An introduction to religious and spiritual experience

Ka’aba 
in Makkah, almsgiving, fast-
ing during the lunar month of Ramadan and the repetition of 
La Ilaha illa 
Allah: Muhammad rasul Allah
(there is no god but Allah and Muhammad 
is his prophet).
Apart from his revelations, Muhammad had another extraordinary 
experience, that of the ‘Night Journey’. On a steed named al-Buraq and 
accompanied by the Angel Jibril, he went to the Temple Mount in Jerusa-
lem and prayed in the company of Abraham and Moses. He then ascended 
to the seventh heaven, where teachings were given to him. On the way 
home he saw a caravan approaching the city, and was able to substantiate 
the events of the night by announcing their arrival in advance in order to 
silence his critics. 
After a long and successful life, Muhammad died in 632 CE. He was 
succeeded by four early followers Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali but 
there was argument about the leadership and the Muslims split into 
Sunnis, the majority, who initiated a caliphate and upheld 
Shari’a 
law, 
and the Shi’as, who were led by Imams, thought to be infallible in their 
interpretation of the 
Qur’an
. In the eighth century the mystic Sufi move-
ments began and despite some hostility are now a part of both Sunni and 
Shi’a life. However, controversy still surrounds Sufi movements which are 
banned in Saudi Arabia.
Sikhism
The first of the ten gurus of the Sikhs, was Guru Nanak. He lived 
from 1469 to 1539 in Lahore, in the Punjab. He declined a life in 
business, instead pursuing an interest in the Hindu and Muslim religions. 
While bathing in the river, he had a revelatory experience and subse-
quently went missing for three days. On his return he proclaimed ‘There 
is no Hindu, there is no Mussulman’, meaning that in God’s eyes such 
categories are unimportant. Guru Nanak practised bhakti or loving devo-
tion to one God, 
Waheguru
– True Guru, and adhered to a strict moral 
code. He enjoined his followers, known as ‘Sikhs’ which means ‘learners’, 
to recite the name of the Lord, to work honestly and to share their food 
with others. He was a bridge between the Hindu and Muslim communi-
ties, attempting to avoid ritualism and intolerance by offering a new 
spiritual vision.
After his death nine other gurus followed until the last, Guru Gobind 
Singh (1666 – 1708) announced the end of the line and established the 

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Major Religious Traditions
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order of the Khalsa. Since that time, Sikh authority is believed to reside 
in the 
Adi Granth
, the holy scripture, called the 
Guru Granth Sahib
. 
This was compiled by Guru Arjan (1563–1606) who also built the 
Harimandir or Golden Temple at Amritsar. 
Sikhs keep the 5 Ks: 
Kesh
– long, uncut hair; 
Kangha
– comb to tend 
the hair; 
Kara
– iron bangle, a reminder of the unbroken circle of truth; 
Kaccha
– shorts for chastity; 
Kirpan
– sword for defending freedom from 
oppression. Sikhs freely share food with others of any social 
position or religion by means of the ‘
Langar
’ or community kitchen, 
which was a concept established by Guru Nanak and endures to this day. 
At the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona a huge tent 
became the Langar, where free food was served to hundreds of delegates 
of all faiths and none.

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