HUKAM, Arabic hukm for command, order, decree, law, has acquired in Sikh usage a metaphysical shade connoting the Divine Law or Order, regulating the entire universe. Its importance in Sikh theology is indicated by its occurrence at the very beginning of the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture), in the first verse of the Japu. In the penultimate line of the stanza, Guru Nanak puts the fundamental question of how enlightenment is to be gained: How is Truth to be attained? How is the veil of falsehood torn asunder? In the final line of the stanza, he provides the answer: Nanak, thus it is written: Submit to the hukam, Walk in its way.
In the next stanza, Guru Nanak proceeds to explain the nature of hukam: The hukam is far beyond our describing, though all that exists is its visible expression, All life was created by hukam, and by hukam alone distinction comes to some.Some arc exalted by the hukam, some are abased; Some must suffer while others find joy. Some receive by the hukam blessing, Others are from birth to birth rotated. All come within the hukam, none beyond its authority.
They who comprehend the hukam, 0 Nanak, Renounce their self centred pride. Several conclusions regarding the nature of hukam emerge from this description. The first is that just as Akal Purakh (Person beyond Time) Himself is in his fullness beyond human comprehension, so too is the hukam, in its total range, more than the understanding of man can grasp. Secondly, however, it can be understood to a sufficient degree and this much at least a man can comprehend that hukam is the source of those differences and distinctions in men`s condition which are seemingly beyond human control.
It is the principle which determines different forms of created beings. It determines who will rank virtuous and who will be cast into the pit of vice, who will find happiness and who will suffer misery, who will obtain release and who to circuiting from birth to death to birth be decreed. Thirdly, all are subject to hukam; all are under its authority. Fourthly, understanding of this divine principle leads to the destruction of man`s self centred pride, the cause of his alienation from God and of his suffering.
In stanza III of the Japu again hukam is set forth as the principle which regulates the cosmos in accordance with the divine intention: The hukam of Him who exercises hukam directs the path ahead.Forever is He rejoiced, declares Nanak, forever free from care. This divine Order is manifested in a variety of ways. It is represented as the agent of creation: By Thy hukam Thou didst create all forms (GG, 150). It determines the regular cycle of human existence: My friend, (you who) trade (in the things of the world), In the first watch of the night (the first stage of the human life), You arc placed in the womb in accor dance with the hukam (GG, 71).
All are under it: Speaking, seeing, moving, living, and dying all are transitory. Thou, tlic True (Lord), having established the hukam, Placed all under it (literally, in it) (GG, M5). And it galliers into a single principle the sum total of all God`s activity: (Of itself, i.e. apart from the hukam) the soul does not die. And it neither sinks nor crosses over.He who has been active (in creation) is still active. In accordance with the hukam, we arc born and we die. Ahead and behind the hukam pervades all (GG, ir,i).
This principle is most immediately perceptible in the laws governing the structure and functioning of the physical universe. It also regulates such dichotomies as udkarkh and dkarkh (expansion and contraction of manifest reality) and sanjog and vijog (unification and alienation of beings and events). But hukam is not only constructive energy or a controlling power; it also signifies ethical discipline. In moral terms, it is the law of karma, the law of cause and effect.
This is as much an aspect of the hukam principle as the regular movement of the physical universe.Indeed, it is a vital aspect, for on a number of occassions Guru Nanak explicitly affirms tlie law as a given fact. The conclusion which must be drawn from this is that each individual should perform those deeds which will, in accordance with the law of karma, bring the supreme reward. The hukam is sure.
The goal of human life is to know or understand hukam, to accept it and to mould one`s life in conformity with it. But hukamis beyond the reach of human comprehension.Knowledge of hukam is not an intellectual accomplishment, it is a spiritual achievement. Knowing hukam does not mean knowing its nature, scope and bounds. Knowing hukam is realizing the existence of such a principle.
This is internal comprehension, not an external or physical perception. Even such a realization is possible only through the grace of God, and it can fall to the lot of him alone who has subordinated his will to the Will of the Guru (God). Obedience to the hukam or bringing one`s life in harmony with the principle of hukam is stressed, but realization of hukam is a mystical experience. It cannot be explained through the medium of human language. The realization of hukam is not merely the feeling of the existence of such a principle, but it is also the attainment of a blissful internal sight.
With this inner light one can see or know the ethical path which one has to follow under hukam. Man docs have the necessary measure of freedom to make a decision to live in conformity with the hukam.The capacity for him to exercise free will also permits him to live in discord with the hukam instead of in harmony with it. This faculty is obviously of critical importance, for the manner in which it is exercised brings cither release or continued transmigration. Disharmony is the normal condition, but it docs not lead to truth and its inevitable consequence is continued movement within the cycle of transmigration, with all the attendant sufferings of this condition.
