught one Creator and sincerity in worship, and Islam agrees with both. Islam differs where the Gurus' way sets aside the prayer, the fast and the Hajj, and where he taught as one who received the word after the last Prophet (ﷺ).
Where it lands — Saying he was not a Muslim is a fact about his teaching, not an insult to him.
The Sikh Religion (1909), vol. 1, p. 37
Macauliffe retells the Janamsakhi story of the start of Guru Nanak's mission. After a day of silence, the Guru said, "There is no Hindu and no Musalman". Macauliffe adds that Sikhs take this to mean that both Hindus and Muslims had forgotten the teachings of their own religions. The Governor's Qazi then asked him what he meant, and the Guru answered with the lines on what it takes to be a true Muslim (Ang 141).
Cited for
Guru Nanak said there is no Hindu and no Musalman. Labels do not matter, so why ask anyone to become a Muslim?
The response
Islam agrees that a label without faith is worth nothing. The Qur'an told some who said "We believe" that faith had not yet entered their hearts (49:14). The same verse then asks them to obey Allah (﷾) and His Messenger (ﷺ). So Islam asks for both: a sincere heart, and the way God (﷾) Himself set through His last messenger.
Where it lands — The name is not the point. Following the messenger God (﷾) sent is.
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 722 — Raga Tilang, Guru Nanak
“As the word of the Lord cometh to me, so I make known, O Lalo”
Cited for
Muslims honour all the prophets. Why not count Guru Nanak as one of them?
The response
The Qur'an names Muhammad (ﷺ) the Seal of the Prophets, so no prophet comes after him (33:40). Guru Nanak was born in 1469, more than eight centuries later. The question is whether the Qur'an is God's (﷾) word, and the Qur'an asks to be tested (2:23).
Where it lands — If the Qur'an is God's (﷾) word, no prophet comes after Muhammad (ﷺ).
Perspectives
The claim that Guru Nanak was a Muslim
Some Muslims say Guru Nanak was a Muslim, or a Muslim at heart. They point to his use of the name Allah, his praise of the sincere Muslim, the saloks of Sheikh Farid in the Guru Granth Sahib, and the Janamsakhi story of his journey to Mecca.
The Guru Granth Sahib calls God Allah and Khuda (Ang 724). So Guru Nanak's faith was Islam.
Rebuttal
The Gurus also call God Ram (Ang 1136), and Guru Arjan notes that people use different names for Him (Ang 885). A shared name for God (﷾) is not the Shahada.
Guru Nanak praised the true Muslim and spoke of the five prayers (Ang 141). So he was speaking as a Muslim.
Rebuttal
He speaks to Muslims as a teacher in his own right and turns the five prayers into five virtues. He does not tell anyone to pray them, so the lines show the opposite of the claim.
The Janamsakhi stories say he went to Mecca dressed as a pilgrim. So he was a Muslim.
Rebuttal
A story about a journey cannot show what a man believed. And the stories do not say that he became a Muslim at Mecca. In them he answers its scholars as a teacher in his own right.
Islam means submission to God. Guru Nanak submitted to the one God, so in the Qur'an's sense he was a muslim, as Abraham was (3:67).
Rebuttal
The Qur'an itself says that of Abraham. Nothing from God (﷾) says it of Guru Nanak, and a hymn in the Sikh scripture says, "I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman" (Ang 1136). After the Prophet (ﷺ), submission to God (﷾) means following His last messenger (4:80; 7:158).
Sikh teaching
Sikhs hold that Guru Nanak was neither a Hindu nor a Muslim. They hold that the word came to him from God, and that Sikhism is its own path.
In Guru Arjan's hymn at Ang 1136 the speaker is neither a Hindu nor a Musalman, and sets aside the rites of both. So the Gurus were not Muslims.
Rebuttal
Islam agrees that the Gurus were not Muslims. But being distinct from Islam does not show that a teaching is from God (﷾). The Qur'an offers a test for that (4:82; 2:23).
Guru Nanak says the word of the Lord came to him (Ang 722). So he needed no other prophet.
Rebuttal
That is his claim, and Islam tests every claim of revelation by one standard. The Qur'an says Muhammad (ﷺ) is the Seal of the Prophets (33:40), and it invites anyone to test whether it is God's (﷾) word (2:23).
The Islamic perspective
Guru Nanak was not a Muslim, and Muslims should not claim him. A Muslim bears witness that Muhammad (ﷺ) is God's (﷾) messenger and follows him. The question that decides is whether the Qur'an is God's (﷾) word.
Islam is built on the Shahada, the prayer, zakat, the Hajj and the fast of Ramadan.
A hymn by Guru Arjan in the Guru Granth Sahib says, "I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman". Its speaker keeps no Ramadan fast, Hajj or Muslim prayer.
The Qur'an forbids claiming what one does not know, and commands justice even towards others.
The Qur'an calls Muhammad (ﷺ) the Seal of the Prophets and asks to be tested by anyone in doubt.