The Hukamnama (Persian words "Hukm" + "Namah") hukm, meaning command, direction, order, etc and namah, meaning letter.

Explanation: There are two parts to this word, Hukam, & Nama. The former "Hukam" is a Persian word for a divine order, command, direction, etc. The latter part "Nama" is also a Persian suffix which is added to some other words to signify the communication of the word that preceded it.

For example:
1. Thankhahnama is the document that outlines Thankhah (spiritual discipline) for the Sikhs as written by Bhai Nand Lal Ji.
2. Zafarnama is the letter of declaration of victory from Guru Gobind Singh Ji to Aurangzeb.

Along those lines, Hukamnama is the communication or the decree of a divine order.

Hukam is referred to in Gurbani as the divine order, divine will, or command of God and Guru. There is no hukam higher than God and Guru's hukam. No king, ruler, statesperson, or any worldly authority can have a hukam superior to God and Guru. Whatever the Creator God wishes to have done in the universe is supreme, and true, and worldly powers cannot be exerted over God.
 

As written in Sri Guru Granth Sahib:
ਜੋ ਤਿਸੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋਈ ਕਰਸੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਨ ਕਰਣਾ ਜਾਈ॥
[Sri Guru Granth Sahib - Page: 9 Line: 7  Raag Aasaa: Guru Nanak Dev]

Transliteration: jō tisu bhāvai sōī karasī phiri hukmu na karnā jāī ॥
Transliteration: जो तिसु भावै सोई करसी फिरि हुकमु न करणा जाई॥
English Translation: He does whatever He pleases. No one can issue any order to Him.

Currently, the word applies to edicts issued from time to time from the five takhats or seats of high religious authorities for the Sikhs – the Akal Takht at Amritsar, Punjab, Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, Takht Harimander Sahib at Patna, Bihar, Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib at Nanded, Maharashtra and Takht Damdama Sahib at Talvandi Sabo in Bathinda, Punjab.


Significance of The Hukamnama:
The daily hukamnama from Sri Darbar Sahib, SachKhand Sri Harimandir Sahib, is taken to be the instructions or order for the whole of the Sikh community for that particular day. In fact, every gurdwara sahib in the world takes hukamnama from Sri Guru Granth Sahib each morning and on the conclusion of programs, and Guru Ji gives individual hukams for individual situations, events, and communities. Throughout Sikh history, there have been numerous instances when the hukamnama from Sri Darbar Sahib was directly relevant to the events of the day in the world. In addition, the hukamnama is a reminder to all Sikhs to reflect on the word of the Guru, and implement the teachings of the Guru into their life, each and every day. In fact, Gursikhs who are imbued with the colours of Naam follow the teachings of the Guru with each and every breath, and each and every morsel of food. The divine hukam of the One Supreme Naam, and the whole of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji's teachings, are absorbed into the breaths, blood and bone of the spiritually enlightened Gursikh.

The daily hukamnama is a reminder for the Sikh community to accept one Guru - Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and to be united as one community - Guru Khalsa Panth.

ਗੁਰ ਕੇ ਬਚਨ ਸਤਿ ਸਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਮਾਨੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਠਾਕੁਰ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਪਿਆਰੇ ॥੬॥
[Sri Guru Granth Sahib - Page: 982 Line: 1  Raag Nat: Guru Ram Das]

Transliteration: gur kē bachan sati sati kari mānē mērē thākur bahutu piārē ॥6॥
Transliteration: गुर के बचन सति सति करि माने मेरे ठाकुर बहुतु पिआरे ॥६॥
English Translation: Those who accept the Word of the Guru as True, totally True, are very dear to my Lord and Master. ||6|| Therefore, when the gurbani from Guru Granth Sahib Ji is recited, it is taken as a direct command or order from the Guru and God.


History Behind The Hukamnama
In 1604, Guru Arjan Dev Ji completed the first edition of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, called Sri Aad Granth, and the whole of the Sikh community celebrated the completion of the compilation of the sacred scriptures. Bhai Gurdas Ji had scribed the whole of the Sri Aad Granth and Guru Arjan Dev Ji had supervised and directed the whole process with the blessings of the Creator. Guru Arjan Dev Ji organized a procession to the darbar sahib at Sri Harimandir Sahib where Sri Aad Granth was installed upon the throne. Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji sat at a lower position, on the floor with the rest of the congregation, and instructed the congregation on how to show respect to the divine word of God. At this time, Baba Buddha Ji was requested to fulfill the service of being the Granthi and he took the first Hukamnama of Sri Aad Granth Sahib. The first line of the Hukamnama was:

ਸੰਤਾ ਕੇ ਕਾਰਜਿ ਆਪਿ ਖਲੋਇਆ ਹਰਿ ਕੰਮੁ ਕਰਾਵਣਿ ਆਇਆ ਰਾਮ ॥
[Sri Guru Granth Sahib - Page: 783 Line: 16 Raag Soohee: Guru Arjan Dev]

Transliteration: santā kē kārji āpi khalōiā hari kammu karāvṇi āiā rām ॥
Transliteration: संता के कारजि आपि खलोइआ हरि कमु करावणि आइआ राम ॥
English Translation: The Lord Himself has stood up to resolve the affairs of the Saints; He has come to complete their tasks.

