The Nature of God in Sikhism (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A): Revision Note

What is the Mool Mantra?

• The Mool Mantra is one of the most important parts of Sikh scripture

  • It is the opening section of the Guru Granth Sahib

  • It explains what Sikhs believe about God and forms the basis of the Sikh faith

  • The Mool Mantra describes the nature of Waheguru (God) and is central to understanding Sikhism

  • Sikh children are often taught the Mool Mantra from a young age

• The Mool Mantra is seen as the heart of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Sikh holy book

  • Sikhs believe the Guru Granth Sahib contains the true word of Waheguru

• The first line of the Mool Mantar is "Ik Onkar", which means "There is only one God"

  • This shows the core Sikh belief that God is one 

  • The Ik Onkar symbol is often found in gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) and Sikh homes

    • It reminds Sikhs to focus on God when they pray or meditate

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Ik Onkar

Why is the Mool Mantra important to Sikhs?

• The Mool Mantra is important to Sikhs for many different reasons

  • It teaches Sikhs about God’s nature and particularly how God is eternal, beyond birth and death, and loving to all

  • The lines of the Mool Mantra are as follows:

    • Ik Onkar – There is only one God

    • Sat Nam – Eternal truth is his name

    • Kurtah Purakh – He is the creator

    • Nir Bhau – Without fear

    • Nir Vair – Without hate

    • Akaal Moorat – Immortal, without form

    • Ajooni – Beyond birth and death

    • Saibhang – Self-existent

    • Gurprasaad – By the Guru’s grace

• The Mool Mantra reminds Sikhs about how they should be living their lives

• It encourages Sikhs to be honest, humble and fair

• Sikhs believe that remembering God (Nam Simran) and living in service to others (Sewa) are based on the values in the Mool Mantra

• The Mool Mantra has practical use because it is used in daily prayer and meditation

  • It is recited every day by many Sikhs

  • It helps focus the mind and heart on God

  • It is commonly taught to young children as one of the first prayers

• The Mool Mantra is seen as the foundation of Sikh belief

  • The contents are seen as a summary of all Sikh teachings

  • Everything else in Sikh scripture is believed to expand on the Mool Mantra

• It also promotes the important Sikh beliefs of equality and unity

  • It teaches that there is one God for all, so all people are equal regardless of religion, gender, caste or race

  • It inspires Sikhs to fight against injustice and treat everyone with respect

God as Creator

• Sikhs believe that Waheguru (God) created the universe, the world and every life form within it

  • Sikhs believe that before the universe existed, there was only Waheguru, and it was because of “the will of God” or Hukam that the universe was created

  • They believe in the oneness of creation and that Waheguru created the world and is part of this creation

  • He sustains the world and is responsible for everything in it

    • Therefore, Sikhs believe that they have a duty to respect and protect the world

• Unlike other religions, there are no creation stories in Sikhism

• According to the scientific theory of the Big Bang, Sikhs believe that the universe was created approximately 15 billion years ago

  • Because the Guru Granth Sahib explores the nature of Waheguru’s creation rather than the origins of the universe, many Sikhs accept scientific theories of the creation of the world

• The Sikh view of God is related to the view of God as the creator

  • Sikhs believe that God is separate from the universe

  • Sikhs believe that Waheguru is transcendent (Nirgun) and genderless

  • Waheguru is also ineffable, which means they cannot be put into words

  • Sikhs believe that Waheguru is outside time and space and therefore uncreated 

  • Waheguru is not affected or changed by anything

  • Waheguru is beyond any human explanation, but Sikhs use many different names to try to get a better understanding of Waheguru’s nature

• Sikhs also believe that Waheguru is immanent (Sargun), and so everything in the universe has Waheguru’s presence in it

  • This means that Waheguru cares for their creation (the universe) and everything in it

  • Everything that changes and happens in the world is because of Waheguru’s Hukam

  • This also shows Sikhs that Waheguru loves their creation, which enables them to reveal themselves to human beings

  • Sikhs believe that Waheguru is part of them in the form of the divine spark