The Adi Granth means more to Sikhs than even the Qur'an means to Muslims, the Bible to Christians, and the Torah to Jews. The Adi Granth is the Sikhs' perpetual Guru (spiritual guide)." Arnold Toynbee¹

Adi Granth, the Sikh Scriptures, contains over 6,000 verses composed by the Sikh gurus and several Hindu Saints and Muslim Sufis.² Set to music, the rapturous songs of divine love and mystical emotions also raise a powerful voice for human equality, human rights, and human dignity.

The fundamental Sikh tenet is that the formless Creator, the Supreme Soul, resides in every individual. Entire mankind is the manifestation of the Absolute One. There is no non-believer; each human being is entitled to equal respect and equal dignity no matter what the person's religion, faith, belief or station in life may be. Social divisions, which classify a person as superior or inferior to the other based on birth, stifle socio-economic growth.

The One God is the Father of all
We are all His children
Rag Sorath, page 611

Truth (Satu), contentment (Santokh, spiritual discipline) and compassion (Daya) are the real ornaments of Dharama (ethical value system, religion).
Sri Rag, page 51

Compassion, feeling and sharing somebody else's pain and predicament , is of essence in Sikh belief.

Dharma is born of compassion
Through contentment, it (compassion) creates harmony
Japji, page 3

God is addressed by numerous names including Mother, Sister, and female Friend., thereby emphasizing sexual respect and equality: Woman has a unique role and an exalted place in Creation.

Of a woman are we conceived,
Of a woman we are born
It is a woman who is friend and partner of life
It is a woman who keeps the race going
From woman alone is born a woman,
Without woman there can be no human birth.
Rag Asa, pages 463-75

The underlying forces which infringe on human rights and human dignity are lust, wrath, greed, worldly attachment (Maya) and ego. These need perpetual cleansing.

Root out the choking weeds
Of lust and anger;
Loosening the soil,
The more thou hoest and weedest,
The more lovely grows the soul
Rag Basant, page 1171

In India, Islam "impinged on Hinduism violently".³ The Gurus witnessed the carnage and looting of the innocent and vociferously denounced the atrocities. Even God was chastised for the rampant inhumanity:

Terrible was the slaughter
Loud were the cries of the lamenters,
Did this not awaken pity in Thee, O Lord?
Thou art part and parcel of all things equally, O Creator:
Thou must feel for all men and all nations.
Rag Asa, page 360

The age is like a knife, the Kings are butchers;
Goodness has taken wings and flown,
With obstinacy, Man
Clings to his petty self-hood.
Rag Majh, page 145

Greed is the root cause of exploitation:
Men have become as dogs,
They eat the ill-gotten gains,
And bark out their lies;
Giving no thought to righteousness,
They have no honour in life,
And leave evil name after death.
Rag Sarang, page 1242

Sikh Scriptures condemn the disease of intolerance. The Sikh Gurus vehemently espoused the right of free speech and free choice of faith and defended human rights. No price is too much to pay to protect these values.

True valiant is he
Who fights for the oppressed
And though battered into bits
Abandons not the battlefield
Rag Maru, page 1105

If you seek to play the game of love

Then enter, with your head on your palm
Var 20, page1412

The Sikh Gurus themselves paid that price with grace. The first Guru was imprisoned along with other bards of the day. The fifth Guru was executed for refusal to pay an unjust tax. The sixth Guru was imprisoned for organizing the people to defend their rights. The ninth Guru was executed for his refusal to change faith. The tenth Guru was assassinated for proclaiming the sacred right of the people to defend themselves. Till this day, the Sikhs have never let go of that courage to stand up and be counted for freedom.

Grant me this boon
O God, from Thy Greatness,
May I never refrain
From righteous acts:
May I fight without fear
All foes in life's battle,
With confident courage
Claiming the victory!
Dassam Granth, Epilogue to Chandi Charitar,

Peace within and Peace without, shared happiness and love for all is the cherished goal of a Sikh. The Sikh prayer ends with supplication for the common well being of every person in the world.

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¹ UNESCO: The Sacred Writings of the Sikhs, George Allen and Unwin, London 1960, p. 9.

²The Adi (first) Granth was formally invested with the function of a "Living Guru" by the last of the ten Sikh Gurus (continuum 1469 to 1708). The Sikhs address it as Guru Granth Sahib. The writings of the tenth Guru, over 2,000 Hymns, constitute the "Dassam Granth" (book of the tenth Guru) and are not part of the sacred Adi Granth.

³UNESCO: op. cit. p. 10.

Note: page numbers refer to the pages of the Adi Granth.