Since that time, the saroop of Sri Aad Granth Sahib was prakash at Sri Harimandir Sahib, and every day Hukam was taken. Sri Guru  Granth Sahib was made a living guru by the last of the living Gurus, Guru Gobind Singh in 1708, when Sri Guru Gobind Singh completed the final saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and said that the Sikhs were to treat the Granth as their next Guru, this saroop was installed on the takhat at Sri Harimandir Sahib, and Hukam was taken from this saroop.

ਸਬ ਸਿੱਖਣ ਕੋ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੈ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਾਨਯੋ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ॥

Transliteration: Sab sikhan kō hukam hai gurū mānyō granth ॥
Transliteration: सब सिखण को हुकम है गुरु मानयो गरंथ ॥
English Translation: All Sikhs are commanded to regard the Granth as their Guru.


Those of Guru Hargobind Sahib JI as also most of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s are believed to have been written in their own hand. It appears, however, that in the time of Guru Gobind Singh, the text was written by a scribe while the Guru put down on the top of the letter an authentication mark, an invocation or some direction. There is a near uniformity in the format of the hukamnamas. The earlier ones bore no date; from AD 1691 onwards they were usually dated and also, at times, numbered. Later on, the practice of recording at the end of the text the number of lines in the body of the letters also came into vogue. The scribes began the text with the words, "Sri Guru Ji Ki Agia Hai" (It is the order of the revered Guru, or the revered Guru desires), preceded by the formula "Ik Onkar Guru Sati", later "Ik Onkar Satguru" (Remember One God, the True Guru).

Banda Singh Bahadur (1670-1716), blessed by Guru Gobind Singh himself, introduced a seal in Persian script as authentication mark and recorded the initial formula to read as "Ik Onkar Fateh Darsanu" (God is One, Victory to (His) Presence), and the text began with "Sache Sahib Di Agia Hai" (by order of the True Master). Hukamnamas of Mata Sundari begin with the words Sri Mata ji di agia hai, and those of Mata Sahib Devi with "Sri Akal Purakh Ji Ka Khalsa Sri Mata Sahib Devi Ji Di Agia Hai" (Mata Sahib Devi’s order to the Khalsa of the Timeless One).

Apart from their importance to the Sikhs as the sacred remembrances of the Gurus, the hukamnamas are invaluable historical documents. Names of persons and places to which they are addressed provide clues to the composition, socially, of early Sikhism and its spread, geographically. One of the earliest hukamnamas discovered is a missive addressed by Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) to sangats at Patna, Alamganj, Sherpur, Bina and Monghyr, in Bihar, and includes no fewer than 62 names of prominent Sikhs belonging to those communities. Hukamnamas of Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621-75) and Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) are addressed to sangats as far apart as Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet in the east and Patan, present-day Pakpattan, in Pakistan in the west. In addition to blessings from the Gurus and acknowledgement of the devotees’ gifts, these letters contain instructions for the followers to cultivate love and prayer as well as indications with regard to the offerings they might bring. The demands ranged from cash contribution in the form of gold or hundis (bills of exchange) to pet birds, garments, weapons, cannons and war elephants. Sometimes these demands are written in abbreviated forms.


Hukamnama from Sri Harimandir Sahib:
At Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar (The Golden Temple), during the early morning hours, around 4:00am, the hazoori ragi kirtani jathas at Sri Harimandir Sahib commence "asa di var" in kirtan. Saroop Sri Guru Granth Sahib (The Holy Granth) is brought by one of the granthis or by the head granthi of Harimandir Sahib, or by the jathedar of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. Sri Guru Granth Sahib is put into a palki and the palki is carried to Sri Harimandir Sahib. About half-way into the ragi jatha's recitation of "asa di var", they begin to recite a shabad about "darshan" and as they complete the shabad the whole sangat stands respectfully as Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji enters into the Sri Darbar Sahib. The granthi places Sri Guru Granth Sahib on the takhat and some sevadaars recite "bhatta de svaiye" while the granthi and other sevadaars prepare Sri Guru Granth Sahib's rumallas and basthars. Then the hukamnama is taken by opening randomly to any page and the shabad on that page becomes the day's Hukam. Then the Hukamnama is broadcast around the Harimandir Sahib complex through loud speakers. Meanwhile, people around the world listen and/or read the hukamnama through Internet, radio, and television.