AP World History: Modern

## Learning Outcomes

- Understand how **Sikhism** emerged in the **Punjab** during the late fifteenth century
- Identify how Hindu and Islamic ideas shaped the environment in which Sikhism developed
- Explain why Sikhism should be treated as a distinct religion, not just a blend of two others
- Recall the roles of **Guru Nanak**, **Guru Arjan**, **Guru Tegh Bahadur**, and **Guru Gobind Singh**
- Trace continuity and change in Sikh history from a devotional movement to the formation of the **Khalsa** in **1699**
- Compare Mughal religious policy under **Akbar** and **Aurangzeb**
- Use Sikhism as evidence in AP arguments about **cultural interaction**, **causation**, and **continuity and change over time**

## AP World History: Modern Syllabus

For the AP World History: Modern, you are expected to understand Sikhism in the context of Hindu-Islamic interaction in South Asia, with a focus on the following syllabus points:

- Know that **Sikhism** originated in the **Punjab** in the late fifteenth century and that **Guru Nanak (1469–1539)** was its founder
- Identify Sikhism as a belief system that developed in a region shaped by both **Hindu** and **Islamic** traditions
- Explain that Sikhism taught devotion to **one God**, ethical living, equality, and service rather than empty ritual
- Understand that Sikhism challenged social hierarchy, especially through rejection of rigid **caste** distinctions
- Know that **Akbar** is associated with relative tolerance, including abolition of the **jizya** and cooperation with non-Muslims
- Know that relations between the Mughals and Sikhs worsened under later rulers, especially with the executions of **Guru Arjan** in **1606** and **Guru Tegh Bahadur** in **1675**
- Identify the formation of the **Khalsa** by **Guru Gobind Singh** in **1699** as a major turning point in Sikh identity
- Distinguish between Sikh religious development and Mughal imperial policy

## Test Your Knowledge

_Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, look more closely at that area during your revision._

1. Who founded Sikhism, and in which region did it begin?
2. How did Hindu and Islamic interaction in South Asia help shape the setting in which Sikhism emerged?
3. What was different about Mughal policy toward religious diversity under Akbar and Aurangzeb?
4. Why are **1606**, **1675**, and **1699** important dates in Sikh history?
5. Why is it inaccurate to describe Sikhism as merely “half Hindu and half Muslim”?

## Introduction

In AP World History: Modern, Sikhism matters because it shows how new belief systems could emerge from sustained cultural contact. In **South Asia**, Hindu and Muslim communities had lived, traded, argued, ruled, and worshipped alongside one another for centuries. Out of that environment came a new religious tradition in the **Punjab**: **Sikhism**.

This topic sits mainly in **Unit 3: Land-Based Empires**, but it also connects to the theme of **Cultural Developments and Interactions**. On the exam, Sikhism can be used to show **syncretism**, **social criticism**, and the way imperial policies shaped religious communities over time. The key is to show both **interaction** and **distinctiveness**.

> **Key Term: Sikhism**
> A monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab in the late fifteenth century by Guru Nanak, developing in a region shaped by Hindu and Islamic interaction.

### Sikhism in context: Punjab and Hindu-Islamic interaction

Sikhism arose in the **Punjab**, a region in northwestern South Asia that had long been affected by trade, conquest, and migration. By the late 1400s, this was not a region dominated by one single religious tradition in isolation. It was a place where **Hinduism** remained strong while **Islam** had also become deeply rooted through earlier conquests, the **Delhi Sultanate**, trade networks, and the work of Muslim teachers.

That setting matters. AP questions often ask not just what Sikhism taught, but **why it developed there**. The answer is that Punjab was a meeting place of ideas. Hindu devotional traditions and Islamic monotheism both shaped the religious world around Sikhism’s beginnings.

> **Key Term: syncretism**
> The blending of beliefs, practices, or cultural elements from different traditions.

Sikhism is often used as an example of **religious syncretism**, but you need to be careful. A high-scoring answer does not reduce Sikhism to a simple mix. Better wording is this: Sikhism emerged in a region shaped by Hindu-Muslim contact, drew from that wider environment, and became a **distinct religion** with its own beliefs, institutions, and identity.

