It is always the norm that every organization gives codes of
conduct to her members and adherents to unite their ideas and ways of life.
This is imperative to avoid dissension among and within members of such
organization. This is also the idea behind the revelation of divine books. In his heart-captivating lectures-turned
book- Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi- Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V atba (Fifth Successor of the Promised Messiah, Mahdi and the Holy Founder of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) gives the background and explains in detail the conditions of bai’at each
Ahmadi-Muslim has taken at the hands of the Promised Messiahas either
directly or through his Khulafah as a brief but comprehensive codes of conduct
revealed through the Holy Qur’an.
Within the first 100 pages of the book, Conditions of
Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, his holiness, the author,
introduces the reason for the emergence of the book, the definitions and
meanings of the word ‘bai’at’ before delving into the first five conditions of
the Bai’at.
According to
the author, the word bai’at, in the light of the Holy Quran, Ahadith and the
sayings and writings of the Promised Messiah as, means handing over
one’s self and soul to the Almighty Allah to take to His Majestic Chopping Board for the
maximum sacrifice; and once you have given authority to somebody, do not keep a suspicious watch
on him. Essence of our bai’at, therefore, is for Allah to manage and direct
one’s affairs as He wishes without any grudge or excuse on his/her part.
To buttress this, the author quotes the Promised Messaiahas
saying:
“Bai‘at truly means to sell oneself;
its blessings and impact are based on that condition. Just as a seed is sown
into the ground, its original condition is that the hand of the farmer has sown
it, but it is not known what will happen to it. If the seed is of a good
quality and possesses the capacity to grow, then with the grace of Allah the
Almighty, and as a consequence of the work done by the farmer, it grows until
one grain turns into a thousand grains. Similarly, the person taking bai‘at has
to first adopt lowliness and humility and has to distance himself from his ego
and selfishness. Then that person becomes fit for growth. But he who continues
to hold on to his ego, along with taking bai‘at, will never receive any grace.
(Malfuzat, vol. 6, p. 173) [COB: 2006:4]
And that:
To take bai‘at means handing over
your life to Almighty Allah. It means, ‘Today we have sold our life to Almighty
Allah.’ It is wrong to say that by treading in the path of Allah anybody would
ultimately suffer a loss. The truthful can never be in a state of loss. Only he
who is false—i.e., who, for worldly gain, breaks the pledge that he has made
with Almighty Allah— suffers loss. One who commits such an action because of
the fear of the world should remember that at the time of his death no ruler or
king of this world would come to procure his release. He has to present himself
to the Judge of all the judges, Who will enquire of him, ‘Why did you not
honour Me?’ Therefore, it is essential for all the believers to believe in Allah,
Who is the King of the heavens and earth and to make a true repentance.
(Malfuzat, vol. 7, pp. 29–30) [COB: 2006:4-5]
Having
understood the meanings and essence of bai’at, to keep it mind at all time is
now required. An hadith is quoted in this regard. It says:
Hadrat ‘Ubadah Bin As-Samitra
narrates that, ‘We pledged at the hand of the Holy Prophetsa on the
condition that we will listen and obey during the times of comfort and also
during the times of hardship, during periods of joy and also during periods of
pain, and that we will not argue with those in authority, and wherever we might
be, we will hold fast to truth and will not be afraid of the objections of any
critics.’ (Sunan Al-Nasa’i, Kitab-ul-Bai‘ati, Babul Bai‘ati ‘Alas Sam‘I Wat
Ta‘ah) [COB: 2006:6]
The revered author now highlights the beginning of bai’at of
the Promised Messiahas which is well emphasized that it was through
the divine commandment. A revelation in this regard translates thus:
And when you made up your mind, then
trust Allah. And make an ark before Our eyes and according to Our revelation. Those
who take a pledge at your hand take a pledge with Allah. Allah’s hand is above
their hands. (Ishtihar, December 01, 1888, p. 2) [COB: 2006:9]
The author proceeds to explain the aims and objectives of the
bai’at taking which is to become godly and better human being. He quotes the
Promised Messaiahas saying that:
This system of bai‘at has been
