Voice of British Muslim Women

Yusra Dahri, Tilford

According to Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be his Helper) in his book Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, these words of the Promised Messiah (upon whom be peace) can be considered a summary of the ten conditions of Bai’at:

“My person does not now belong to me; I now have to abide by all injunctions of Almighty Allah under all circumstances and have to follow them faithfully, and make all acts of mine subservient to the pleasure of Allah.”

If we keep these words in mind with our Bai’at, then pledge or promise is truly not a strong enough word. Bai’at is part pledge, part promise, part confession, and mostly, prayer.

 And yet, even when you combine all of these words, it still does not encapsulate what Bai’at means for Ahmadi Muslims. It is not simply something that can be read. It has to be experienced. It has to be lived.

Bai’at is a promise we make with the best of intentions for the future, and the greatest honesty about our past. We know that we have wronged our souls; we cannot and do not deny this. But yet, nothing can take away from the absolute truth that Allah forgives, and Allah is the only One who can forgive.

Bai’at  is an immense hope and promise that is far greater than the resounding voices of tens of thousands of people reverberating over 200 acres of land. It is Allah’s Grace and Mercy to us, that we can so clearly knowwhat it is that what we must do to be true Muslims, that we can enter into the Jama’at of a Prophet of Allah: the Promised Messiah (upon whom be peace), and that we can hang on tightly to the rope of Khilafat.

More than a pledge or a promise, it is a huge privilege that we are able to renew our Bai’at, year after year. That Allah has enabled our hearts to still be pure enough, that despite our sins, for our eyes still well with tears when we repeat the words of Bai’at behind our beloved Imam. That our souls surge with good intentions. That we are able to realise, again and again, that there is no greater joy than the knowledge that our person no longer belongs to us, but to our greatest Love, our Creator, the Almighty Allah.