That he/she shall enter into a bond of brotherhood with this humble servant of God, pledging obedience to me in everything good for the sake of God, and remain faithful to it until the day of his/her death. That he/she shall exert such a high devotion in the observance of this bond as is not to be found in any other worldly relationship and connection that demand devoted dutifulness.
[From the Friday sermon delivered at the Fadl Mosque, London, United Kingdom, on September 19, 2003, in which tenth condition of bai‘at was discussed in detail.]
In this condition, the Promised Messiah(as) is taking a pledge from us that by joining this organisation we are establishing a bond of brotherhood with him. Every Muslim is a brother of the other Muslim. But the relationship of love and brotherhood that is being established means much more than that. You are not merely establishing a bond of equals; instead, you are acknowledging that it is a command of Allah and His Messenger(sa) to accept the Messiah that was promised. Therefore, you are establishing this bond for the sake of Allah the Almighty. You are making this contract to uphold the religion of Allah the Almighty and to convey and spread the religion of Islam to all corners of the world. This bond can only be successful and long-lasting if you pledge to be obedient in everything good and keep this pledge until death. You should be mindful that this bond does not remain inactive, but should become stronger every day. It should be so strong and its standard should be so high that, in comparison, all other relations, bonds, and friendships should prove weaker. The bond should be so matchless and strong that in its comparison all other bonds and relations should seem meaningless.
Then he says that the thought can cross one’s mind that in family relationships sometimes the rule of give and take — to compromise, to accept, and to have one’s decisions accepted occasionally — is applicable. Here it must be understood that this, instead, is the bond of a slave and servant. Indeed, it should be even more than that. You have to be obedient without any grumbling. You never have the right to say that such and such cannot be done or that you cannot do such and such at this time. When you have taken the bai‘at and have entered the organisation of the Jama‘at of the Promised Messiah(as), you have given everything of your’s to the Promised Messiah(as). You have to obey his decisions; you have to act upon his teachings. Since the system of khilafat exists after him, you have to follow the decisions and the instructions of the Khalifah of the time. Here you should not think that the servant or the subordinate has to obey because he is helpless and is obligated to serve. Servants sometimes grumble too. Always keep in mind that although your condition is that of a servant, it is really much higher because it is a bond of brotherhood and acknowledgement of obedience for the sake of Allah the Almighty that comes with the pledge of sacrifice. The reward for sacrifice is received only if the sacrifice is offered with pleasure. This condition is such that the more one thinks about it, the deeper one submerges oneself in the love of the Promised Messiah(as) and the more one will find oneself bound by the organisation of the Jama‘at.
In the Noble Qur’an, Allah the Almighty says:1
O Prophet! When believing women come to thee, taking the oath of allegiance at thy hands that they will not associate anything with Allah, and that they will not steal, and will not commit adultery, nor kill their children, nor bring forth a scandalous charge which they themselves have deliberately forged, nor disobey thee in what is right, then accept their allegiance and ask Allah to forgive them. Verily, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.
This verse emphasizes that the pledge of bai‘at should be taken from women so that they will not perform shirk, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill their children (i.e. they will be mindful of proper upbringing of their children), nor accuse anyone falsely, and nor disobey in anything good. Here, the question arises whether a Prophet, who is appointed by Allah, can ever give a command that is not good. If a Prophet can do so, then can a Khalifah also give commands that are not good? In this regard, it must be clearly understood that a Prophet can never give any such command. A Prophet will only say what is right; he will not say anything otherwise. That is why at many places in the Holy Qur’an it is mentioned that one must obey the commands of Allah and His Prophet(sa), and one must carry them out. Nowhere is it specified that you are to obey only the good commands. The question then arises, why are there two different instructions? As a matter of fact, these are not differing instructions. Some people have made an error in understanding them. So, as I said earlier, all commandments coming from a Prophet are good. A Prophet can never give a command that is against the command of Allah or the commands of the shari‘ah. He is appointed by Allah to carry out those commands so how can he go against them? It is good news for you that by accepting the Prophet — the one commissioned by God — and by entering into his fold, you have become secure because no command given to you is wrong. Every command given to you is favoured by Allah.
1 al-Mumtahinah, 60:13