Martyrdom of Guru Arjun
Without prejudice and ill will even for his tormentors, Guru Arjun made the supreme sacrifice for upholding the human values of equality and tolerance.
Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs was an epitome of tolerance and liberal values. As evidenced by his inclusion of hymns of both the Hindu and the Muslim saints in Guru Granth Sahib ( Adi granth) the holy scripture and living Guru of the Sikhs at present,which he compiled and edited.
Besides, the architecture of Golden Temple or Harimandir Sahib the holiest of Sikh Shrines which he founded having four doors facing each direction symbolised welcome for all the people without any discrimination and bears a testimony to his openness of mind.
The free kitchen open to all without the distinction of cast colour or creed near the HariMandir further strengthened the belief in humanitarian values of the Sikh faith.
In one of his famous hymns he declared
Na ko bairi nahi begana sagal sang hum ko ban aayee.
(No one is the enemy or a stranger, I get along very well with every one)
No wonder during his reign as Guru, popularity of Sikhism -established on the humanitarian principles of equality and fraternity, propagated by Guru Nanak Dev, the founder Guru of the new faith- increased tremendously, which alarmed the ruling Muslims emperor Jahangir and bigots surrounding him who considered all non-Muslims as infidels and sought to convert every one to Islam by hook or crook. They considered Guru Arjun Dev to be an hindrance to their designs and therefore conspired to eliminate him, as evidenced by the Jahangir's memoirs called Tuzuk e Jahangir or Jahangirnama and the writings of his contemporaries.
we present the excerpt from the biography of Jehangir ( 1569-1627), the head of occupational Mughal ( a clan of Muslims) regime in Hindustan (India) and a self-proclaimed emperor , who ordered the killing of Guru Arjun Dev ji, our fifth Guru,in the year 1606. This is followed by an extract from a letter written by Sheikh Ahmad Sirhandi, head of Naqshbandi sect of Muslims and an advisor to Jahangir.
Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs was an epitome of tolerance and liberal values. As evidenced by his inclusion of hymns of both the Hindu and the Muslim saints in Guru Granth Sahib ( Adi granth) the holy scripture and living Guru of the Sikhs at present,which he compiled and edited.
Besides, the architecture of Golden Temple or Harimandir Sahib the holiest of Sikh Shrines which he founded having four doors facing each direction symbolised welcome for all the people without any discrimination and bears a testimony to his openness of mind.
The free kitchen open to all without the distinction of cast colour or creed near the HariMandir further strengthened the belief in humanitarian values of the Sikh faith.
In one of his famous hymns he declared
Na ko bairi nahi begana sagal sang hum ko ban aayee.
(No one is the enemy or a stranger, I get along very well with every one)
No wonder during his reign as Guru, popularity of Sikhism -established on the humanitarian principles of equality and fraternity, propagated by Guru Nanak Dev, the founder Guru of the new faith- increased tremendously, which alarmed the ruling Muslims emperor Jahangir and bigots surrounding him who considered all non-Muslims as infidels and sought to convert every one to Islam by hook or crook. They considered Guru Arjun Dev to be an hindrance to their designs and therefore conspired to eliminate him, as evidenced by the Jahangir's memoirs called Tuzuk e Jahangir or Jahangirnama and the writings of his contemporaries.
we present the excerpt from the biography of Jehangir ( 1569-1627), the head of occupational Mughal ( a clan of Muslims) regime in Hindustan (India) and a self-proclaimed emperor , who ordered the killing of Guru Arjun Dev ji, our fifth Guru,in the year 1606. This is followed by an extract from a letter written by Sheikh Ahmad Sirhandi, head of Naqshbandi sect of Muslims and an advisor to Jahangir.
1. The following is from
Jahangir's memoirs:
There was a Hindu named Arjan in Gobindwal on the banks of the Beas River. Pretending to be a spiritual guide, he had won over as devotees many simple minded Indians (Hindus) and even some ignorant, stupid Muslims by broadcasting his claims to be a saint. They called him guru. Many fools from all around had recourse to him and believed in him implicitly. For three or four generations they had been pedaling this same stuff. For a long time I had been thinking that either this false trade should be eliminated or that he should be brought into the embrace of Islam. At length, when Khusraw* passed by there, this inconsequential little fellow wished to pay homage to Khusraw. When Khusraw stopped at his residence, [Arjan] came out and had an interview with [Khusraw]. Giving him some elementary spiritual precepts picked up here and there, he made a mark with saffron on his forehead, which is called qashqa in the idiom of the Hindus and which they consider lucky. When this was reported to me, I realized how perfectly false he was and ordered him brought to me. I awarded his [Guru Arjan's] houses and dwellings and those of his children to Murtaza Khan, and I ordered his possessions and goods confiscated and him executed [siyasat o yasa rasanand].@
There was a Hindu named Arjan in Gobindwal on the banks of the Beas River. Pretending to be a spiritual guide, he had won over as devotees many simple minded Indians (Hindus) and even some ignorant, stupid Muslims by broadcasting his claims to be a saint. They called him guru. Many fools from all around had recourse to him and believed in him implicitly. For three or four generations they had been pedaling this same stuff. For a long time I had been thinking that either this false trade should be eliminated or that he should be brought into the embrace of Islam. At length, when Khusraw* passed by there, this inconsequential little fellow wished to pay homage to Khusraw. When Khusraw stopped at his residence, [Arjan] came out and had an interview with [Khusraw]. Giving him some elementary spiritual precepts picked up here and there, he made a mark with saffron on his forehead, which is called qashqa in the idiom of the Hindus and which they consider lucky. When this was reported to me, I realized how perfectly false he was and ordered him brought to me. I awarded his [Guru Arjan's] houses and dwellings and those of his children to Murtaza Khan, and I ordered his possessions and goods confiscated and him executed [siyasat o yasa rasanand].@
*Khusraw was Jahangir‘s rebellious
son
@To be tortured and executed
as per law of YASA,( originally proclaimed by Mongols)
(Emperor Jahangir's Memoirs, Jahangirnama 27b-28a,
(Translator: Wheeler M. Thackston)
2. This is from records of Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi,
composed after the punishment and execution of Guru Arjun:
These days the accursed infidel of Gobindwal was very fortunately killed. It is a cause of great defeat for the reprobate Hindus. With whatever intention and purpose they are killed – the humiliation of infidels is for Muslims, life itself. Before this Kafir (Infidel) was killed, I had seen in a dream that the Emperor of the day had destroyed the crown of the head of Shirk or infidelity. It is true that this infidel [Guru Arjun] was the chief of the infidels and a leader of the Kafirs. The object of levying Jizya (tax on non-Muslims) on them is to humiliate and insult the Kafirs, and Jihad against them and hostility towards them are the necessities of the Mohammedan faith. –
These days the accursed infidel of Gobindwal was very fortunately killed. It is a cause of great defeat for the reprobate Hindus. With whatever intention and purpose they are killed – the humiliation of infidels is for Muslims, life itself. Before this Kafir (Infidel) was killed, I had seen in a dream that the Emperor of the day had destroyed the crown of the head of Shirk or infidelity. It is true that this infidel [Guru Arjun] was the chief of the infidels and a leader of the Kafirs. The object of levying Jizya (tax on non-Muslims) on them is to humiliate and insult the Kafirs, and Jihad against them and hostility towards them are the necessities of the Mohammedan faith. –
Shaikh
Ahmad Sirhindi, Letter to Murtaza Khan, On the execution of Guru Arjan Dev
(Source:
internet)
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