Life of Ahmad — Page 454
GURU NANAK WAS A MUSLIM as 454 his letter dated September 28th, 1895, shows that he went thoroughly into the matter and it was established that Nanak had performed the Chill a at Multan. Sikhs visit the two places as their sacred places for the same reason. Dr. Trumpp, a German missionary, who translated the Granth on behalf of the Punjab Government in 1877, thinks it not probable that Nanak visited Mecca. But he does not appear to be right. His knowledge of Punjabi dialects was quite insufficient and, therefore, he could not have access to all the original sources of his information 108. Muslim mystics of the Chisht i school of thought definitely say that Nanak went to Mecca on pilgrimage twice and that he also stayed there for two years. God commanded Nanak to perform the Hajj (see Janam S a kh i Bh a i B a l a , Muf i d-e-‘ A m Press, Lahore, 1897, p. 136. Ibid. Nawalkishore press, Lahore, 1890). It may be mentioned here that Mr. M. A. Macauliffe, author of The Sikh Religion says: 'The doctrines of Sikhism as set forth in the Granth are that it prohibits idolatry, hypocrisy, 108 In the Introduction to his Translation of the Ad i Granth (p. ci) Dr. Trumpp says, 'Nanak remained a thorough Hindu according to all his views'. But Mr. F. Pincott M. R. A. S. has very ably refuted this assertion and proved that Nanak was not at all a Hindu. He shows on the other hand that the Hindus 'applied cow-dung to every spot on which they had stood, as soon as they departed (India Office MS. No. 1728. fol. 94). The obvious meaning of this, that orthodox Hindus considered every spot polluted which Nanak and his companions had visited. This could never have been related of Nanak had he remained a Hindu by religion' ( Hughes Dictionary of Islam , p. 587).