established solely to gather together a group of the righteous people in a
Jama‘at so, that a weighty group of the righteous people should make a holy impact
on the world. The unity of these righteous people should be a source of
blessings, grandeur, and positive results for Islam. The blessings of being
united on one creed may enable them to perform noble and righteous services for
the sake of Islam. They may not be lazy, stingy, and useless Muslims; nor
should they be like the unworthy ones who have done great damage to Islam
because of their discord and disunity; nor such as have vitiated Islam’s
beautiful countenance with their unholy conditions; nor should they be like those
heedless dervishes and hermits who have no awareness of what Islam needs, nor
have any sympathy for their brothers, nor have any enthusiasm to do good deeds
for humanity. Rather, they should be such sympathizers of the nation that they
should become a refuge for the poor and fathers for the orphans. In the service
of Islam, they should be willing to sacrifice themselves like one overpowered
with love. All their efforts should be devoted to spread Islam’s blessings throughout
the world so that a pure fountain of the love of Allah and sympathy for
humanity may flow from every heart and, being combined in one place, should
look like a flowing river…. Almighty Allah desires to manifest His Glory and demonstrate
His Omnipotence through this group, and then He desires to grant it further
progress so that the world may be filled with the love of Allah, true
repentance, purity, true goodness, peace, reconciliation, and sympathy for
mankind. This group will be a special group of Allah, and He will grant them
power through His Own Spirit, and He will safeguard them from unholy life, and
He will bring about a pure change in their life. As He has promised in His holy
glad tidings, He will increase this group tremendously and thousands of the truthful
will join it. He Himself will irrigate it and make it prosper until its numbers
and blessings will be a source of marvel for all who see. Like a lamp placed
high, they will spread their light on all sides of the world, and they will be considered
an example of the blessings of Islam. Allah will grant all kinds of blessings
to the perfect followers of this Movement, and He will grant them victory over
all others. Up to the Day of Judgement, there will be people among them who
will be granted divine acceptance and succour. This is what the Glorious God
has desired; He is All-Powerful and does what He desires. All strength and
power belong to Him.
(Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, vol. 1, pp. 196-198) [COB: 2006:10-12]
Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadatba, now explains in
detail conditions 1-5 of the bai’at. The five conditions are that:
I
The initiate shall solemnly promise that he/she shall abstain
from shirk [associating any partner with God] right up to the day of his/her
death.
II
That he/she shall keep away from falsehood, fornication/adultery,
trespasses of the eye, debauchery, dissipation, cruelty, dishonesty, mischief
and rebellion; and that he/she will not permit himself/herself to be carried
away by passions, however strong they might be.
III
That he/she shall regularly offer the five daily Prayers in
accordance with the commandments of God and the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the tahajjud and invoking
durud on the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. That he/she shall make it
his/her daily routine to ask forgiveness for his/her sins, to remember the
bounties of God and to praise and glorify Him.
IV
That under the impulse of any passions, he/she shall cause no
harm whatsoever to the creatures of God in general and Muslims in particular,
neither by his/her tongue, hands, nor any other means.
V
That he/she shall remain faithful to God in all circumstances
of life, in sorrow and in happiness, in adversity and in prosperity, in
felicity and in trial; and that he/she shall in all conditions remain resigned
to the decree of God and keep himself/ herself ready to face all kinds of
indignities and sufferings in His way and shall never turn away from Him at the
onslaught of any misfortune; on the contrary, he/she shall march forward.
These conditions of
Bai’at lay it down for each Ahmadi-Muslim to:
ü Shun totally any
and every form of shirk;
ü Detest and keep
away from falsehood and its associates;
ü Keep away from
adultery and all form of its avenues;
ü Keep away from
the trespasses of the eyes;
ü Avoid wickedness
and immorality of all kind; and that they should not get close to our beings.
