Page 23 - Chapter
Two: "The typical rite of initiation is modeled on the handclasp known as bay’at
ar-ridwan ("the oath-taking of God’s good pleasure") that the Prophet
took from his Companions at Hudaybiyya (referred to in Koran 48:10 and 48:18). The rite is
understood to transmit an invisible spiritual force or blessing (baraka) that opens up the
disciple’s soul to transformation."
Commentary: A
full English rendering of Surah 48, ayat 10 of the Qur’an is as follows: "Surely
those who swear allegiance to you do but swear allegiance to Allah; the hand of Allah is
above their hands. Therefore, whoever breaks (his covenant), breaks it only to the injury
of one’s own soul, and whoever fulfills the covenant with Allah, Allah will grant
that person a mighty reward." Surah 48, ayat 18 indicates: "Certainly Allah was
well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree, and
Allah knew what was in their hearts, so Allah sent down tranquility and rewarded them with
a near victory."
The process of pledging
allegiance or taking bay’at or becoming initiated does confer, God willing, a barakah
or blessing, but, contrary to the contention of the author of Sufism - A Short
Introduction, this Grace has a visible, as well as an invisible, component.
Moreover, the blessing is both conditional, as well as, unconditional.
More specifically,
bay’at offers individuals the blessing of opportunity ... the blessing of a door
being opened to them. Opening a door of opportunity is not necessarily the same thing as
opening "up the disciple’s soul to transformation" - although the former,
God willing, can lead to the latter.
The willingness of the
shaykh, by God’s leave, to extend the opportunity of initiation to a seeker is one
aspect of the visible dimension of the barakah which is present when an individual steps
onto the Sufi Path. Another facet of the visibility of the blessings being conferred in
association with the oath of allegiance is in the seeker’s awareness of himself of
herself as a seeker.
In other words, the
inclination to become initiated is a visible sign of barakah - at least, to the individual
who wishes to become initiated - which is experienced prior to, but, nonetheless, is part
and parcel of the blessing of initiation. Indeed, in truth, this inclination of the seeker
marks the actual start of the process of bay’at, and the ceremony of initiation - if
there is one - marks the termination of an event which began with the original
inclination.
One part of the invisible
dimension of the blessing which is transmitted through initiation is not only the gift of
‘tranquility’ mentioned in 48:18 cited above, but the ‘near victory’
as well. Yet, these were given to those whose hearts contained that with which Allah was
pleased in relation to, at a minimum, their oaths of allegiance.
Consequently, there are
conditions inherent in the opportunity which is being given through the taking of
bay’at. For instance, as was indicated in the Quranic ayat, 48:18, an
individual’s heart must resonate with the right sort of regard for the process of
initiation - a regard which Allah may find pleasing and, in turn, reciprocate by means of,
among other things, the gift of ‘tranquility’ and the ‘near victory’.
Furthermore, the Quranic
ayat, 48:10, given above, stipulates that the individual must keep the conditions of the
covenant. If the person taking initiation breaks the covenant, then, he or she does so to
the individual’s own detriment, and if a person abides by the requirements of the
covenant, then, there is an immense reward which Allah has promised.
There is another part of
the claim of the author of Sufism - A Short Introduction - that the blessing
of initiation "opens up the disciple’s soul to transformation" - which
should be addressed. Like the portion of that assertion which was discussed above, this
other aspect of the claim is also incorrect.
More specifically, the
soul’s potential for transformation exists quite apart from initiation. After all,
‘fitra’, or the primordial spiritual capacity of a human being, has such a
potential hard-wired, so to speak, into it.
Bay’at, or
initiation, is an invitation to that dimension of Deen, or the spiritual journey, which,
God willing, is able to realize the capacity of fitra through which the soul, by
God’s leave, is realized. But, as stated previously, what actually will occur with
respect to such an invitation depends, in an important way, on the extent to which a
seeker engages the spiritual opportunity that is being opened to her or him.
The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Take advantage of a good opportunity
when the door opens, for you never know when it will close again." For some
individuals, the door of opportunity is kept open, by the Grace of Allah, through the
presence of a sincerity and nisbath which grows out of the event of initiation, while,
unfortunately, for others, the door of spiritual opportunity closes due to an absence of
sincerity and nisbath in such individuals - qualities whose absence is an indication of a
breaking of the original covenant.
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