In service of Humanity - Bhai Kanhaiya Lal

There are no enemies nor strangers

Bhai Kanhaiya Lal

Bhai Kanhaiya Lal (1648-1718), left his service as an officer in the Mughal army, and came to serve the 9th Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bhadur ji 

After the martyrdom of the Guru he longed to meet the noble Guru's successor, [Guru Gobind Singh ji
, the 10th Sikh Guru. 

Arriving at Anandpur (Panjab) in 704 C.E. Bhai Kanhaiya found that the Guru and his followers under attack by the combined forces of the Rajput Hill Chieftains and the Mughal army.


The Rajputs and Muslims who together ruled over much of India, simply could not tolerate any other political or self defence entity.

The greatly outnumbered and outgunned Sikhs were fighting valiantly to defend themselves and the battlefield was littered with wounded and suffering soldiers from both sides.

Amongst the wounded wandered a solitary figure, the Sikh,  Bhai Kanhaiya trying to help those he could and giving them water from a mashk irrespective of whether they were Sikh, Hindu or Muslim.

The Nihang the Sikh warriors were very annoyed with Bhai Kanhaiya, they dragged and threw him in front of Guru Gobind Singh ji for suitable punishment for aiding the enemy.

The Guru asked Bhai Kanhaiya if the charges of treason were true? 
Bhai Kanhaiya replied, "I see no enemy, all I see is you, my beloved Guru. Have you not taught us, that to destroy enmity, we see the divine in each being? That is why I assist and serve water to the wounded irrespective of who they are.


The Guru proclaimed to the Sikhs "Bhai Kanhaiya is a true Sikh. He has understood and imbibed the meaning of the universal brotherhood of Sikhism. His service towards others without discrimination is highly praiseworthy. He is an inspiration to all of humanity and I bless him that in time he establish a great movement to selflessly serve humanity. I ordain that none will come in Bhai Kanhaiya's way to perform his noble duty."

The Guru blessed Bhai Kanhaiya and handed over to him a large medicine chest and requested Bhai Kanhaiya not only to serve the wounded with water but to apply these medicines to heal their wounds.

Many Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus who received the selfless love and service of Bhai Kanhaiyalal and survived, were drawn to his noble cause. Upon leaving the service of their Masters they either joined his mission or started selfless service on their own. 

The Sewapanthi also known as the Addanshahi order of Sikhs which started by Bhai Kanhaiya a hundred and fifty years before the Red Cross
was founded in 1864  by another great being Henry Dunant in Europe. 

The Sewapanthi order continues to render noble service to people irrespective of religion, caste or gender across numerous centres across North India. Proving once again, 'When the Guru blesses, it is certain to succeed'.

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The Mosque built by, The Guru.

"Guru ki Maseet" (Guru's Mosque)

Shri. Guru Hargobind ji. 6th Sikh Guru

We inevitably find what we seek.
If we seek violence, hatred, and indifference we find them. If we seek out good souls, love, compassion, brotherhood, we find those too.
Below the surface of all religions lies a humanity, where individuals long to belong to one another.

Where do we go when we seek the divine? A spiritual teacher, the Muslims call such a great soul, 'Murshid' and the Hindus and Sikhs call 'Guru'. Unlike us ordinary mortals, they have only come to give. Though they will accept any offering for sharing with other disciples and for the common good, they never demand.


Guru Hargobind ji the sixth Sikh Guru and the Sikh disciples themselves provide numerous examples of universal brotherhood, love and devotion. 

One such instance is the 'Gur ki Maseet' (Guru's Mosque). 
In 1630 the greatly outnumbered Sikhs led by Guru Hargobind ji defeated in battle, Abdullah Khan, the tyrannical ruler of Jalandhar. The battle was for righteousness and justice not power and wealth in any name or pretext.
The Muslim residents approached the Guru with a problem, they had no place to pray.

To a Guru all people are the same, saving the oppressed, spreading love and amity by their every word and action. In probably the only known such example in history, the Sikh Guru built a mosque for the Muslims.  

Located at Sri. Hargobindpur, in Panjab's Gurdaspur district, midway between Jalandhar and Amritsar. The mosque is picturesquely situated on a hill overlooking a curve on the banks of the mighty Beas river.

Even now 387 years ago those values and that spirit the Guru espoused are vibrantly alive in the hearts and minds of many, as can be seen from the return of the mosque to the Muslim community.

In 1947  all the Muslim residents abandoned the town to move to Pakistan, during the horrific partition caused by power hungry, cunning, and soulless men.

Soon thereafter the local Sikhs got together and used the mosque as a Gurdwara (congregation hall) at the same site. Here prayers were offered and hymns sung from the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book containing the hymns of all the Sikh Gurus, various great Hindu, and Muslim saints (30 of them in number). It was protected and served by the valiant and noble Nihang Sikhs, as their solemn responsibility. 

The Sikhs always maintained that this place belonged to the Muslims and wanted to return it to them. They constantly nagged the government and the Punjab Waqf Board to get Muslims to start offering Namaz at the mosque and to take over its upkeep.

The Muslims were mostly poor labourers who could not build a mosque for themselves and since 1947 they had to travel 10 to 15 kms away for offering prayers.

Though the mosque was a splendid structure it was in disrepair, and who would replace the Sikh staff who all worked as volunteers?  The Punjab Waqf Board requested the Sikhs to continue to look after the mosque, while they found a solution.


Eventually it is the people that have to take responsibility.
By 1997 a group of Sikhs and Muslims had come together, roped in the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI), and UNESCO to set things right. The restoration work began in 2000 with sikh families donating some land adjoining the Mosque. The Nihang Sikhs and the local population volunteered for most of the spade work. 



By 2002 the restoration was complete and  Maulana Hamid Husain Qasmi, the Imam of the Jama Masjid in Amritsar, led the first prayers in the mosque.

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Sikhs taking care of and protecting the Mosque

This is but one example of how magnanimous the true Sikhs are in helping all humanity irrespective of belief, all attributable to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus.

The Gurus taught that it is the solemn duty of Sikhs to fight against injustice, save the oppressed, share with others and particularly the needy and to remember God (Naam) always.

Sikhs are reputed for their gregarious, passionate, noble, valiant, honest, steadfast, and intelligent nature. Time and again one can usually experience this in the interactions with them. 



 

             

'Guru Ki Maseet' during restoration

'Guru Ki Maseet' after major restoration

Muslim and Sikhs discussing historical texts  about the mosque's history

Muslims offering prayers in the Guru's Mosque while Sikh brethren & the media watch them