He further explains that a wicked person is worse in the sight of Allah than a
disbeliever. And that the prayers of the wicked person ARE NOT ACCEPTED because
ALLAH CARES NOT for him/her;
ü Keep away from cruelty;
ü Keep away from
dishonesty;
ü Keep away from
mischief;
ü Keep away from
the ways of rebellion;
ü Not be carried
away by passion;
ü Take five daily
prayers seriously;
ü Be regular in
Tahajjud;
ü Be very regular
in sending Durud on the Holy Prophetsaw;
ü Be regular in Istighfar;
ü Always express
gratitude to Allah;
ü Adopt
forgiveness and forbearance;
ü Do not cause
harm to anyone in any way or form;
ü Keep away from
jealousy;
ü Adopt meekness
and humility and
ü Consider
suffering as a means of expiation of sins.
The author reiterated that all these issues be considered
well by all because “You are the last Jama’at established by Allah” [COB:
2006:97]. And that anyone who is not ready to belong to the community of the
Promised Messiahas should depart quickly because “those who belong
to the Promised Messiahas CANNOT be separated from him.” [Emphasis
mine] [COB: 2006:99].
To emphasize on this, he quotes the Promised Messiahas
that:
He who does not wish to follow me can
depart from me. I do not know how many terrible and thorny forests I may have
to cross. Why do those who are tender-footed put themselves to trouble with me?
Those who are mine will not depart from me, neither on account of misfortune,
nor in consequence of the vilification of people, nor through heavenly trials
and tribulations. Those who are not mine, vain are their affirmations of
friendship, for they will soon be separated from me and their last state will
be worse than their first. Shall we be afraid of earthquakes; shall we become
frightened by trials in the cause of Allah? Can we be separated by any trial
that comes from our Beloved Allah? Certainly not, but only through His grace
and mercy. Those who wish to depart may do so; we bid them farewell. But they
should remember that after thinking ill and cutting asunder, if they should
again incline towards me, such inclination would not receive the honour from
God as is bestowed upon the faithful, for the stain of ill-thinking and
treachery is a big stain.
(Anwar-ul-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in,
vol. 9, pp. 23–24) ] [COB:
2006:99-100].
That is those who cannot follow the details of bai’at as
highlighted should either expel the traits of arrogance and disobedience from
their beings or expel themselves from the Jama’at. But if one wants to follow the Promised
Messiahas, he/she must be ready to adopt any and every form of
‘Steadfastness’.
To recap, the Promised Messiahas through the
author of Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi says:
The members of my Jama‘at, wherever
they might be, should listen with attention. The purpose of their joining this
Movement and establishing the mutual relationship of spiritual preceptor and
disciple with me is that they should achieve a high degree of good conduct,
good behaviour and righteousness. No wrongdoing, mischief, or misconduct should
even approach them. They should perform the five daily Prayers regularly,
should not utter falsehood and should not hurt anyone by their tongues. They
should be guilty of no vice and should not let even a thought of any mischief,
wrong, disorderliness, or turmoil pass through their minds. They should shun
every type of sin, offence, undesirable action, passion, and unmannerly
behaviour. They should become pure-hearted and meek servants of God Almighty,
and no poisonous germ should flourish in their beings…. Sympathy with mankind
should be their principle and, they should fear God Almighty. They should
safeguard their tongues and their hands and their thoughts against every kind
of impurity, disorderliness and dishonesty. They should join the five daily
Prayer services without fail. They should refrain from every kind of wrong,
transgression, dishonesty, bribery, trespass, and partiality. They should not
participate in any evil company. If it should be proved that one who frequents
their company does not obey God’s commandments… or is not mindful of the rights
of people, or is cruel or mischievous, or is ill-behaved, or is seeking to
deceive the servants of God Almighty by speaking ill or abusively of him, or is
guilty of imposture towards the persons with whom they have entered into a
covenant of bai‘at, it should be their duty to repel him and to keep away from
such a dangerous one. They should not design harm against the followers of any
religion or the members of any tribe or group. Be true well-wishers of
everyone, and take care that no mischievous or vicious person, or disorderly
one or ill-behaved one, should ever be of your company, or should dwell among
you; for such a person could at any time be the cause of your stumbling. These
are matters and conditions that I have been urging from the beginning, and it
is the duty of every member of my Jama‘at to act upon them. You should indulge
in no impurity, mockery or derision. Walk upon the earth with good hearts, pure
tempers, and pure thoughts. Not every evil is worth fighting, so cultivate the
habit of forgiveness and overlooking defaults, and behave with steadfastness
and meekness. Do not attack anyone improperly, and keep your passions under
complete control. If you take part in a discussion, or in an exchange of views
on a religious subject, express yourself gently and be courteous. If anyone
misbehaves towards you, withdraw from such company with a greeting of peace. If
you are persecuted or reviled, be mindful that you should not meet stupidity
with stupidity, for otherwise you will be counted in the same category as your opponents.
