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W. H. McLeod

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Sikhism Paperback – February 1, 1998

by Hew McLeod (Author)

4.1 7 ratings

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At the heart of Sikhism are the ten Gurus, who transferred authority from individual leaders to the scriptures and the community itself. "Sikhism" explores how their distinctive beliefs emerged from the Hindu background of the times, how a number of separate sects split off, and how far the ideas of sexual equality have been observed in practice. Illustrations .

Print length

368 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

February 1, 1998
Dimensions

0.75 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

9780140252606
ISBN-13

978-0140252606
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's the image you have in your mind of the colonial Indian soldier: long beard, fierce eyes, burly build, turban piled high on the head, sword at the ready. Sikhs were recruited by the British for their fighting prowess, a skill honed over centuries of defending their faith. In Sikhism, Hew McLeod, one of the world's authorities on Sikh religion and society, covers the universe of Sikhism, from origins to present, sacred texts to prohibitions and customs, the forces that Sikh soldiers were resisting, and the modern diaspora. His approach is that of a historian, methodical and removed. He separates the facts from the hearsay, revealing why many Sikhs don't cut their hair, why they chant the divine Name of the eternal Guru, and why Sikh men carry swords with them at all times. But a historian can also stir up controversy when his research conflicts with accepted lore. Sikhism is believed by many to be a mix of Islam and Hinduism, but McLeod shows that it owes little to Islam, while sharing many traits with the Sant sect of Hinduism. Having spent almost a decade in the Indian Punjab, the birthplace of Sikhism, McLeod writes with authority. --Brian Bruya

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0140252606
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (February 1, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780140252606
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140252606
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.75 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,164,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #294 in Sikhism (Books)

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4.1 7 ratings

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ARYA MITRA

Mcleod was an atheist!

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2010

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alot of people think MCLEOD was a christian missionary he was! that is until he went to India and came back an ATHEIST!
he lost all faith in his christian religion and fell in love with sikhism! however he was a historian!! and is not going to be
accepting everything at face value! sikhs like any other group believe some fantastic things! a historian can only look at facts!!
its a great book! every other book is usually a gushing tribute and sectarian!

4 people found this helpful

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Chris

Introduction to Sikhism

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2022

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Sikhism emerged in the early 16th Century in the Punjab, a region on the border of what is today India and Pakistan. The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, taught that liberation from the cycle of reincarnation was possible through meditating on god, Akal Purakh (the Timeless One). Nanak taught that liberation was open to all castes and both men and women. Further, Nanak taught that outward appearances and actions -- temple devotions, idol worship, asceticism, unique appearances -- was unnecessary; the path to liberation was purely internal. Nanak's leadership of the Sikh community passed down to another Guru, who passed it down to another Guru, and so on.

In the early 17th Century, conflict arose between the Sikhs and the Muslim rulers of South Asia, the Mughals. As a result, Sikhism adopted a more militant posture. But Sikh men would sometimes "blend into" the local Hindu population to avoid both persecution by the Mughals and having to fight in the Sikh militias. To prevent this dereliction of duty, at the end of the 17th Century the Sikh Guru established the Khalsa-- a dedicated militant formation of Sikhs that were instantly recognizable by their uncut hair, turban, and distinctive clothing (a comb, dagger, undershorts, and bracelet).

With British rule in the mid-19th Century came standardization and documentation. This led to a tension within Sikh society between those who viewed Sikhism as part of the Hindu tradition and those who viewed Sikhism as a separate and distinct religion. The latter view was popular among the Khalsa, and by the early 20th Century the Khalsa had established its dominance over the Sikh faith.

In terms of beliefs, the Sikhs believe that their 10th Guru (who died in the early 18th Century) passed on the Guru-ship to two entities: the Sikh community and the holy text(s) (the Guru Granth Sahib). Initially, there were two texts in the Guru Granth Sahib: the Adi Granth and the Dasam Granth. But questions over the authenticity of some aspects of the Dasam Granth resulted in it being downgraded from Guru Granth Sahib status during the reformist movement of the late-19th/early-20th Century.

I deduct one star because the author's history of early Sikhism sometimes becomes a bit hard to follow, especially for one not well acquainted with South Asian history and geography. Additionally, I would have liked more than a single paragraph on the tensions between Sikhs and the Indian government in the 1970s and 1980s (tensions that resulted in the assassination of India's prime minister, Indira Gandhi, in 1984).

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BC

Informative but extremely biased in tone

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2003

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This book gives you the basic overview of Sikh history. Unfortunately, at times the author seems more concerned with his opinion that no reasonable person could believe in any of this than he is with actually recording the facts. It's becoming a little too cliche to talk about a religion and to label its followers as blind to the realities of the world. This books seems more concerned with discounting Sikhism than exploring its dogma.

6 people found this helpful

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rballjones

Ek Ong Kar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2001

"Sikhism" is an excellent, objective history and overview of the Sikh religion. It is written from an academic's perspective; as such, some observations may not sit well with a devoted follower of the religion--the same as a Christian might be uneasy with an academic treatise on Christianity. But, as another reviewer points out, the author is not disrespectful toward the Sikhs; to the contrary, I get the impression he has a certain fascination with the religion; and that feeling comes through the book. I could hardly put it down.
Examples of subject matter: the author explains the origin of the Langer, or free kitchen--and why they generally serve only vegetarian food even though most Sikhs are not vegetarian. Also, the history and meaning of the beard, turban, and other outward symbols of the Sikh, are thoroughly explained. I found particularly interesting the discussion of the 10 Sikh gurus. Since they lived not so far in the past (16th-18th century?) there is actually some recorded history of their lives.
The author's style is concise and easy to read. The only difficulty for this Western reader was dealing with the many unfamiliar Sikh terms. But they were necessary for understanding and not too difficult.
For anyone with a serious interest in learning about the Sikhs, I highly recommend this book.

14 people found this helpful

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Jeffrey Leeper

Good discussion

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2002

This is a history of Sikhism. It covers the history, the religion, and the society, as well as covers the questions involved in determining authoritative information.
The history covers the Ten Gurus and the Panth. The religion section covers the doctrine, the Khalsa and its code of honor, worship, sacred writings, and different sects. The society section discusses what defines a Sikh and discusses the Sikh diaspora.
Included in the appendix are excerpts from Sikh scripture. This and the list of references were very helpful in expanding understanding of this religion.
I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about the Sikh religion from outside the religion. The tone of the book is that of a non-practitioner.

4 people found this helpful

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wild_wombat@yahoo.com

Solid Historical Referance Work

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2001

This book provieds a clear and concise summary of Sikh history and factions. It caused something of controversy with the Sikh community when released, as it takes a critical view of religous subjects. Very well researched. A good place to start if you want to gain an overview of Sikh history and trends.

6 people found this helpful

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