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What is the Sikh stance on idol worship?

Ask SikhRI

Monday

,

20

October

2025

Idol worship is practiced in many traditions around the world. In Sikhi, however, the Divine is infinite and cannot be confined to any shape or form.

Idol worship is practiced in many traditions around the world. In Sikhi, however, the Divine is infinite and cannot be confined to any shape or form.

Sikhi does not promote creating or worshipping idols, yet it also does not advocate destroying them. Everyone connects with the Divine differently, and thus, each path deserves respect.

The Guru Granth Sahib and Sikh history navigate us away from reducing the Infinite to any limited form. The real 'breaking of an idol' happens from within, removing mental fixations and idealizations that restrict our understanding of the Infinite.

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Harinder Singh

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib.

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