Submission, on the other hand, leads to union, the consequence whereof is freedom. He who recognizes the hukam perceives the truth, which makes men free; and he who has recognized it brings his life into conformity with it and ascends to that eternal union with Akal Purakh which transcends all expression.Some other terms used in the Sikh Scripture in line with hukam are dgid (Sanskrit djna), amar (Arabic amr), phurmdn (Persian farmdn), and raja (Arabic ram and Punjabi bhdnd). These are, however, not identicalwith it.
While awarand phurmdn both mean command, they refer to a particular order, fiat or commandment rather than to a system like the divine Order signified by the Sikh concept of hukam.Agid, too, means command but it also stands for permission, a connotation not in accord with the firm nature of the hukam. Raja and bhdnd emanate from divine Will and Pleasure, but the translation of hukam as `will` or `pleasure` is unsuitable in the context of Guru Nanak`s usage, for it fails to convey his precise meaning and is liable to be equated with the Islamic doctrine of the Will of Allah. In the thought of Guru Nanak the hukam signifies the divinely instituted and maintained principle governing the existence and movement of the universe.
It controls the universe, physical and psychical, and governs everything within it. The principle is regular and constant, and to the extent that it can be comprehended, it functions according to a predictable pattern.This regularity and consistency distinguish it from the Muslim concept. In Islam the divine Will is at least unpledged whereas the hukam of Guru Nanak`s belief is definitely pledged and dependable.
An apter translation of hukam would be “divine Order.” The double meaning of the English word better reflects the range of meaning covered by hukam. The word “order` can mean both the regularity of a system and also a command. In Guru Nanak`s usage, hukam covers both of these meanings, though not exclusively one or the other as is the case with the translation. The hukam is accordingly an all embracing principle, the sum total of all divinely instituted laws; and it is a revelation of the nature of Akal Purakh.
In this latter sense it is identical in meaning with sabda, the Word.The identity is of the same nature as that which links sabda with ndm and guru, with differing functions postulated only in order to bring out the fundamental truth with greater clarity. The creation is constituted and ordered by the hukam; and in this creation, physical and otherwise, the sabda is made manifest in order that the ndm may be truly revealed. Understanding hukam means understanding God`s Will and intention (bhdnd or raza), just as understanding the sabda helps to perceive the glories of the ndm which lie manifested all around or hidden within the self.
Herein is Akal Purakh revealed as single, as active, and as absolute; as Nirarikar (the One without form), as Niranjan (the One without blemish), as the eternal One beyond all that is transient and corruptible. By understanding the hukam and meditation upon ndm through the sabda one annihilates one`s haumai (self centred pride) and finds the ultimate reward of harmony and peace. The process is a gradual one, but discipline and persistence lead progressively upwards and the ultimate reward is absolute harmony and peace. With the disciple in the final stage of union {sach khand) there is absolute fulfilment of the hukam.
As the hukam, so too the deed! (GG, 8) Summing up, hukam is that vital principle which creates, sustains and regulates the universe.All creatures get birth, live and die under the definitive order. Evil and virtue both arc the creation of hukam.
If one is good, it is because of the hukam; if somebody is bad that too is under the hukam. The hukam is the controlling authority of the Supreme Being who is true. His hukam as such is also true. The aim of life is to realize hHukam, Arabic hukm for command, order, decree, or law, has acquired in Sikh usage a metaphysical shade connoting the Divine Law or Order, regulating the entire universe. Its importance in Sikh theology is indicated by its occurrence at the very beginning of the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture), in the first verse of the Japu. In the penultimate line of the stanza, Guru Nanak puts the fundamental question of how enlightenment is to be gained: How is Truth to be attained? How is the veil of falsehood torn asunder? In the final line of the stanza, he provides the answer:
Nanak, thus it is written: Submit to the hukam, Walk in its way.
In the next stanza, Guru Nanak proceeds to explain the nature of hukam:
The hukam is far beyond our describing, though all that exists is its visible expression.
All life was created by hukam, and by hukam alone distinction comes to some.
Some are exalted by the hukam, some are abased.
Some must suffer while others find joy.
Some receive by the hukam blessing,
Others are from birth to birth rotated.
All come within the hukam, none beyond its authority.
They who comprehend the hukam, O Nanak, Renounce their self-centered pride.
