The Guru Granth Sahib, or Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is the holy scripture and the final Guru of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs (parts), compiled and composed during the period of Sikh Gurus, from 1469 to 1708. It is a collection of hymns or shabad, which describe what God is like and the right way to live.

Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth of the Sikh Gurus, affirmed the sacred text Adi Granth as his successor, terminating the line of human Gurus, and elevating the text to Guru Granth Sahib. Thenceforward the text remained the holy scripture of the Sikhs, regarded as the living embodiment of the Ten Gurus. The role of Guru Granth Sahib, as a source or guide of prayer, is pivotal in worship in Sikhism.

The Adi Granth was first compiled by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606), from hymns of the first five Sikh gurus and other great saints, including those of the Hindu and Muslim faith. After the demise of the tenth Sikh guru many handwritten copies were prepared for distribution by Baba Deep Singh.

Written in the Gurmukhi script, predominantly in archaic Punjabi with occasional use of other languages including Braj, Punjabi, Khariboli (Hindi), Sanskrit, regional dialects, and Persian, often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha.

Meaning and role in Sikhism
Sikhs consider the Guru Granth Sahib a spiritual guide for all mankind for all generations to come, and it plays a central role in guiding the Sikhs' way of life. Its place in Sikh devotional life is based on two fundamental principles; that the text is divine revelation, and that all answers regarding religion and morality can be discovered within it. Its hymns and teachings are called Gurbani or "Word of the guru" and sometimes Dhur ki bani or "Word of God". Thus, in Sikh theology, the revealed divine word is the Guru.
The numerous holy men who contributed to the Guru Granth Sahib is collectively referred to as Bhagat Bani or "Word of Devotees". These saints belonged to different social and religious backgrounds, including Hindus and Muslims, cobblers and untouchables. Though Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains the compositions of both Sikh Gurus as well the other great saints (Bhagats) — including those of the Hindu and Muslim faith — no distinction whatsoever is made between the works of Sikh Gurus and Sikh Bhagats; the titles "Guru" and "Bhagat" should not be misleading. The Guru Granth Sahib is the sole and final successor of the line of gurus. Anyone claiming the status of living guru is considered a heretic.

History
The work of transcribing the teachings of Guru Nanak, the first guru and founder of Sikhism, began in his lifetime. Guru Angad, the second guru of Sikhs, received Nanak's collection of songs and words in manuscript form: he added sixty-three of his own compositions. The third guru, Amar Das, prepared a number of manuscripts, supplemented with 974 of his own compositions as well as the works of various Bhagats. These manuscripts, known as Goindwal pothis, mention the message of Guru Amar Das as to why the Bhagat Bani was included and how the Bhagats were influenced by Guru Nanak.

The fourth Guru also composed hymns. The fifth, Arjan Dev, in order to consolidate the Bani (Divine word) of earlier Gurus and to prevent spurious compositions creeping in, began early in 1599 to compile the Adi Granth according to the plan laid out by Nanak. The Tawarikh Guru Khalsa mentions that he issued a Hukamnama (official order), asking anyone who could contribute to do so. All of the sourcing and content was reviewed in order to ensure the authenticity of the existing revelation.

The final prepared volume, written by Bhai Gurdas, under the direct supervision of Guru Arjan, included the compositions of the first five Sikh Gurus and of fifteen Bhagats, seventeen Bhatts ("bards", or traditional composers) and four others such as Bhai Mardana, a lifelong companion of Guru Nanak. The Adi Granth took five years to complete and was installed in Harmandir Sahib ("the abode of God"), popularly known as the Golden Temple, on September 01, 1604, with Baba Buddha as the first Granthi. This original volume is presently in Kartarpur and bears the signature of the Guru Arjan.

This master copy was initially in the possession of Guru Hargobind, but was stolen by one of his grandsons, Dhir Mal, who wanted to lay claim to the title of Guru. The Sikhs, about 30 years later, recovered it forcibly and were made to return it on the order of the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur. Even though this master copy was improperly wrested from the community, its return underscored the message that no particular copy of the Adi Granth was more divine than another. This master copy of the Adi Granth (known as the "Kartarpur Pothi") which is of significant historical value, is displayed every year on the occasion of Vaisakhi by the descendants of Dhir Mal in Kartarpur.

The redaction of the Adi Granth was prepared by Guru Gobind Singh with the scribe Bhai Mani Singh at Talwandi Sabo (renamed as Damdama Sahib). Guru Gobind Singh added the hymns composed by Guru Tegh Bahadur[18] but excluded his own. There is mention of Guru Gobind Singh's holding an "Akhand Path" (continued recital of Guru Granth Sahib).[19] From Talwandi Sabo, Guru Gobind Singh went to Deccan. While at Nanded, Guru Gobind Singh installed the final version prepared by him as the perpetual Guru of Sikhs in 1708.

The Guru Granth Sahib is divided into ragas or classical musical notes. The chronological division is on the basis of ragas and not on the order of succession of Gurus. As with the Adi Granth, Sikhs do not lay emphasis on any particular volume of Guru Granth Sahib as the Guru.

The Supreme Court of India holds that the Guru Granth Sahib should be, for historic and legal reasons, considered a 'Juristic person': "The Granth replaces the Guru after the tenth Guru. We unhesitatingly hold Guru Granth Sahib to be a juristic person." The court articulated this finding in the context of a case pertaining to a property dispute.