On the Pledge of Allegiance (Bayʿa)
باب فی البیعۃ
بَابٌ فِى الْبَيْعَةِ — Bāb fī al-Bayʿa: On the Pledge of Allegiance
قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يُبَايِعُوْنَكَ اِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُوْنَ اللّٰهَ ۭ يَدُ اللّٰهِ فَوْقَ اَيْدِيْهِمْ ۚ فَمَنْ نَّكَثَ فَاِنَّمَا يَنْكُثُ عَلٰى نَفْسِهٖ ۚ وَمَنْ اَوْفٰى بِمَا عٰهَدَ عَلَيْهُ اللّٰهَ فَسَيُؤْتِيْهِ اَجْرًا عَظِيْمًا
(al-Fatḥ 48:10)
Vocabulary: inna'lladhīna — indeed those people who; yubāyiʿūnaka — pledge allegiance on your hand; innamā yubāyiʿūna'llāh — they pledge allegiance on the hand of Allah Himself; yadu'llāhi fawqa aydīhim — the hand of God is upon their hands; fa-man nakatha fa-innamā yankuthu ʿalā nafsihi — then whoever breaks his covenant, breaks the pledge — his breaking of the pledge is a loss for himself alone; wa-man awfā bi-mā ʿāhada ʿalayhu'llāh — and whoever fulfilled the covenant he had made with Allah; fa-sa-yuʾtīhi ajran ʿaẓīman — Allah will soon grant him a mighty reward, give him a great
recompense.
Translation: Allah Most High says: Indeed, those who pledge allegiance on your hand are pledging allegiance on the hand of Allah Himself. The hand of God is upon their hands. Then whoever acts against the covenant, its evil effect falls upon himself; and whoever fulfils the covenant he made with Allah, Allah will soon grant him a mighty reward.
Gentlemen! The meaning of bayʿa is "to sell." Then every important compact came to be called bayʿa.
Gentlemen! How is bayʿa taken from women? Merely affirming it with the tongue is also sufficient. Taking bayʿa through some man [as intermediary] is also permissible. The elders of the ṭarīqa (the Sufi path) keep water in a basin: on one side the one taking the bayʿa places his hand, and on the other side the woman giving the bayʿa places her hand. Some ḥaḍrāt themselves hold one end of their shawl (chādar) or handkerchief, and the woman holds the other end. Men take the hand of the one taking the bayʿa in both their hands. On what matter is bayʿa taken? Some matters are mentioned in the preceding verse and in the ḥadīth. But the Messenger of God ﷺ also took bayʿa at the time of war; from some he took bayʿa on this, that they would not ask anyone for anything. The state of those people was such that if they were riding a camel and its nose-rein had fallen, slipped from the hand, they would make the camel kneel, get down from it and take up the camel's rein, but would not say to anyone, "Please hand me the camel's rein." The Messenger of God ﷺ also took bayʿa on love. In any case, whatever undertaking came up, he took bayʿa for remaining firm in its observance. Is repentance (tawba) and reciting istighfār (seeking forgiveness) not sufficient?
Gentlemen! Here there is "wa'staghfir lahunna'llāh" ("and seek forgiveness of Allah for them"). The Messenger's seeking forgiveness is also mentioned. In another place:
وَلَوْ اَنَّهُمْ اِذْ ظَّلَمُوْٓا اَنْفُسَهُمْ جَآءُوْكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللّٰهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُوْلُ لَوَجَدُوا اللّٰهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيْمًا
(al-Nisāʾ 4:64)
"If these people, when they had wronged themselves and done what should not be done, had then come to you and sought forgiveness, and the Messenger too had sought forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance, Most Merciful."
So long as the Messenger of God ﷺ was manifest in the world, he would seek forgiveness for the sinners; and since he has veiled himself from the eyes of the sinners, then his khalīfa (successor), his nāʾib (deputy), his qāʾim-maqām (representative) will both take bayʿa from people and make the prayer of forgiveness. What is established by this? The bayʿa that the honoured mashāʾikh take from their murīds (disciples) — this is its source. In the course of this discussion the question of qāʾim-maqāmī (representation) and khilāfa (succession) also comes up. The khalīfa is one who does the work of the mustakhlif (that is, the original person who takes the bayʿa). Therefore the important qualities of the original person should be in the khalīfa, and he should be able to colour [others] in his own colour. Some ʿulamāʾ say that he should be acquainted with the things necessary for the Qurʾān, ḥadīth and fiqh, and be able to teach others. The most important question is this: on whose hand should one make bayʿa? The view of some ʿulamāʾ I have already stated. Some ḥaḍrāt say that you should sit with the person in whose
presence your stray thoughts (khaṭarāt) stop, or at least lessen; then the company of such a person and sitting with him can be beneficial. Some people cast their influence upon others, and through their spiritual strength of heart (quwwat-e-qalbī) and their personal influence they remove the stray thoughts of others, and the evil impulses of others, and the darkness and blackness of sins; and some people keep doing their own work, and through the grace (fayḍ) of their company people keep becoming upright. In English words, the first form is called giving "attention" (Attention) and casting one's "will power" (Will Power), and the second form is called vibration (tamawwuj) or "vibration" (Vibration). It is for this reason that the elders of the ṭarīqa say: "Ṣuḥbat-e-ṣāliḥ turā ṣāliḥ kunad, ṣuḥbat-e-ṭāliḥ turā ṭāliḥ kunad" ("The company of the righteous will make you righteous; the company of the wicked will make you wicked"). In khilāfa, the real thing is companionship (ṣuḥbat) and teaching. In past times, taking bayʿa was regarded as creating a form of rebellion and war; so, to avoid this, they would clothe [the successor] in their own robe (jubba) or cap. In any case, the chain of khilāfa and qāʾim-maqāmī continues and, if Allah wills (in shāʾ Allāh), will continue until the Day of Resurrection. Some ḥaḍrāt trained their pupils and murīds and left them, and did not say, "You are my qāʾim-maqām." Sometimes it has also happened that after a hundred (100) or a hundred and fifty years, or even longer, some great elder enriched someone with his fayḍ — as Bāyazīd (may Allah have mercy on him) was trained a hundred and fifty years after Imām Jaʿfar Ṣādiq (may Allah have mercy on him), and benefited from the Imām. Such a form is called the Uwaysī way (ṭarīqa-e-Uwaysī). Some ḥaḍrāt give their prayer-mat and give a book of their teaching. Sometimes several shaykhs gather and tie a turban on the head of the seeker, and other ḥaḍrāt also put their hands to it.
