The core of the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji is the praise of God (Nirankar).
A simple description of the views of Guru Nanak Dev Ji on God is as follows :
1. There is One God. Guru Nanak Dev Ji gave the message of “Ek Onkar” which means One Supreme God. It was the core of all his teachings. It was the gist of his teachings or Mool Mantar. The gist of all his divine preaching on the idea of God is represented in his main saying (Mool Mantar). Guru Sahib told that there is one God and He cannot be divided. This message had social and religious importance for the contemporary world. The Muslims prayed to God accepting Prophet Muhammad as His prophet. The Hindus worshipped numerous gods and goddesses by accepting each of them as Supreme form. In his teachings, Guru Sahib strongly denied the concept of the incarnation of Supreme God. On that account, Guru Sahib did not accept Ram, Krishna, Buddha, and Muhammad as the incarnations of Supreme God.
2. God is Formless and Self-Created. Guru Nanak Dev Ji declared that God is Formless. He does not have any shape or form (Nirguna) but there are different attributes of God also (Saguna). Hence, the exact perception of God remains beyond the reach of words. God is Self Created, not by time (Altai Purakh), eternal and timeless (Akal Murat). Hence, it will not help, if Supreme God is worshipped only in the form of an idol created out of the perception of a common man. Guru Sahib rightly claimed that an ignorant man did not have the capacity to perceive the real God and neither had the ability to perceive and represent the Supreme God in the form of an idol or a symbol.
3. God is Omnipresent and Omnipotent. According to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, God is omnipresent and omnipotent. Guru Sahib said that He is present everywhere. He cannot be confined within the four walls of a temple or mosque. One of his couplets when translated, elaborates thus, “Why to seek one that was created and dies. Seek the only one, who is eternal.”
The being, which is created, will die. The being, which is created, is bound by time. It has a beginning. The thing, which has a beginning, has an end also. However, the Supreme God is Self-Created, that is, he was not created and thus will not end with time. He is Akal Murat, that is not bound by time (start and end) and thus timeless (permanent).
4. God is Compassionate (Kind). Guru Nanak Dev Ji said that God is very kind. He helps whenever He is sought. He lives in the hearts of his believers. To Guru Nanak Dev Ji, God was personal and merciful. He helped them who had faith in Him in time of trouble and difficulty.
5. God is Supreme and Great. Guru Nanak Dev Ji declared that God is Supreme and Great. It was beyond the capabilities of human beings to understand his Supreme Existence. Only God knows what actually He is. Thus Guru Nanak Dev Ji said, . ‘He, The Great, knows, what can be known on being great.’ ‘A’rtoi sfS1′ tyufHf WJ TF<? W( I’ Many people had tried to explain the greatness of God but none had been successful in revealing His greatness in words.
6. Importance of his edicts (Hukam). The teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji were full of praise of “Hukam” (rules ordained by God) of God. According to Guru Sahib , every event in the universe takes place as ordained by God (Hukam). Guru Sahib suggested that humanity should accept the sweet will of God as revealed in His Hukam.
