Sikhism's eleventh and final guru is a book
Ten human gurus led Sikhs from the late 15th century. Then Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth, declared that no person would succeed him: the scripture itself, the Guru Granth Sahib, would be the guru forever. Today some 25 to 30 million people follow one of the youngest of the major world religions.
Sikhism took shape in the Punjab around the end of the 15th century, growing from the teachings of Guru Nanak, who lived from 1469 to 1539, and nine successors. Guru Gobind Singh, who died in 1708, closed the line of living gurus by naming the scripture his heir, and Sikhs now honour it as the eternal eleventh guru. Many scriptures are written in Gurmukhi, a script Guru Angad standardised from older Landa scripts.
The word Sikh means disciple or student, from a Punjabi verb meaning to learn. Some Sikhs dislike the English Sikhism, saying colonial British coined it and that an ism implies a rigid system; they prefer Sikhi, or terms like gurmat. Core teachings centre on one creator, Ik Onkar, the equality of all people, selfless service called seva, honest work, and justice for the good of everyone. Nanak taught that truthful living ranks above truth itself.
Because no tradition is thought to hold a monopoly on truth, Sikhs do not seek converts, though they welcome those who come voluntarily. Devotion takes the form of remembering God, either through sung kirtan or silent meditation on the divine name. Baptised Sikhs wear five articles of faith, the five Ks; one is kesh, uncut hair, which is why most observant men keep their hair long under a turban.
The faith matured under persecution while drawing converts from Hindu and Muslim communities. Mughal rulers executed two gurus who refused to become Muslims: Guru Arjan in 1606 and Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1675. In response, Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699, an order dedicated to defending freedom of conscience, whose members were meant to combine the virtues of saint and soldier.
Source: Sikhism
