Dear Readers,
In my previous articles, I explained that one
can reach Marifetullah truly through tasawwuf education and made some
explanations about Murshid-i Kamils (tasawwuf specialists) who are the
spiritual leaders of the societies and stated that the bases of the Tasawwuf
are "Bay'ah" (the oath of allegiance), "Cleaning
of the nafs" (ego) and "Purifying
of the heart".
I am sure that many of you have questions, as
"Isn't it enough for one to live as it is written in Islamic manuals" "Why Tasawwuf
education is needed to know Allah (swt)?" Those thoughts you have are of
course very reasonable. Islam itself is
a path to increase one’s maturity. A person who lives Islam properly
reaches both Marifetullah and the individual maturity. The role of Tasawwuf
here is only to make training quicker with the help of a mentor who is the
inheritor of Rasulullah by using the methods of him.
# Tasawwuf is a Heart training method
As I explained beforehand, Marifetullah and other
knowledge related to heart is a grace and beneficence of the Almighty Allah. He
grants it anyone He wishes. One doesn't need to have a deep knowledge of
religion or other subjects for being honoured with this grace of Allah. A
person can be an illiterate. Uveys Al-Karani hazrats, one of the great awliyas,
and Hz. Rasulullah himself were the most appropriate examples of it. As you can
remember Rasulullah was an illiterate and it is ordered in the Qur'an that,
"And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came),
nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: In that case, indeed,
would the talkers of vanities have doubted." (Ankabut, 48)
"Nay, here are Signs self-evident in the hearts of those endowed with knowledge: and none but the unjust reject Our Signs." (Ankabut, 49)
"Nay, here are Signs self-evident in the hearts of those endowed with knowledge: and none but the unjust reject Our Signs." (Ankabut, 49)
When Rasulullah was afraid that he would forget
the revealed divine inspiration; it was explained clearly that Qur'an was a
revealed divine inspiration by Allah (swt) and he would never forget once it
was read to him, by ordering:
"By
degrees shall We teach thee (the Message), so thou shalt not forget," (Ala
The spiritual knowledge is bestowed to those who stayed away from their nafs's desires through the divine revelation, intuition or inspiration. Tasawwuf is a method of heart training that aims to make people closer to Allah (swt) by preserving them from nafs's whim. However, the success of this method depends on the trueness and sincerity of the people. The real thing that will cause people to be honored with this gift is the sincerity of their faith. Bay'ah consists of a statement of intention and a sign that a person is ready to follow the path of Tasawwuf.
# Bay'ah is the beginning of Tasawwuf training
Bay'ah constitutes the main basis of Tasawwuf
training even if it wasn't given importance by many people who were students of
a sufi leader.
Bay'ah is the beginning of Tasawwuf training.
The trainer of the Tasawwuf is called the Murshid
(the one who shows the true path, the guide), and the learner is called the Murid (requester, demandant, trainee). Bay'ah is the agreement between Murshid and
Murid. Repentance is the beginning of Tasawwuf training. Afterwards the
person promises his murshid that he will follow the path of Tasawwuf about
carrying out the orders of Allah (swt) like performing salaat, fasting, giving zakat
when he can and going on pilgrimage. This is called "bay'ah". Bay'ah means the promise of the murid that he
will be subject to the murshid's will and be dependent to this path of maturity.
A special ceremony is held for it. The promise is given to Allah indeed. It is
ordered in a verse from the Qur'an that:
"Verily those who plight their fealty to thee plight their fealty in
truth to Allah; the Hand of Allah is over their hands: then any one who
violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul, and any one who
fulfills what he has covenanted with Allah,- Allah will soon grant him a great
Reward." (Fath, 10)
# Bay’ah is a promise given to Allah (swt)
# Bay’ah is a promise given to Allah (swt)
Why bay'ah is so important? Why is it given so
much importance?
For the reason that Awliyaullah is an inheritor
of Rasulullah and a loyal servant of Allah (swt), in fact, the promise is given
to Rasulullah and Allah (swt), as it can be understood from the above verse. In
fact, without another reason even this represents why this promise shall be
given importance.
# Bay'ah constitutes the basis of nafs training
Secondly, the promise about being dependent to
the Murshid indeed constitutes the basis of nafs training. The base of nafs training
is learning to give up one’s own will. I will explain it in my next article.
The hardest thing for a person is to give up his own will. Remember the
children fighting for toys. This fight ends only if one of them gives up his
will. This simple fact is the beginning of morals. The one who is more immoral
(is dependent to his nafs) has the most toys. The one, who is more moral and
well-trained, gives up his desire and leaves the ownership to the other side.
Now try to put yourself into the child's shoe that makes the sacrifice. How
hard it is psychologically. It is also the same for adults. Is it easy for the
ones who didn't learn to give but just knew how to take by training in a right
way to give up their wishes? Why do you think the people get divorced very soon
after they are married for only 2 months? The basis of each kind of morals and
manners is one's learning to give up the ignoble desires of his nafs. It is the
abandonment of the ego. The one entering the path of Tasawwuf accepts to be
dependent on his murshid by bay'ah.
# Bay'ah is a
Sunna of Rasulullah
Thirdly, bay’ah is a Sunna of Rasulullah. It is
ordered in a verse from the Qur'an that:
"Allah's Good Pleasure was on the Believers
when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree: He knew what was in their
hearts, and He sent down Tranquility to them; and He rewarded them with a
speedy Victory;" (Fath, 18)
"O Prophet! When believing women come to
thee to take the oath of fealty to thee, that they will not associate in
worship any other thing whatever with Allah, that they will not steal, that
they will not commit adultery (or fornication), that they will not kill their
children, that they will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood,
and that they will not disobey thee in any just matter,- then do thou receive
their fealty, and pray to Allah for the forgiveness (of their sins): for Allah
is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
(Mumtahana, 12)
It is written in the
Hadiths that:
12 Muslims from Medina
When the Muslims asked
in the second Akabe: "We
will pledge even our goods are ruined and our elders are killed. What will we
take in return if we are loyal to it?"
Rasulullah (s.a.w) answered "Paradise !" Then they said, "Give me your hand!" Rasulullah gave them
his hand and they pledged their allegiance to Allah's messenger. (Ibn Kesir, el-Bidâye)
Enes b. Mâlik (r.a.)
stated that: "I pledged my allegiance to obey Allah's messenger
(pbuh) on the conditions that I am capable of". (Ali el Muttaki, Kenzu’l
Ummal)
As it can be understood clearly from the verse
of the Qur'an and Hadiths, bay’ah is a Sunna of Rasulullah. Rasulullah took the
hands of Sahaba-i kiram, obtained a promise from them one by one, and asked
them to be loyal to their promises about some important issues. Ahl al-tasawwuf
continues this tradition and obtains promises about obeying the rules of Allah
(swt) and being dependent to his murshid from anyone who wants to walk in the
path of Tasawwuf. The commitment of the promise is totally under conscientious
responsibility of him depending on the sincerity of the will to benefit from
Tasawwuf training. He keeps the promise if he wishes or he doesn't keep the
promise if he doesn't wish. It is something that he can decide by himself.
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