Guru Nanak, the first of the ten Sikh gurus, was born in 1469 in Pakistan. By all accounts, 1496 was the year of his enlightenment when he started on his mission. His first statement after his prophetic communion with God was "There is no Hindu, nor any Muslim." This is an announcement of supreme significance. It declared not only the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God, but also God’s clear and primary interest not in any metaphysical doctrine but only in man and his fate.
His teaching supported unity of all religions:
There is one universal creator.
His Name Is Truth.
He is personified in his creation.
Those who embody His name carry no fear nor hatred.
His image (Presence) is undying in all.
He is beyond the cycles of birth and death by Guru's grace.
Guru Nanak spent twenty five years of his life preaching from place to place. Many of his hymns were composed during this period. They represent answers to the major religious and social problems of the day and cogent responses to the situations and incidents that he came across. Some of the hymns convey dialogues with Yogis in the Punjab and elsewhere. During these tours he studied other religious systems like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Islam. At the same time, he preached the doctrines of his new religion and mission at the places he visited. He passed away in 1539.