Sikhism

In Sikhism, God — termed Vāhigurū — is formless, eternal, and unobserved: niraṅkār, akāl, and alakh. Nanak interpreted Vāhigurū as a single, personal and transcendental creator. The beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure "1" — signifying the unity of God. To achieve salvation, the devotee must develop an intimate faith in and relationship with God. God is omnipresent and infinite, and is signified by the term ēk ōaṅkār.

Sikhs believe that prior to creation, all that existed was God and his hukam (will). When God willed, the entire cosmos was created. From these beginnings, God nurtured "enticement and attachment" to māyā, or the human perception of reality.

While a full understanding of God is beyond human beings, Nanak described God as not wholly unknowable. God is omnipresent (sarav viāpak) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. Nanak stressed that God must be seen from "the inward eye," or the "heart," of a human being: devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment.

Nanak emphasised the revelation through meditation, as its rigorous application permits the existence of communication between God and human beings. God has no gender in Sikhism, though translations may incorrectly present a masculine God. In addition, Nanak wrote that there are many worlds on which God has created life.