A useful comparison here is with figures such as **Kabir**, a poet-mystic who criticized rigid separation between Hindus and Muslims. Kabir and Nanak can both be used as evidence of a wider culture of religious questioning and exchange in South Asia.

> **Test Tip:** If an SAQ or LEQ asks about cultural interaction in South Asia, name specific evidence such as **Guru Nanak**, **Kabir**, **Punjab**, and **Sikhism**. Specific names score better than vague phrases like “religions mixed.”

### Guru Nanak and the early Sikh message

**Guru Nanak (1469–1539)** is the founder of Sikhism. He taught devotion to **one God**, often referred to in Sikh tradition as **Waheguru**. His teachings stressed honest work, meditation on the divine, moral living, and service to others. He also criticized empty ritual and social divisions.

> **Key Term: Guru Nanak**
> The founder of Sikhism, who lived from 1469 to 1539 and taught devotion to one God, equality, and ethical living.

One of the most exam-relevant Sikh teachings is its rejection of rigid **caste** hierarchy. This was a serious challenge to a major part of social life in much of South Asia. While caste remained powerful in wider society, Sikh teaching emphasized the spiritual equality of human beings.

> **Key Term: caste**
> A hereditary system of social ranking in South Asia that assigned people to fixed social groups.

A concrete example of equality in practice is the **langar**, the communal meal served in a Sikh place of worship. Everyone sits and eats together regardless of caste, class, or background. That made Sikhism not only a set of ideas but also a community with visible social practices.

> **Key Term: langar**
> The Sikh communal meal, open to all regardless of caste, class, or religion, symbolizing equality and service.

Sikhism also developed through a line of **Gurus**, not just Nanak alone. This matters because AP questions often trace change over time. The religion did not stay frozen in its first form. It developed institutions, scripture, and stronger community boundaries.

One major step was the compilation of the **Adi Granth** by **Guru Arjan** in **1604**. This later became the **Guru Granth Sahib**, the Sikh holy scripture and final spiritual authority.

> **Key Term: Guru Granth Sahib**
> The Sikh holy scripture, regarded in Sikh tradition as the final and eternal Guru.

### Sikhism and the Mughal Empire: tolerance, tension, and change

To understand Sikh history between 1450 and 1750, you must place it inside the history of the **Mughal Empire**. The Mughals ruled much of South Asia and governed a highly diverse population. Their policy toward non-Muslims changed over time, and those changes affected Sikh development.

Under **Akbar (r. 1556–1605)**, Mughal policy was relatively tolerant. Akbar abolished the **jizya**, included Hindus in imperial administration, and encouraged a degree of coexistence among different religious communities. This wider atmosphere of flexibility helped reduce direct conflict.

> **Key Term: jizya**
> A tax imposed in some Islamic states on non-Muslim subjects.

Akbar is important not because he created Sikhism, but because he represents a Mughal approach that made religious diversity easier to manage. In AP essays, he is useful as evidence that imperial policy could support relative stability in a multi-religious empire.

Under later rulers, especially **Jahangir** and **Aurangzeb**, relations worsened. A major turning point came in **1606**, when **Guru Arjan**, the fifth Sikh Guru, was executed under Jahangir.

> **Key Term: Guru Arjan**
> The fifth Sikh Guru, who compiled the Adi Granth in 1604 and was executed in 1606, marking a major turning point in Sikh-Mughal relations.

This date matters because it helps students show **causation**. Early Sikhism had been primarily devotional and community-based. The execution of Guru Arjan increased Sikh distrust of Mughal authority and pushed the community in a more defensive direction.

Later, under **Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707)**, imperial intolerance became more severe. Aurangzeb is associated with reimposing the **jizya**, stricter Islamic policies, and greater tension with non-Muslim communities. In Sikh history, another major turning point came in **1675**, when **Guru Tegh Bahadur**, the ninth Guru, was executed.

> **Key Term: Guru Tegh Bahadur**
> The ninth Sikh Guru, executed in 1675 under Aurangzeb and remembered as a martyr in Sikh tradition.

For AP purposes, this is strong **cause-and-effect** evidence. Mughal pressure did not create Sikh beliefs, but it did strengthen Sikh group identity and resistance. That distinction is important. Sikh teaching and Mughal governance are not the same thing, but they interacted closely.

