Sikh perspective on slavery: Gurmat’s stand on human exploitation
Gurbani rejects slavery:Gurbani teaches that Vaheguru is Kind and Just to all, so a Just Creator cannot be pleased with slavery or exploitation in the name of religion. It clearly condemns all forms of exploitation, coercion, and slavery.
Equality ends slavery: While many traditions justified slavery in their texts, Sikhi teaches that every human carries the same Divine Light. With no “higher” or “lower” person, Sikhi rejects any system that makes one human the property or subordinate of another.
Guru Nanak Ji opposed slavery wherever he travelled: He condemned Babur’s brutality at Eminabad, leading to the release of all captives and slaves. According to The Christian Advocate (1909), he also challenged Church leaders in Rome, denouncing the Christian world’s acceptance of slavery and forced exploitation.
Sikh rule rejected systems of domination: Baba Banda Singh Bahadar Ji’s Sikh kingdom (1710-1715) ended hereditary landlord exploitation that trapped people in slavery. Similarly, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Sikh kingdom (1799-1849) had slavery and capital punishment bannned, building a state grounded in justice and human dignity.
Sikhs as liberators, not enslavers: When Sikhs held power, they never used it to enslave or exploit others. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia earned the title Bandi Chhor for freeing thousands of enslaved women, and Sikh leaders—guided by Guru Gobind Singh Ji—refused to take slaves, war booty, or exploit the vulnerable.
References: 1. ਅਲਹ ਅਵਲਿ ਦੀਨ ਕੋ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਜੋਰੁ ਨਹੀ ਫੁਰਮਾਵੈ ॥੧॥ ; ਕਬੀਰ ਜੋਰੀ ਕੀਏ ਜੁਲਮੁ ਹੈ ਕਹਤਾ ਨਾਉ ਹਲਾਲੁ ॥ ਦਫਤਰਿ ਲੇਖਾ ਮਾਂਗੀਐ ਤਬ ਹੋਇਗੋ ਕਉਨੁ ਹਵਾਲੁ ॥੧੮੭॥ ; ਅਠਸਠਿ ਤੀਰਥ ਸਗਲ ਪੁੰਨ ਜੀਅ ਦਇਆ ਪਰਵਾਨੁ ॥ ; ਧੌਲੁ ਧਰਮੁ ਦਇਆ ਕਾ ਪੂਤੁ ॥ 2. ਏਕੁ ਪਿਤਾ ਏਕਸ ਕੇ ਹਮ ਬਾਰਿਕ ਤੂ ਮੇਰਾ ਗੁਰ ਹਾਈ ॥ ; ਏਕ ਨੂਰ ਤੇ ਸਭੁ ਜਗੁ ਉਪਜਿਆ ਕਉਨ ਭਲੇ ਕੋ ਮੰਦੇ ॥੧॥ 3. “The Christian Advocate” (Sept 9, 1909), p. 1425 ; Khalastut-Twarikh, by Sujan Rai Bhandari. 4. Umdat-ut-tawarikh by Sohan Lal Suri ; First Raj of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Banda Singh Bahadur by Harish Dhillon ; A History of the Sikhs (1849) by Joseph Davey Cunningham ; The Sikhs of the Punjab (Cambridge University Press) by J.S. Grewal 5. Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia by Dr. Ganda Singh ; The Sikhs by Patwant Singh.
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