Several conclusions regarding the nature of hukam emerge from this description. The first is that just as Akal Purakh (Person beyond Time) Himself is in His fullness beyond human comprehension, so too is the hukam, in its total range, more than the understanding of man can grasp. Secondly, however, it can be understood to a sufficient degree, and this much at least a man can comprehend—that hukam is the source of those differences and distinctions in men’s condition which are seemingly beyond human control.
It is the principle that determines different forms of created beings. It determines who will rank virtuous and who will be cast into the pit of vice, who will find happiness and who will suffer misery, who will obtain release, and who will be decreed to continue circuiting from birth to death to birth. Thirdly, all are subject to hukam; all are under its authority. Fourthly, understanding of this divine principle leads to the destruction of man’s self-centered pride, the cause of his alienation from God and of his suffering.
In stanza III of the Japu, again hukam is set forth as the principle which regulates the cosmos in accordance with the divine intention:
The hukam of Him who exercises hukam directs the path ahead.
Forever is He rejoiced, declares Nanak, forever free from care.
This divine Order is manifested in a variety of ways. It is represented as the agent of creation:
By Thy hukam Thou didst create all forms (GG, 150).
It determines the regular cycle of human existence:
My friend, (you who) trade (in the things of the world),
In the first watch of the night (the first stage of human life),
You are placed in the womb in accordance with the hukam (GG, 71).
All are under it:
Speaking, seeing, moving, living, and dying—all are transitory.
Thou, the True (Lord), having established the hukam,
Placed all under it (literally, in it) (GG, 115).
And it gathers into a single principle the sum total of all God’s activity:
(Of itself, i.e., apart from the hukam) the soul does not die.
And it neither sinks nor crosses over.
He who has been active (in creation) is still active.
In accordance with the hukam, we are born and we die.
Ahead and behind, the hukam pervades all (GG, 151).
This principle is most immediately perceptible in the laws governing the structure and functioning of the physical universe. It also regulates such dichotomies as udkarkh and dkarkh (expansion and contraction of manifest reality) and sanjog and vijog (unification and alienation of beings and events). But hukam is not only constructive energy or a controlling power; it also signifies ethical discipline. In moral terms, it is the law of karma, the law of cause and effect.
This is as much an aspect of the hukam principle as the regular movement of the physical universe. Indeed, it is a vital aspect, for on a number of occasions, Guru Nanak explicitly affirms the law as a given fact. The conclusion which must be drawn from this is that each individual should perform those deeds which will, in accordance with the law of karma, bring the supreme reward. The hukam is sure.
The goal of human life is to know or understand hukam, to accept it, and to mold one’s life in conformity with it. But hukam is beyond the reach of human comprehension. Knowledge of hukam is not an intellectual accomplishment; it is a spiritual achievement. Knowing hukam does not mean knowing its nature, scope, and bounds. Knowing hukam is realizing the existence of such a principle.
This is internal comprehension, not an external or physical perception. Even such a realization is possible only through the grace of God, and it can fall to the lot of him alone who has subordinated his will to the Will of the Guru (God). Obedience to the hukam or bringing one’s life in harmony with the principle of hukam is stressed, but realization of hukam is a mystical experience. It cannot be explained through the medium of human language. The realization of hukam is not merely the feeling of the existence of such a principle but also the attainment of a blissful internal sight.
With this inner light, one can see or know the ethical path which one has to follow under hukam. Man does have the necessary measure of freedom to make a decision to live in conformity with the hukam. The capacity for him to exercise free will also permits him to live in discord with the hukam instead of in harmony with it. This faculty is obviously of critical importance, for the manner in which it is exercised brings either release or continued transmigration. Disharmony is the normal condition, but it does not lead to truth, and its inevitable consequence is continued movement within the cycle of transmigration, with all the attendant sufferings of this condition.
Submission, on the other hand, leads to union, the consequence whereof is freedom. He who recognizes the hukam perceives the truth, which makes men free; and he who has recognized it brings his life into conformity with it and ascends to that eternal union with Akal Purakh, which transcends all expression. Some other terms used in the Sikh Scripture in line with hukam are ajna (Sanskrit ajna), amar (Arabic amr), phurman (Persian farman), and raja (Arabic raza and Punjabi bhand). These are, however, not identical with it.