God Almighty desires that you should become a Jama’at that should set an example
of goodness and truthfulness for the whole world. Hasten to exclude everyone
from your company who sets an example of evil, mischief, provocation and
ill-behaviour. He who cannot dwell among us in meekness, goodness and piety ,
using gentle words and comporting himself in ways of good conduct, should
depart from us quickly, for God does not desire that such a one should dwell
among us. He will die miserably, for he did not adopt the way of goodness.
Therefore, be alert, and be truly good-hearted, gentle and righteous. You will
be known by your regular attendance at Prayer services and your high moral
qualities. He who has the seed of evil embedded in him will not be able to
conform to this admonition. (Tabligh-e-Risalat, vol. 7, pp. 42–44. Ishtihar
(The Announcement), May 29, 1898, p. 2) [COB: 2006:37-40].
The Promised Messiahas is also quoted thus:
Believe in the God, Whose existence
is confirmed unanimously by the Torah, the Gospels and the Holy Qur’an. Do not
fashion a god whose existence is not proven by the unanimous testimony of these
three books. Accept that which is testified by intellect and human conscience
and is testified by the books of God. Do not believe in God in a manner that creates
discord between the books of God. Do not commit adultery. Do not tell lies.
Avoid the evil look. Safeguard yourselves from wickedness, immorality, cruelty,
dishonesty, and ways of rebellion. Do not be overpowered by carnal desires. Establish
the five daily Prayers because human natures undergo five kinds of trials. Be
grateful to your noble Messenger and invoke blessings upon him, for he is the
one who showed you the way of recognizing God in the age of darkness. These are
the principles that are the distinguishing features of my Community. The way this
Community establishes human sympathy, avoiding to do harm to human beings, and forsaking
the opposition of the official in charge, are not found in other Muslims.
Because of their own mistakes, their principles are of a different type, which
do not need explanation at this time. (Damimah Tiryaq-ul-Qulub, Ruhani
Khaza’in, vol. 15, pp. 524–526) [COB: 2006:48-49].
My dear people, I end this submission with the prayers of the
author, Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, KMV atba:
May we for the entire year, indeed
for the entire life, be the recipients of the blessings and spiritual benefits... May Allah cultivate and maintain
the bond of love in our coming generations for Allah, His Messenger, the
Promised Messiahas and khilafat. May Allah expose not our past
shortcomings and sins, and may He forgive us, and may He, out of His sheer
Grace, keep us among the Jama‘at of His dear ones. Our Allah! You are Forgiving
and Merciful. Forgive our sins. Have
mercy on us. Take us under the cover of Your forgiveness and mercy.
Never allow us to depart from You. Amin, ya Rabbal ‘Alamin
References:
Ahmad, M.M., [2006], Conditions of Bai’at &
Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, U.K.:
Islam
International Publications Ltd.
