IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, MOST GRACIOUS, EVER MERCIFUL
“REFRAINING FROM SHIRK (THE FIRST CONDITION OF BAIA’T”)
A SPEECH DELIVERED BY FADILATU MOHAMMED AT THE CENTERAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON 11TH MAY 2024
Tashahadud
SURAH AL-NISA CHAPTER 4 VERSE 49
Assalamu alaikum Warahmatullah wabarakatuhu
1. I am humbled by this opportunity to deliver a speech today. The topic of my speech is “REFRAINING FROM SHIRK (THE FIRST CONDITION OF BAIA’T”.
2. Alllahswt states in the Holy Quran, Chapter 4:49, (which I recited earlier) that he will not forgive anyone who associates partners with him.
3. One implication of this verse is that, Allah can forgive everything except shirk. The promised Messiah (A.S.) advises us that “do not go near shirk, consider it to be a forbidden tree”
4. The avoidance of Shirk is the first condition of Bai’at. It is therefore required of us, as believing women, to observe this commandment of avoiding Shirk in all its forms.
5. To deal with the topic, I would like to answer three questions.
a. What is Bai’at?
b. What is shirk, the first condition of bai’at
c. What the various forms or shapes that shirk take in our modern world today
What is Ba’ait?
6. To begin with my speech, I will like us to understand what Ba’ait is. Ba’ait simple means to sell once self or hand over your life to Alllahswt. How does one sell him or self to Allah? It is to turn your back to the world in all matters and seek the pleasure of Allah only by acting on his guidance and commandments in every situation and at all times.
7. We here say we are Ahmadis. We are Ahamdis because accept Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the Promise Messiah and Mahdi, and agree to obey him in all matters.
8. Even in the world, when you join a group or association, there rules and regulations that you agree to follow, and that’s what make you a member of the group or association. For us Ahmadis, our rules and regulations are the Conditions of Bai’at. It is one of the reasons why the Bai’at is referred to as “Oath of Allegience”. It is the only thing makes us members of the blessed community of the Promise Messiah. The promised Messiah has outlined 10 Conditions of Bai’at. If we don’t follow them, then we are sacking ourselves from that community. May Allah enable us to fulfil the conditions of our Bai’ait.
Shirk the first Condition of Baiat
9. Condition one of Ba’ait states that “The initiate shall solemnly promise that he/she shall abstain from shirk (Associating any partner with God) right up to the day of his/her death”.
10. So what then is shirk? Shirk means “association of partners with Alllahswt” It is to believe or think that there are other powers, determiners, or causes of life or the affairs of man in addition to Allah, the Most High. Hence all forms of idol worship, or any act that does not attribute to Allah His Supremacy, Omnipotence is shirk.
11. There are various forms of shirk. For the purpose of this speech, I divided them into two categories, manifest shirk and the hidden shirk.
Examples of Manifest Shirk
12. Manifest shirk is the most common form of shirk that we see or hear people do every day. Some forms of manifest shirk include:
Ø All forms of Idol worship: For example, going to fetish priest or juju person, or believing whole heartedly that the acts of these juju can independently cause some effect, beside Allah.
Ø Superstition: An example is witchcraft which is believing that people have supernatural powers to cause harm to them outside the control of Alllahswt. Nothing happens without the permission of Allah so believing that someone else has supernatural power to cause harm to you is shirk. Also Believing in the existence of ghost and other spirits are also forms of shirk.
Ø Going to Malaams and pastors for help: Instead of going to certain individuals for help, Muslims should rather increase prayers, Fasting, Sadaka and write letters to Huzoor. Once you decide to visit certain men of God with the believe that they can influence whatever is going on in your life means you are comparing them to Allah Almighty which is shirk.
Ø Medicine for Love: An example is women giving something to their husbands with the believe that it will make their husbands love them more. Some go as far as using concoctions to the extent of washing their private parts into husband’s food which can cause illness.
Ø Medicine for luck/Quick Money: This involves doing all sort of things for people to be trooping and buying your stuff. But good fortune comes from Allah. Again if there is a decline in your business and you believe someone else is responsible for that, that is shirk.
Allah says in the Holy Quran that:
Hence every provision of us is from Allah and unto Him alone should we pray for expansion of his provision for us.
Ø Believing someone else is responsible for your failings or sickness is also another form of shirk. Allah almighty is the provider and he can also take away from you if he wills. So a believer must accept that whatever happens in his life is by the grace of Allah and has not been influenced by any external force
13. Again shirk is not just limited to openly associating partners with Allah, but also believing that there are other higher forces exist except Allah. Some even say that “it is Ahmadiyya saying we should not believe in them, but they exist”. Astaghfirullah! Such people should know that this is rather the word of Allah and we Ahmadis follow the teachings of Islam, the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.