While amar and phurman both mean command, they refer to a particular order, fiat, or commandment rather than to a system like the divine Order signified by the Sikh concept of hukam. Ajna, too, means command, but it also stands for permission, a connotation not in accord with the firm nature of the hukam. Raja and bhand emanate from divine Will and Pleasure, but the translation of hukam as “will” or “pleasure” is unsuitable in the context of Guru Nanak’s usage, for it fails to convey his precise meaning and is liable to be equated with the Islamic doctrine of the Will of Allah. In the thought of Guru Nanak, the hukam signifies the divinely instituted and maintained principle governing the existence and movement of the universe.It controls the universe, physical and psychical, and governs everything within it. The principle is regular and constant, and to the extent that it can be comprehended, it functions according to a predictable pattern. This regularity and consistency distinguish it from the Muslim concept. In Islam, the divine Will is at least unpledged, whereas the hukam of Guru Nanak’s belief is definitely pledged and dependable.
An apter translation of hukam would be “divine Order.” The double meaning of the English word better reflects the range of meaning covered by hukam. The word “order” can mean both the regularity of a system and also a command. In Guru Nanak’s usage, hukam covers both of these meanings, though not exclusively one or the other as is the case with the translation. The hukam is accordingly an all-embracing principle, the sum total of all divinely instituted laws; and it is a revelation of the nature of Akal Purakh.
In this latter sense, it is identical in meaning with sabda, the Word. The identity is of the same nature as that which links sabda with nam and guru, with differing functions postulated only in order to bring out the fundamental truth with greater clarity. The creation is constituted and ordered by the hukam; and in this creation, physical and otherwise, the sabda is made manifest in order that the nam may be truly revealed. Understanding hukam means understanding God’s Will and intention (bhand or raza), just as understanding the sabda helps to perceive the glories of the nam which lie manifested all around or hidden within the self.
Herein is Akal Purakh revealed as single, active, and absolute; as Nirankar (the One without form), as Niranjan (the One without blemish), as theukam and to abide by it. This realization is, finally, attained through the grace of God.
Raza, just as understanding the sabda helps to perceive the glories of the nam, which lie manifested all around or hidden within the self.
Herein is Akal Purakh revealed as single, active, and absolute; as Nirankar (the One without form), as Niranjan (the One without blemish), as the eternal One beyond all that is transient and corruptible. By understanding the hukam and meditating upon nam through the sabda, one annihilates one’s haumai (self-centered pride) and finds the ultimate reward of harmony and peace. The process is gradual, but discipline and persistence lead progressively upwards, and the ultimate reward is absolute harmony and peace. With the disciple in the final stage of union (Sach Khand), there is absolute fulfillment of the hukam.
As the hukam, so too the deed! (GG, 8) Summing up, hukam is that vital principle which creates, sustains, and regulates the universe. All creatures get birth, live, and die under the definitive order. Evil and virtue are both creations of hukam.
If one is good, it is because of the hukam; if someone is bad, that too is under the hukam. The hukam is the controlling authority of the Supreme Being who is true. His hukam, as such, is also true. The aim of life is to realize hukam and to abide by it. This realization is finally attained through the grace of God.
References :
1. Sher Singh, The Philosophy of Sikhism. Lahore, 1944
2. Nirbhai Singh, Philosophy of Sikhism. Delhi, 1990
3. Nripinder Singh, The Sikh Moral Tradition. Delhi, 1990
4. Kahn Singh, Gurmai Mdrtand Amritsar, 1962
5. Sikh Rahit Maryada. Amritsar, 1975
Hukum: The Divine Order in Sikhism
In Sikhism, Hukum refers to the divine will or command, an essential concept that underpins the Sikh understanding of life, existence, and spirituality. Derived from the Arabic word for “order” or “command,” Hukum is regarded as the omnipresent and all-regulating force of the Creator, shaping and sustaining the universe.
The essence of Hukum lies in the belief that everything in creation occurs according to God’s will. From the vastness of the cosmos to the smallest detail of life, all is governed by this divine law. Humans, as part of this cosmic order, are encouraged to recognize and accept Hukum with humility, surrendering the ego that creates illusions of control and independence.
In the Japuji Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev Ji elaborates on the profound concept of Hukum, declaring that all beings come into existence, live, and depart under its influence. By aligning oneself with Hukum, one finds peace and harmony, as resistance to it leads to suffering and separation from the divine essence.
Hukum encompasses not only the natural order but also moral and ethical dimensions, guiding Sikhs to live virtuously and selflessly. Through contemplation, devotion, and service, one can better understand and embrace Hukum, realizing that it is not a force of compulsion but a pathway to spiritual fulfillment.
This divine order resonates with the interconnectedness of all creation, inviting humans to live in gratitude, humility, and recognition of the greater purpose ordained by Waheguru. The acceptance of Hukum fosters a sense of contentment and spiritual wisdom, enabling individuals to navigate life’s challenges with grace and trust in the Creator’s will.