> **Test Tip:** For comparison questions, set up a direct contrast: **Akbar = tolerance and inclusion**; **Aurangzeb = stricter Islamic policy and greater conflict**. That is a clear way to earn comparison points.

### From devotional community to Khalsa: continuity and change over time

A common AP skill is **continuity and change over time**, and Sikhism is excellent for this. There was continuity: Sikhism remained monotheistic, community-focused, and committed to equality and devotion. But there was also change: by the late 1600s, the community became more organized and more martial.

That change culminated in **1699**, when **Guru Gobind Singh** founded the **Khalsa**.

> **Key Term: Guru Gobind Singh**
> The tenth Sikh Guru, who founded the Khalsa in 1699 and helped formalize Sikh identity.
>
> **Key Term: Khalsa**
> The community of initiated Sikhs founded in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, marking a more unified and martial Sikh identity.

The Khalsa formalized Sikh identity at a moment when conflict with Mughal power had intensified. This does not mean Sikhism became only a military movement. It remained a religion built on devotion and ethical living. But the Khalsa gave the community stronger cohesion, sharper boundaries, and the capacity for resistance.

If you want to show change over time in a sentence, a strong AP formulation is:

- Early Sikhism was mainly a devotional movement centered on monotheism, equality, and service.
- By the late seventeenth century, persecution and political pressure had helped produce a more organized and militarized Sikh community.

That is a clear historical argument supported by dates: **1606**, **1675**, and **1699**.

This also helps explain why Sikhism belongs in Unit 3 belief systems, not only in later stories about regional politics. Its religious development came first; military resistance grew later in response to changing conditions.

### How to use this topic in SAQs, DBQs, and LEQs

For AP essays, this topic works best when you organize it around a clear skill.

If the prompt is about **cultural interaction**, argue that Sikhism developed in a region shaped by Hindu and Islamic contact, but became a distinct monotheistic religion.

If the prompt is about **causation**, argue that changing Mughal policies, especially under Jahangir and Aurangzeb, increased conflict and contributed to Sikh militarization.

If the prompt is about **continuity and change**, show continuity in Sikh monotheism, equality, and service, while showing change from Nanak’s early movement to the Khalsa.

A useful mini-thesis might look like this:

Sikhism emerged from a South Asian environment shaped by Hindu and Muslim interaction, but it developed into a distinct religion whose identity hardened as Mughal persecution increased in the seventeenth century.

That sentence does three things well:

- gives context
- avoids oversimplification
- shows change over time

For DBQ outside evidence, Sikhism can be paired with:

- **Kabir**
- **Akbar’s tolerance**
- **Aurangzeb’s stricter policies**
- **Guru Arjan**
- **Khalsa**

Avoid vague statements like “religions blended in India.” AP readers reward precise evidence.

## Key Point Checklist

_This article has covered the following key knowledge points:_

- Sikhism began in the **Punjab** in the late fifteenth century
- **Guru Nanak (1469–1539)** founded Sikhism
- Sikhism emerged in a region shaped by long-term **Hindu-Islamic interaction**
- Sikhism taught devotion to **one God**, ethical living, equality, and service
- Sikh teaching challenged rigid **caste** hierarchy
- **Langar** is a concrete example of Sikh equality in practice
- Sikhism should be described as a distinct religion, not merely a simple blend of Hinduism and Islam
- **Akbar** is associated with Mughal tolerance and abolition of the **jizya**
- **Guru Arjan** was executed in **1606**, marking a turning point in Sikh-Mughal relations
- **Guru Tegh Bahadur** was executed in **1675** under **Aurangzeb**
- **Guru Gobind Singh** founded the **Khalsa** in **1699**
- Mughal pressure helped move Sikhism from an early devotional movement toward a more unified and martial community

## Key Terms and Concepts

- Sikhism
- syncretism
- Guru Nanak
- caste
- langar
- Guru Granth Sahib
- jizya
- Guru Arjan
- Guru Tegh Bahadur
- Guru Gobind Singh
- Khalsa


Empires: Belief Systems - Sikhism: Hindu-Islamic interactions