ਰਹਿਤ

Rehat is the Sikh code of conduct: the discipline of prayer, honest work and moral conduct that shapes a Sikh's life. From the Punjabi verb rahina, to live, it literally means a way of living. Guru Gobind Singh is remembered for saying he loves a Sikh's rehat more than the Sikh without it.

Meaning

Rehat means a code of conduct or discipline, from the Punjabi verb rahina, to live or remain. It carries the sense of a whole way of living rather than a list of rules. In everyday Punjabi, keeping rehat (rehat rakhni) means living with discipline: praying, working honestly and behaving well. The formal name is the Sikh Rehat Maryada, where maryada means the bounds of proper conduct.

Origin and history

Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, used the word rahit for a distinctive Sikh way of living. Written rules for Sikh conduct began appearing around the turn of the 17th century. When Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699, the rehat grew to include new obligations, such as keeping the hair uncut and avoiding tobacco. These rules were recorded in texts called rahit-namas; the earliest surviving one is attributed to Chaupa Singh, who died in 1723. In the 20th century the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the elected body that manages Sikh gurdwaras, codified them into one authoritative text, the Sikh Rahit Maryada, the Sikh Code of Conduct, drafted in 1932-36 and formally approved in 1945.

What does rehat ask of a Sikh?

At its heart rehat is daily practice. It calls on Sikhs to rise early for the daily prayers, the nitnem, in the ambrosial hours before dawn, to earn an honest living by lawful work, and to deal with others with integrity. For initiated Khalsa Sikhs it adds firm commitments: keeping the Five Ks, never cutting the hair, and avoiding tobacco and intoxicants. All of this is laid out in the Rehat Maryada.

Why does rehat matter so much?

In Sikh teaching, discipline is identity. Guru Gobind Singh is remembered for the verse 'Rehat pyari mujh ko, Sikh pyara nahi': I love the rehat, not the Sikh without it. A Sikh is defined not only by birth or appearance, but by how they live each day. That is why the Rehat Maryada is treated as binding on all who call themselves Sikhs.