REFLECTION ON THE BOOK: CONDITIONS OF BAI’AT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN AHMADI Authored by Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, (May Allah be his Helper) Part 1

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 Messiah^as 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 Messaiah^as 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-Samit^ra narrates that, ‘We pledged at the hand of the Holy Prophet^sa 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 Messiah^as 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 Messaiah^as 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 Ahmad^atba, 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 Muhammad^sa and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the tahajjud and invoking durud on the Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa. 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 Prophet^saw;

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 Messiah^as should depart quickly because “those who belong to the Promised Messiah^as CANNOT be separated from him.” [Emphasis mine] [COB: 2006:99].

To emphasize on this, he quotes the Promised Messiah^as 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 Messiah^as, he/she must be ready to adopt any and every form of ‘Steadfastness’.

To recap, the Promised Messiah^as 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 Messiah^as 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 Messiah^as 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.