ਨਾਨਕ ਕਾ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਸੋਇ ਜਿਸ ਕਾ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਸਰਬ ਰਹਿਆ ਭਰਪੂਰਿ ਸਚਾ ਸਚੁ ਸੋਇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਅ(ਆਸਾ ਮ: ੫, ਪੰ: ੩੯੮).

My God is One who belongs to all;
God is eternal and all pervasive. Pause. (M: 5, p 398).

The above verse from the Sikh scripture Sri Guru Granth Sahib emphasizes the universal nature of God.

In the reference given above M: 5, shows it is the composition of the fifth Sikh Guru. The number 398 indicates the page of the Sikh scripture Sri Guru Granth Sahib, whose contents are also called Gurbani, the Guru’s word.

The references to the Gita, the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran have been given below thus, 7:23 meaning Chapter 7, verse 23.

Out of the current organized religions believing in God, Hinduism is the oldest. It has the concept of God but also believes in a large number of gods and goddesses. Their latest scripture, the Bhagwad Gita emphasizes the unity of God, while discouraging worship of gods and goddesses:

Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet (Gita 7:23).

The Old Testament is acknowledged by the Jews, Christians and Muslims (the Muslims acknowledge only the first five books called the Torah) that there is to be no god before God and no images of God are to be made:

Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:30).
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Exodus 20:4).

The Muslim scripture the Quran says:

Allah, (there is) no god but He, the Everliving, the Self-subsisting by Whom all things subsist (Quran 3:2).

Sri Guru Granth Sahib the Sikh scripture says:

ਸਦਾ ਸਦਾ ਸੋ ਸੇਵੀਐ ਜੋ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਰਹੈ ਸਮਾਇ ॥ ਅਵਰੁ ਦੂਜਾ ਕਿਉ ਸੇਵੀਐ ਜੰਮੈ ਤੈ ਮਰਿ ਜਾਇ ॥ (ਗੂਜਰੀ ਮ: ੩, ਪੰ: ੫੦੯).

We should for ever worship the One who is all pervasive;
Why worship another who is born and then dies (M: 5, p 509).

Considering what the different scriptures say, the question arises if there are different gods for different religions or only One who has been given different names. The names commonly used are:

God: The one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe.

Ram (Hindu and Sikh religions): The all pervasive Lord.

Krishna (Hinduism): The attractive One.

Allah (Islam): the Supreme Being; God.

Khudaa (Islam): The One unique Master.

Jehovah (Old Testament, Judaism and Christianity): Ineffable.

Parmatma: (Hinduism and Sikhism) the Supreme Soul, from which all individual souls derive, and to which they return as the ultimate goal of human life.

Gobind, Gosaain, Ishwar (Hindu and Sikh religions) Master of the universe.

Vahiguru: (Sikh religion): The wonderful Creator and teacher.

Akal Purakh (Sikh religion): The timeless and deathless personality.

Nirankaar (Sikh religion): The formless Creator.

In the Sikh faith God does not have a physical form, is not born, does not die and is self existent. The Quran says the same thing as quoted above. This shows God is not a physical but a spiritual entity. God is spirit, the spirit behind the happenings in the whole universe, but still unseen.

A mind without prejudice should find no difference between the names given above. The perceived difference is due to different languages of the areas where the respective religions originated. They are man-created and are a result of delusion. Guru Gobind Singh the tenth Sikh Guru seeing this happening between Hindus and Muslims said:

