What is Bayah?

 The meaning of Bai'at or pledging spiritual allegiance is to totally surrender yourself to a Spiritual Master (Murshid) to guide you to Allah Ta’ala. One who helps you to walk on the path of Shari'ah and Tariqah is known as a Peer-o-Murshid and Sheikh. One who walks on this path and follows this pious person is known as a Mureed (Disciple).

It is of great benefit to become a Mureed and is worthy of much blessing. To become followers of Awliya and to become involved with them is a worthy action to gain reward in both worlds. It is, therefore, necessary for these four qualifying aspects to be necessary in a Peer, for one to perform Bai'at (take oath). These qualitiies are:

1. He must be a Sunni with the correct beliefs, otherwise you may actually lose your faith.
2. He must have enough knowledge so that he can complete his necessary actions by looking at books, otherwise he will not be able to differentiate between forbidden and acceptable, allowed and not allowed.
3. He must not be a Fasiq (wrongdoer, one who does not follow Shari’ah) as it is necessary to disrespect a Fasiq and it is important to respect a Peer.
4. His tree of virtue must be connected to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) otherwise he will not gain virtue from the top.

People, today, consider Bai'at to be some kind of fashion. They are ignorant of the reality of Bai'at. An example is given here to give you an idea of what Bai'at really is. Once a Mureed (Disciple) of the great Sheikh Sayyiduna Yahya Maneri (radi Allahu anhu) was drowning. Sayyiduna Khidr (alaihis salaam) appeared and said to the Mureed, "Give me your hand and I will save you". The Mureed replied, "This hand has already been given in the hands of Sheikh Yahya Maneri (radi Allahu anhu) and since it belongs to him I cannot give it to anyone else". Sayyiduna Khidr (alaihis salaam) disappeared and, instantly, Sheikh Yahya Maneri (radi Allahu anhu) appeared and saved him.

Tajdeed or renewal of Bai'at used to take place in the time of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). Once the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) personally took Bai'at thrice from Sayyiduna Salmah bin Akwah (radi Allahu anhu) who was preparing to leave for Jihad. Therefore, one is allowed to renew his Bai’at with his Peer.

BAI'AT AND ITS BENEFITS

There are two types of Bai'at:

A. BAI'AT-E-BARAKAH:

This is to initiate one's self for the mere Barakah (Blessing) of joining a Silsila and this is the general idea or reason of today's Bai'ats. This should, at least, be done with a good intention. If Bai'at is taken for mere worldly gain or any reason other than spiritual upliftment, then such Bai'at is Baatil (null and void). The great Mujaddid, Ash Shah Imam Ahmed Raza (radi Allahu anhu) states: "The above Bai'at is not useless, but beneficial, in fact, very beneficial and profitable in Deen and Dunya. At least, his name would be recorded in the books of the Beloved of Allah (Mehboobaan-e-Khuda). By just having a link with a spiritual order (Silsila) is by itself a great fortune and blessing". A divine link is connected with the Awliya and Saleheen. Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) says that His Rabb, the All Powerful and Almighty Allah says. "There are those people who, by merely sitting with them, one will never become a Kaafir". (This refers to the Awliya)

B. BAI'AT-E-IRADAH:

This means to totally abolish one’s desires and intentions and surrender one's self at the hands of a true Guide or Spiritual Master. You have to sincerely obey and execute all his orders and methods entrusted on you by him.Never take a step without his consent even though some laws and orders may not suit you or make sense to you. The Murshid's commands may cause great discomfort to you and at such moments the Mureed must regard this as the interference of the Cursed Shaitaan. Your every hardship and difficulty must be presented to him. In conclusion, the Mureed must totally hand himself over to the Sheikh like a corpse in the hands of a person performing Ghusal. This is known as Bai'at-e-Salikeen. Such Bai'at leads one to Allah Ta’ala. It was Bai'at-e-Salikeen that was taken by the Ashaabs at the hands of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). Sayyiduna Obadah bin Samat (radi Allahu anhu) states: "We had taken Bai'at (at the hands of Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) on the following principles: We will await his command and execute it in times of every ease and difficulty, every form of ecstasy or displeasure. And when the Master commands us we will never disobey or cross question him". The command of the Murshid is the command of Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and his command is the Command of Allah, the All Powerful, Who nobody dares disobey.

In "Awariful Ma'arif" Sheikh Shahaabudeen Suhrawardi (radi Allahu anhu) states: "To be under the command of the Sheikh is to be under the Command of Allah and His Rasool (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and is the revival of a Sunnah - Bai'at. This is only applicable on those persons who imprison themselves in the hands of the Sheikh, discard all desires and dissolve themselves in the Sheikh (Fana-fi-Sheikh)".Sheikh Suhrawardi (radi Allahu anhu) also states: "Abstain from criticizing the Sheikh for it is a deadly poison for the Mureed. It is extremely rare for a Mureed who criticise his Sheikh to find serenity and success. In any action of the Sheikh, which does not seem correct to the Mureed, he should remember the events of Sayyiduna Khidr (alaihis salaam). This is because the actions performed by Sayyiduna Khidr (alaihis salaam) were apparently questionable (e.g. making a hole in the boat of the poor and killing an innocent child), but when the reasons for these actions were explained then it became obvious that the Sheikh should not be questioned".Sayyiduna Imam Abul Kaasim Kasheeri (radi Allahu anhu) states in his Kitaab, "Risalah", that Sayyiduna Abu Sahal Sahlooki (radi Allahu anhu) states, "Any person who says 'why' to any word of his Sheikh will never achieve success."