⚖️ Justice
Sikhs believe God is just. A community that never dealt with wrongdoing would not be fair to the people who were harmed.
Sikh Beliefs about Peace and Conflict » Sikh Attitudes to Punishment and Its Aims
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 3.5 (Sikhism)
- What punishment means for Sikhs, and how the Rahit Maryada says a religious penalty is given
- Why punishment is important to Sikhs and why society needs it
- Sikh teachings: justice without revenge, and reform and a return to the community
- Sikh attitudes to protection, retribution, deterrence and reformation, with strengths and weaknesses
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Unlock This CoursePunishment: a quick recall
In Punishment: Aims and Types you learned that punishment is a penalty given to someone who has broken a rule or law, and that it has aims such as protection, deterrence, retribution and reform. In Justice, Crime and Its Causes: Sikh Action and SWAT you saw that many Sikhs regard punishment as a form of justice. Here we look at what Sikhs believe about punishment itself.
The nature of punishment in Sikhism
For Sikhs there are two kinds of punishment. One is the punishment of the state, such as a fine or prison, which most Sikhs accept if the law is fair. The other is the religious penalty given inside the Sikh community. You met it in Forgiveness and Restorative Justice in Sikhism, where it was called a tankhah.
The Sikh code of conduct is the Rahit Maryada. The specification cites it as Section 6, Chapter 8, Article XXV. The article is called "Method of Imposing Chastisement (Tankah)". It says:
- A Sikh who has broken the Sikh discipline should go to a nearby Sikh congregation (the sangat) and confess, standing before it.
- In the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib, the congregation chooses five from among themselves. These are called the five beloved ones. They think about the fault and suggest the penalty.
- The congregation should not be stubborn about granting pardon, and the person should not argue about the penalty.
- The penalty should be some kind of service, especially service done with the hands.
- Finally, an Ardas (Sikh prayer) is said for the person's correction.
Sikhs understand the aim as reform, and the person is then welcomed back into the sangat. Notice what this shows about the nature of Sikh punishment. It is open, shared by the whole community, fair, and aimed at putting things right. It is not hatred or revenge.
Key terms:
- Five beloved ones: five members of the sangat chosen to decide a religious penalty.
Why is punishment important for Sikhs?
🌱 Helping people grow
Punishment can help a person see their fault, say sorry and change, so they live as a gurmukh (someone guided by God and the Guru) and not as a manmukh.
👥 A healthy sangat
Sikhs live as a community. Keeping the Sikh discipline together protects the community's way of life and shows that everyone is held to the same standard.
🔒 Protecting others
Sikhs are taught to defend the weak. Dealing with those who cause harm is part of that duty.
Sikh teachings about punishment
Justice without revenge. Sikhs teach that God is just, so wrongdoing has results. But Sikhs are also taught not to hit back in anger. In Forgiveness and Restorative Justice in Sikhism you met the advice of Sheikh Farid not to strike back. Revenge feeds haumai, the ego. So a Sikh punishment should be fair and calm, never cruel.
Reform and return to the community. Every person has the divine light, so even a wrongdoer can change. In the tankhah, the penalty is service and the Ardas is said for the person's correction. Sikhs understand that once this is done the person is welcomed back into the sangat. The punishment is a road back, not a way of pushing someone out.
Guru Granth Sahib 148:8-9. The specification cites this reference for Sikh teaching about punishment. It is in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, on page (ang) 148. Its exact wording can be read on a Sikh scripture site such as srigranth.org; this lesson does not quote it.
Why society needs punishment
Most Sikhs would say that a society with no punishment would be unsafe and unfair. Punishment tells everyone what is not allowed. It protects people from those who are dangerous. It shows victims that what happened to them was wrong. Without it, people might take revenge into their own hands, which Sikhs want to avoid.
Sikh attitudes to the aims of punishment
Different Sikhs may weigh the aims differently, but these are the views you can expect to write about.
🛡️ Protection
Sikh view: strongly supported, because Sikhs have a duty to protect the weak and the saint-soldier defends others.
Strength: it keeps the public safe from dangerous people.
Weakness: it does nothing to change the person, who may be a danger again once free.
🚨 Deterrence
Sikh view: accepted, as a way of showing that wrong actions have a cost and so keeping the peace.
Strength: it may stop others from offending.
Weakness: people often do not think they will be caught, and it treats a person as an example, not as someone with the divine light.
⚖️ Retribution
Sikh view: the most difficult aim for Sikhs. They accept that wrongdoing should have fair results, but revenge feeds haumai, so they reject punishing out of anger or hatred.
Strength: it gives the victim a sense that justice has been done.
Weakness: it can become revenge, and it does not help the offender or the victim to heal.
🌱 Reformation
Sikh view: the aim that fits Sikh teaching best, because everyone has the divine light and can change, as the tankhah shows.
Strength: it can stop reoffending and help the person rejoin the community.
Weakness: it takes time, and some offenders do not want to change.
Many Sikhs would therefore support a mix: protection for the public, fair consequences, and above all a chance to reform. The general arguments about these aims, including non-religious views, were covered in Punishment: Aims and Types.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes
- Saying Sikhs are against all punishment. They accept fair punishment, but without revenge.
- Describing only prison. Include the Sikh religious penalty: confession, the five beloved ones, service and the Ardas.
- Listing the four aims with no Sikh link. Say why Sikhs agree or disagree with each one.
- Saying all Sikhs think the same. Say "many Sikhs" or "some Sikhs".
Exam-style question
Paper 1 (a) [3 marks, AO1]: Identify three aims of punishment.
Model answer
1. Protection (1). 2. Deterrence (1). 3. Reformation (1). (Retribution and reparation are also accepted.)
Paper 1 (b) [4 marks, AO1]: Choose one religion. Outline two Sikh teachings about punishment.
Model answer
Sikhs teach that punishment should be fair and not based on revenge (1), because revenge feeds haumai, the ego (1). Sikhs also teach that a wrongdoer can reform (1), so after the penalty of service the person is welcomed back into the sangat (1).
Paper 1 (c) [6 marks, AO1 and AO2]: Choose one religion. Explain why punishment is important in this religion.
Model answer
Sikhs believe God is just, so they believe wrongdoing should have fair consequences, and punishment helps to bring justice to those who were harmed. Punishment also helps a person to reform. In the Rahit Maryada, a Sikh who has broken the discipline confesses to the sangat, and five beloved ones suggest a penalty, usually service. This helps the person see their fault and live as a gurmukh, not a manmukh. Punishment also protects others, which matters because Sikhs have a duty to defend the weak. Finally, it keeps the sangat united under the same standards, and once the Ardas is said the person is welcomed back, so punishment leads to a fresh start.
Paper 1 (d) [12 marks, AO1 and AO2]: "The main aim of punishment should be to protect the public." Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion.
Plan for (d)
For: keeping people safe comes first; Sikhs have a duty to defend the weak; a dangerous person must be stopped before anything else can work.
Against: protection does not change anyone; Sikhs believe everyone has the divine light and can reform, as the tankhah shows; humanists often judge punishment by results, such as lower reoffending; reform helps keep the public safe in the long run.
Possible conclusion: protection matters most while a person is dangerous, but the best long-term protection is reform, so reform should be the main aim. Judge each argument and give a clear final decision.
Exam tip
For a Sikh answer on punishment, name a Sikh idea in every paragraph: the Rahit Maryada process, haumai and revenge, the divine light, or the welcome back into the sangat.