ਦੇਹਰਾ ਮਸੀਤ ਸੋਈ ਪੂਜਾ ਔ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਓਈ ਮਾਨਸ ਸਬੈ ਏਕ ਪੈ ਅਨੇਕ ਕੋ ਭ੍ਰਮਾਉ ਹੈ ॥
ਦੇਵਤਾ ਅਦੇਵ ਜੱਛ ਗੰਧ੍ਰਬ ਤੁਰਕ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨਿਆਰੇ ਨਿਆਰੇ ਦੇਸਨ ਕੇ ਭੇਸ ਕੋ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਉ ਹੈ ॥
ਏਕੈ ਨੈਨ ਏਕੈ ਕਾਨ ਏਕੈ ਦੇਹ ਏਕੈ ਬਾਨ ਖਾਕ ਬਾਦ ਆਤਿਸ ਔ ਆਬ ਕੋ ਰਲਾਉ ਹੈ ॥
ਅਲਹ ਅਭੇਖ ਸੋਈ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਅਉ ਕੁਰਾਨ ਓਈ ਏਕ ਹੀ ਸਰੂਪ ਸਭੈ ਏਕ ਹੀ ਬਨਾਉ ਹੈ ॥ (ਅਕਾਲ ਉਸਤਤਿ ੧੬॥੮੬).

The temple and Pooja therein, the mosque and Nimaaz therein are the same;
All human beings are same; the differences are due to delusion;
The gods, demons, those who serve and sing to the gods, as believed by the Hindus and Muslims;
All represent the influence of various countries;
All humans have the same eyes, ears, the same body, and speech;
All are made of earth, air, fire and water;
The Muslim’s Allah and the Quran, the Hindu’s Abhaykh and the Puraans are the same;
The one shape of humans has been made by one Creator (Akal Ustat 16.86).

Man-made conflicts exist not only between the Hindu and Muslim faiths, they exist between the Semitic faiths – Jews, Christians and Muslims as well. For example the New Testament asks its followers to be better than the Jews:

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

The Quran also describes the conflict between the Jews and the Christians:

And the Jews say: The Christians do not follow anything (good) and the Christians say: The Jews do not follow anything (good) while they recite the (same) Book. Even thus say those who have no knowledge, like to what they say; so Allah shall judge between them on the day of resurrection in what they differ (Quran 2:113).

There are differences between the Christians and Muslims on the status of Jesus. The former believe he is the son of God but the latter do not. The New Testament says:

Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God (Matthew 14:33).

The Quran does not accept that:

And it is not worthy of the Beneficent God that He should take to Himself a son (Quran 19:92).

The tenth Guru also points out that delusion leads to different concepts of the same Creator. People perform different rituals based on dogmas and fail to understand the Spirit that the Creator represents:

ਕਾਹੂ ਲੈ ਪਾਹਨ ਪੂਜ ਧਰਯੋ ਸਿਰ ਕਾਹੂ ਲੈ ਲਿੰਗ ਗਰੇ ਲਟਕਾਇਓ ॥
ਕਾਹੂ ਲਖਿਓ ਹਰਿ ਅਵਾਚੀ ਦਿਸਾ ਮਹਿ ਕਾਹੂ ਪਛਾਹ ਕੋ ਸੀਸੁ ਨਿਵਾਇਓ ॥
ਕੋਉ ਬੁਤਾਨ ਕੋ ਪੂਜਤ ਹੈ ਪਸੁ ਕੋਉ ਮ੍ਰਿਤਾਨ ਕੋ ਪੂਜਨ ਧਾਇਓ ॥
ਕੂਰ ਕ੍ਰਿਆ ਉਰਿਝਓ ਸਭ ਹੀ ਜਗ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਭਗਵਾਨ ਕੋ ਭੇਦੁ ਨ ਪਾਇਓ ॥੧੦॥੩੦॥

Some install stones for worship, some put the lingam round the neck;
The Hindus look to the South while the Muslims bow to the West;
Out of ignorance some worship idols, some worship at mausoleums;
People remain engaged in fruitless rituals and do not understand the spirit of God (Akal Ustat, 10.30).

