The Pre-Conditions of Bai’at

The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi عليه السلام, explaining its true significance, stated:

"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."

[Malfoozat, vol. 6, p. 173]

Repentance is the Purpose of Bai’at

The fundamental spiritual reality of the bai’at is to undergo repentance, and to graft one’s own soul to the soul of the one appointed by God, so that the blessings that flow in him should pass into oneself. Explaining this, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi عليه السلام states:

"...The outstanding aspect of swearing allegiance to a spiritual guide is repentance (tawbah), which means to turn back (ruju). Repentance refers to the state when man forsakes the ties that bind him to sin. When a person is indulged in a life of sin, he begins to dwell in this state and sin becomes his homeland, as it were. So, tawbah is to leave one’s homeland and ruju means to purify oneself."

It lies heavy on a person to leave their homeland and one is faced with thousands of difficulties in doing so. There are a myriad of problems that one is confronted with even when he leaves his home. But when it comes to migrating from one’s native land, an individual must sever ties with friends and loved ones, and bid farewell to everything, such as his hearth and home, his neighbours, the streets and alleys of his prior homeland, and its place of business. He is compelled to move to a new country and he never returns to his homeland. This is called tawbah.

The friends of evil are different from those who befriend righteousness. The Sufis have named this transformation ‘death.’ A person who repents is compelled to sustain a heavy loss. Indeed, true repentance demands great sacrifices, but Allah the Exalted is Merciful and Munificent. God does not let a person die until He bestows upon them a better substitute for all…

"This is the reality of repentance (which has been mentioned above). But why is repentance an integral part of swearing allegiance to a spiritual guide? The fact of the matter is that man is given to negligence. When an individual takes the oath of allegiance at the hand of one upon whom Allah the Exalted has bestowed this transformed state, the same divine grace and light—that exists in this transformed individual—begins to emerge in the individual just as a graft changes the properties of a tree. The condition, however, is that one should possess a true relationship with this person as though they were a branch attached to his very being; not a lifeless branch. The greater a person’s affinity with this spiritual leader, the better."

[Malfoozat, vol. 1, p.1 - 4]

Expectations of Ahmadi Muslims

The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi عليه السلام, explained what he expected of those who pledged allegiance to him:

"The purpose of their joining the Movement and establishing with me a relationship like that of a disciple is that they should achieve a high degree of piety and righteousness. No wrongdoing or mischief should ever come near them. They should offer the five daily Prayers regularly and with congregation, and should not lie, nor hurt anyone by their tongues."

"They should not be guilty of any kind of vice and should not let even a thought of mischief, wrongdoing or transgression pass through their minds. They should shun every type of sin, offence, undesirable speech and action, as well as all egoistic passions and unruly behaviour. They should become pure-hearted, harmless and meek servants of God Almighty, and no poisonous germ should flourish in their beings."

[Essence of Islam, Vol. IV, pp. 349 – 250]