14. The fact is that these things do have any power whatsoever over man. Allah says in the Holy Quran 22: that “those on whom you call instead of Allah cannot create even a fly, though they combine together for the purpose. And if a fly should snatch away anything from them, they cannot recover it therefrom. Week indeed are both the seek and the sought.
15. This means that these things do not and cannot cause any effect on man, except by the Will of Allah. Thus, taking the Bai’at means that we need to avoid all forms of superstitions and believe solely and firmly in Allah.
Examples of Hidden Shirk
16. There are other examples of shirk, in the form of acts that implies a reliance of worldly things instead of Allah.: The Promised Messiahas says: Shirk here does not merely mean bowing before stones, etc., rather, it is also shirk that you should depend entirely on worldly means and emphasise worldly idols.
17. ‘A companion of the Holy Prophet was found crying, and he was asked why he is crying. He replied ‘I have remembered something that I heard from the Holy Prophetsa and it has made me cry. I heard the Holy Prophetsa say that, “I fear about shirk and their secret desires in my ummah.” I asked, “O Prophet of Allah, will your people be involved in shirk after you?” The Holy Prophetsa responded, “Yes, even though my people will not worship the sun and the moon, the idol and the stone, they will suffer from ostentations in their actions, and they will be prey to their hidden desires. One of them will start the day fasting but then he will come across a desire and he will break the fast and indulge in his desire”.
18. This hadith shows clearly that, any desire of us, that we love so much that it can stop us from worshiping Allah, becomes Shirk.
Ø Ostentations or inner desires that cause one to attribute to himself or others what is befitting of Allah is a form of shirk. Or desires that are so strong that they can cause one to ignore his worship, become shirk.
Ø Relying so much on others other than Allah: When you rely so much on anything or anyone so much and believe they are responsible for your success is shirk. An example is believing that someone else was responsible for your good fortune. Another example is believing so much in an individual to the extent that you think you cannot survive without them. Others put stickers of Quranic quotes on their cars and believe it will protect them. All these are forms of shirk.
Ø Believing in a source of sustenance beside Allah: In today’s materialistic world, people are willing to go to every extent to get money. Some people will visit Malams to obtain charms and stickers for good luck that increase sales of their wares. Others paste stickers of verses of the Holy Quran on their kiosks or tables where they sell things, believing that those stickers are responsible for their good luck, and not Allah. All these are forms of shirk.
Ø Believing that bad Omen is caused by others: Believing that a bad omen was influenced by another individual or person is shirk. For example thinking your delay in giving birth has been caused by another person. Also thinking someone is responsible for your sickness or failure. Anything that happens in the life of a person is controlled by Allah weather good or bad and he alone has the power over all things. We should always pray to Allah to ease our burden when we are passing through hardships rather than believing it was caused by another external force.
Ø Giving Reverence to once self: Anyone who gives reverence to him or herself after achieving something significant has committed shirk. Anything that one achieves happens with the help of Allah. So thinking that an achievement was due to your brilliance and not the help of Allah is Shirk.
Ø One should always remember that Allah is the Provider, and what he has not provided cannot be made available for us. So during salat, when we recite the dua that:
May Allah Accept our prays.
19. Sadr Chair, I wish to conclude my speech by reminding us that there can be no power, no force that can cause any effects without the will of Allah. So, the fear of Allah means you have to avoid forms of shirk.
20. The Promised Messiahas says: Tauhid [Unity of God] does not simply mean that you say la ilaha illAllah8 with your tongue but then hide hundreds of idols in your heart. Anyone who gives reverence to his own plans, mischief or clever designs as he should revere God, or depends upon another person as one should depend upon God alone or reveres his own ego as he should revere God alone, in all such conditions he is an idol-worshipper in the sight of Allah.
21. Idols are not merely those that are made of gold, silver, copper or stones. Rather, everything, every statement, or every deed, which is revered in a manner that befits Almighty Allah alone, is an idol in the sight of Allah….”
22. He said we should “remember that the true Unity of God, which God requires us to affirm and upon which salvation depends, is to believe that God in His Being is free from every associate, whether it be an idol or a human being, or the Sun or Moon, or one’s ego, or one’s cunning or deceit; it is also to conceive of no one as possessing power in opposition to Him, nor to accept anyone as Sustainer, nor to hold anyone as bestowing honour or disgrace, nor to consider anyone as Helper or Supporter; and it is also to confine one’s love to Him and one’s worship, and one’s humility, and one’s hopes, and one’s fear to Him.
23. May Allah grant us understanding and enable to live by the Conditions Bai’at. Ameen.
24. Sadr Chair, I all what I have said is taken from the Book “The Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahamdi” by our beloved Khalifah, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (atbn). We pray that Allah grant him sound health and long life. Ameen
25. Assalamu alaikum W. W.
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