[p. 10] The Sikhs as pictured by their enemies may seem to bear no relation to the Sikhs as pictured in their own religious literature, which breathes a spirit of devotion. As with many religious traditions, however, the truth of one's faith may become, in the eyes of one's enemies, fanaticism and bigotry. Sikhism is defined by devotion to the Gurus, especially the originator of the community, Guru Nanak; by reverence for the scripture, [p. 11] the Granth Sāhib; and by adherence to a code of devotion, social behavior, and discipline.
The code of devotion is embodied in what is known as the rahit, of which there are a number of versions, called rahit-nāmās. A few excerpts are given from what is believed by scholars to be one of the earliest extant versions, the Chaupā Singh Rahit-nāmā, dating, according to some scholars, from early in the eighteenth century. Like many religious codes, it is intended to define and identify the true believers, who accept the rigorous discipline of the faith.
By the grace of the Eternal One, the True Guru
The text which follows is the Rahit [or pattern of conduct] prescribed by the Satguru. What is the Rahit? The Granth Sahib tells us: If one follows the Rahit that disease [which is separation from God] progressively diminishes.... In the early morning the Gursikh [a devout Sikh] ... should bathe or [at least] perform the five ablutions. Let him then recite Japjī [thirty-eight short poems at the beginning of the Ādi Granth that are considered the core statement of faith] five times. According to Guru Ram Das he who recites Japjī five times will acquire the radiance of [true] enlightenment ... The Gursikh should then turn to whatever daily occupation is appropriate to the status conferred on him by the Guru.... When it is time to eat give a portion of your food to someone else, as you are able to afford. Invite another Sikh to sit with you in the place where you prepare your food [and share whatever you have with him]. ... A Gursikh should not drink intoxicating liquor. As the Granth Sahib says: He who drinks dislodges his reason and becomes demented.... A Gursikh should not stare at another's wife and he should never have intercourse with any woman other [than his own wife].... A Gursikh ... should not cherish worldly things, and he should always be in complete control of his temper.... A Gursikh should be strictly loyal to his own dharma and should not endeavour to follow another's [way].
[Chaupa Singh Rahit-nama, trans. and ed. W. H. McLeod (Dunedin: University of Otago Press, 1987), 149, 150, 153, 155, from vv. 1, 2, 7, 11, 44, 65.]
Rachel Fell McDermott, Leonard A. Gordon, Ainslie T. Embree, Frances W. Pritchett and Dennis Dalton, eds., Sources of Indian Traditions, vol. 2: Modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, 3rd ed. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2014), pp. 10–11.