God is unfathomable and ineffable. Taking the Hindu and Muslim beliefs the fifth Guru describes how to understand God:

ਕੋਈ ਬੋਲੈ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਮ ਕੋਈ ਖੁਦਾਇ ॥
ਕੋਈ ਸੇਵੈ ਗੁਸਈਆ ਕੋਈ ਅਲਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
ਕਾਰਣ ਕਰਣ ਕਰੀਮ ॥
ਕਿਰਪਾ ਧਾਰਿ ਰਹੀਮ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ —-
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਜਿਨਿ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਪਛਾਤਾ ॥
ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਕਾ ਤਿਨਿ ਭੇਦੁ ਜਾਤਾ ॥੫॥੯॥ (ਰਾਮਕਲੀ ਮ: ੫, ਪੰ: ੮੮੫).

The Hindus say Ram Ram, the Muslims Khuda;
The Hindus worship Gosaain the Muslims, Allah;
The Hindus call the beneficent Master as Kaaran karan, the Muslims Kareem;
The Hindus call the merciful Lord Kripa Dhaar (beneficent), the Muslims, Raheem (merciful). Pause. —
One who understands the will of God,
understands the secrets, the Spirit of the Supreme Master (M: 5, p 885).

Only the names given are different; the same virtues of God are described in different languages; they convey the same spirit. The Creator causes every thing to happen.

There is surprising similarity between the scriptures on many issues. Ethics is one but there are others. The New Testament says:

Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (Matthew 4:10).
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

The Quran says:

Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve (Quran 2:62).

Gurbani says:

ਸਿਮਰਿ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਚਰਨ ਕਮਲ ਰਖੁ ਮਨ ਮਾਹੀ ॥

ਤਾ ਕੀ ਸਰਨਿ ਪਰਿਓ ਨਾਨਕ ਦਾਸੁ ਜਾ ਤੇ ਊਪਰਿ ਕੋ ਨਾਹੀ ॥੨॥੧੨॥੯੮॥ ੫ ੮੨੪

There is peace in remembering so always keep the Lord in mind:

This servant seeks sanctuary of One above whom there is none (M: 5, p 824).

So if prejudice is given up the concept of One God of all is easily understood as the single ultimate authority. The description depends on the culture one comes from. It becomes simpler when we see that all religions acknowledge God as the creator of the universe we all live in. Since there is only one universe it must be same creator, the One God of all.

Does the Creator have a gender? Generally the Hindu as well as Semitic religions have a concept of the male God. However the Hindus do not consider their gods complete without the female consort called Devi or Shakti. In fact their names are taken together like Brahma and Saraswati, Mahadev and Parvati, Vishnu and Lakshmi. Indra and Sachi. In the temples images of Rama and Sita along with Lakshman or of Krishna with Radha are installed. There are also temples dedicated to the goddess alone. The Devi (goddess) as the female divine presence is shown to have great powers and comes to the aid of the gods. Her name Durga means invincible.

In the Old Testament God is a male as He is in The New Testament and the Quran. These scripture have been written in the context of the Middle East where these religions originated and where male dominance has all along been part of culture. So the male gender of God comes naturally based on culture.

In Sri Guru Granth Sahib the stance changed to perceive a Creator with neutral gender – neither male nor female. It is not even a person as it is unborn and self-existent. It is the Spirit. But spirit of what? Is it a spirit which need not be known but feared and worshipped? Or is there something else?

In the Hindu scripture the Bhagwad Gita, the godhead Krishna says:

Those who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying all the demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices, can, with steadfast mind, understand and know Me even at the time of death (Gita 7:30).

The Old Testament states:

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Gen 1:1).

The New Testament says:

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

The Quran quotes God saying about man:

So when I have made him complete and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down making obeisance to him (Quran 15:29).

Sri Guru Granth Sahib says:

ਅਚਰਜ ਕਥਾ ਮਹਾ ਅਨੂਪ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਾਤਮਾ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਕਾ ਰੂਪੁ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ (ਗੋਂਡ ਮ: ੫, ਪੰ: ੮੬੮).

The Supreme soul is manifestation of the great Creator who is unique;
Who is wondrous, awesome and absolutely unique. Pause. (M: 5, p 868).

The Creator’s Spirit speaks in all scriptures.

