Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and Endless Blessings upon the Beloved of Allah the Almighty (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam).Jazak'Allah for your considered question. The bay'ah has been proven from the Qur'an al kareem, and from the Sunnah of the Most Beloved of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala alayhi wa Sallam).
Bay'ah means to be sold. So when you make bay'ah with a Shaykh, your spirit and spirituality have been taken in control of by your Shaykh, and now no other can become your Shaykh, just as no other can be your father, except your real father. Your Shaykh now holds the responsibility for you, and Insha'Allah, on judgement day, it is he who shall also intercede for you.
In the 48th Surah of the Qur'an al kareem, which is known as Surah al Fatah, Allah the Almighty describes, the swearing of the allegiance (bay'ah) of the Companions of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), which took place just outside Makkah. This bay'ah, is also known in history as the Bayt-e-Ridwan. The Qur'an al kareem states:
'innal ladhina yubayi'una ka innama yubayi'un allah'
'Those who swear allegiance to you, swear allegiance to Allah'.
This part of the verse, simply states that a true Shaykh, who conforms to the teachings of both the Shar'iyyah, and the Tariqah, and who has been granted permission by his Shaykh, who was also in conformity, and he from his Shaykh, thus one starts to identify the spiritual lineage, which is also known as the 'Silsilah', which reaches the Beloved Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), then his hand becomes that hand, in which if you try to find Allah the Almighty, then you will not be able to do so, except through it, which is the primary purpose of swearing to an allegiance (bay'ah), in the first place. This point can be clarified by the words:
'yadullahi fawqa aydi him'
'The hand of Allah is over their hands.'
Although at the time of the Bayt-e-Ridwan, the Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), had sent Sayyadina Uthman Dhun Nurayn
Radi Allahu anhu, to the town of Makkah, from where the Beloved of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) had migrated. When the time for ziarat of the Holy City arrived, He sent Hadrat Uthman to tell the Quraysh that it was not for the purpose of war that they were intending to come, but for the purpose of visitation, and tawaf.
News had soon spread to the Noble Companions of the Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) that Hadrat Uthman Radi Allahu anhu, had been martyred during this process, whereas in reality Hadrat Uthman
Radi Allahu anhu was still alive. When this news reached the Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), they placed themselves under a tree and called all the Companions
Radi Allahu anhum so that they may swear allegiance to Him, as to what had happened, and if the need ever be to take necessary action. The Qur'an al kareem states:
'la qad radi Allahu 'anil mu'minina idh yubayi'una ka taht-ash-shajarati fa 'alima ma fi qulubihim fa anzalas sakinata 'alayhim wa athaba hum fathann qariba.''Surely Allah was pleased with the believers, when they were swearing allegiance to you under the tree, and Allah knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down on them tranquility, and rewarded them with a near victory'.This verse definitely tells the story that I have related above. It also shows that one of the ways to please Allah the Almighty is by swearing allegiance to a Shaykh, a guide. It also provides that it is a Sunnah of the Companions of the Beloved Messenger of Allah
(Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), to perform bay'ah with a Shaykh, at times of distress, and turmoil. So what is the outcome of all this, then the Qur'an al kareem states that it is victory and reward.
Shaykh Sa'di
Radi Allahu anhu, and other great personalities of Islam, have emphasised the excellence of doing bay'ah. It gives you guidance in everyday life, as you swear to stick to the faith of Islam, and to perform your duties without fail, alongwith the chance for an intercession on the Day of Judgement.
These days people question the validity of bay'ah, and say is this Islamic or not, when in reality the only time when Islam was at its strongest was when the Companions of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) had in actual fact sworn in allegiance to the Beloved Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam). Then if this not Islamic, then what is it?
It is fair to say that a person who has sworn allegiance to a true Shaykh, has more possibility of entering paradise with his group (Jama'ah), than a person who does not believe in shaykhs, or has no Shaykh at all. People who seem to think that having a Shaykh is a waste of time, are in fact thinking contrary to the religion of Islam, and contrary to all those masses of Muslims, who had believed in Great Awliya' and 'Ulama' throughout the centuries, by whose favour we are blessed with the religion of Islam. If they had'nt given any form of allegiance to anyone, then we definitely would have been from amongst the misguided.
May Allah the Almighty keep us in the company of those who are accepted by Him, and may He free us from the evils hardships, and turmoils of this world.Wallahu A'lamu BiththawaabM. Waseem Ashrafi