The Spirit is the source of every thing including the laws of nature. When we say every thing happens at God’s will it is the devotee’s way to refer to the laws of nature. The scientist likes to call them laws of science.

The scientist asks if every thing can be attributed to the laws then why invent God? This begs the counter question “who made the laws”? The answer will probably be they came by themselves or evolved. But there is underlying order in the universe so the laws of nature have a unifying spirit. Religion states that God Created itself and once the spirit was there laws came naturally – in a unified way. They are called God’s commandments. All religions accept that.

The Jews and Christians call this obeying the commandments, the Muslims call it going by the Book (the Quran) and the Sikhs say obey Hukam, the laws of nature.

Hukam represents Divine commands or will. This is so because Hukam is not arbitrary. One who does good remains in peace, one who does not is chastised. Unlike the atheist’s assertion, there is no element of fear to keep God pleased. Any one who defies the laws of nature has to face the consequences.

An important aspect in faith is prayer. So if God only represents the laws of nature whom do we pray to and why do people say their prayers have been answered?

Making a request as in prayer is acceptance of helplessness by the one praying. When we pray we accept we cannot mend the situation ourselves. Suffering and pain, like comfort and joy, result from our deeds, past and present. It is like having health problems due to indiscretion in eating and drinking; realizing it and resolving to be careful in future. This applies to prayer. Though we rarely accept we made mistakes but nevertheless wish to be helped. It is reasonable to say that one who only makes prayers without reforming the self should not expect results. We must resolve to live by the laws of nature if we expect our prayers to be answered. So when we ask some one else to pray for us it does not make sense.

The ultimate purpose of human birth is merging of the soul in the Supreme Spirit, God. Let us understand how.
Gurbani says:

ਸਭੁ ਜਗੁ ਜਿਨਹਿ ਉਪਾਇਆ ਭਾਈ ਕਰਣ ਕਾਰਣ ਸਮਰਥੁ ॥ ਜੀਉ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਜਿਨਿ ਸਾਜਿਆ ਭਾਈ ਦੇ ਕਰਿ ਅਪਣੀ ਵਥੁ ॥ ੫ ੬੩੯

The Omnipotent Lord created the universe;
And by putting Its own Spirit created the soul and body (M: 5, p 639).

The soul is part of the Supreme Spirit we know as conscience. Under the influence of the sensory organs of the body, the soul assumes a separate existence, but still yearns to get back. The conscience always points out shortcomings or wrongdoings and would not let the soul get back to it until it is clear of every thing i.e. not in debt. This debt has two aspects. One is not having carried out one’s duties to the satisfaction of the conscience. The second is that we receive materially and emotionally from the family and society; if we do not pay back appropriately we remain in debt and have to be reborn. This is the state of duality which must be got rid of:

ਆਤਮਾ ਪਰਾਤਮਾ ਏਕੋ ਕਰੈ ॥ ਅੰਤਰ ਕੀ ਦੁਬਿਧਾ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਮਰੈ ॥੧॥ (ਧਨਾਸਰੀ ਮ: ੧, ਪੰ: ੬੬੧)

One who dissolves duality within the mind;
Unites the soul with the Supreme Spirit (M: 1, p 661).

The purpose of human birth is thus achieved. This is the other name for going to heaven. Failure to merge is hell which continues until the soul achieves merger.

There is one underlying spirit that reflects orderliness in the universe. That Spirit is God whom Gurbani addresses thus:

ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਆਸੈ ਤੇਰੀ ਬੈਠਾ ॥ ਘਟ ਘਟ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਤੂੰਹੈ ਵੁਠਾ ॥

ਸਭੇ ਸਾਝੀਵਾਲ ਸਦਾਇਨਿ ਤੂੰ ਕਿਸੈ ਨ ਦਿਸਹਿ ਬਾਹਰਾ ਜੀਉ ॥੩॥ (ਮਾਝ ਮ: ੫, ਪੰ: ੯੭).

Every one looks up to You;

You abide in all creatures;

All are partners in You, You are not a stranger to any one (M: 5, p 97).