Sajjāda is what the prayer-mat is called, and the qāʾim-maqām and khalīfa is called sajjāda-nashīn (the one seated on the prayer-mat). And nowadays they are simply called sajjāda. All these are khalīfas of the Messenger. Qāʾim-maqāmī is [for] spreading and propagation. Nowadays it is moving far from its meaning. In short, because of distance from the real purpose the outward form has remained and the inner conduct (sīrat) has been lost. The shaking of hands has a great effect. If those in the middle are not worthy, then those above take care [of the disciple]. The explanation of the question is going on and on; therefore at the end I state a few necessary things.
What is the benefit of making this bayʿa? I have stated before this that the work is not accomplished merely by making bayʿa; rather, the Prophet's prayer of forgiveness is also necessary. You ask its benefit. Even if the prayer of forgiveness is made seventy (70) times, it is not too much. I have also stated this, that bayʿa is a form of repentance, and regarding repentance Allah Most High says:
وَهُوَ الَّذِىْ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهٖ وَيَعْفُوْا عَنِ السَّيِّاٰتِ
(al-Shūrā 42:25)
"It is Allah who accepts repentance and forgives sins." The meaning of maghfira (forgiveness) is to conceal sins, not to let them appear, so that the sinner is not disgraced. And the meaning of ʿafw (pardon) is that the sins are wiped away altogether, so that no stain or mark remains. The highest form of repentance is this:
فَاُولٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللّٰهُ سَيِّاٰتِهِمْ حَسَنٰتٍ
(al-Furqān 25:70)
God, the Generous, the Most Generous of the generous, even changes sins into good deeds. My view is that this is done with the person upon whom the "sirr-e-qadr" (the secret of the divine decree) becomes disclosed and whose own will becomes annihilated (fanāʾ).
Let it be clear that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has several states with Allah:
وَمَآ اَدْرِىْ مَا يُفْعَلُ بِىْ وَلَا بِكُمْ
(al-Aḥqāf 46:9)
"I do not know what Allah will do with me and with you." He attributes this to this aspect (shān) of God Most High: "hāʾulāʾi
لِلْجَنَّةِ وَلَا اُبَالِىْ هٰؤُلَاءِ لِلنَّارِ وَلَا اُبَالِىْ
"— these are the share of Paradise, and I do not care; and these are the share of Hell, and I do not care" (ḥadīth qudsī). Everyone is distressed by this saying, "lā ubālī" ("I do not care"). The Prophet ﷺ [Ḥuḍūr] has another aspect, which is wholly obedience and submission: "Yours is the command, Yours is the pleasure." What is its result?
اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يُبَايِعُوْنَكَ اِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُوْنَ اللّٰهَ يَدُ اللّٰهِ فَوْقَ اَيْدِيْهِمْ
(al-Fatḥ 48:10)
"Those who are pledging allegiance on your hand are pledging allegiance on My hand. The hand of God is upon their hands." This is the aspect of servanthood (ʿabdiyyat). Another aspect, or state, is this:
لِىْ مَعَ اللّٰهِ وَقْتٌ لَا يَسَعُنِىْ فِيْهِ مَلَكٌ مُّقَرَّبٌ وَّلَا نَبِيٌّ مُّرْسَلٌ
"I have a time with Allah in which there is no room even for a near angel or for a sent prophet." [reading uncertain]
Just understand: even the Messenger of God ﷺ is a sent prophet (nabī mursal), and there no room remains even for him. In one narration it has come thus: Umm al-Muʾminīn (Mother of the Believers) Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha Ṣiddīqa (may Allah be pleased with her) came into the court of prophethood. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Man?" ("Who?"). Ḥaḍrat Umm al-Muʾminīn submitted: "ʿĀʾisha." The master said: "Man ʿĀʾisha?" ("Who is ʿĀʾisha?"). The wife submitted: "Bint Ṣiddīq" ("the daughter of al-Ṣiddīq"). From the court of prophethood it was asked again: "Man Ṣiddīq?" ("Who is al-Ṣiddīq?"). Umm al-Muʾminīn submitted: "Ṣiddīq of Muḥammad." Again the question was asked: "Man Muḥammad?" ("Who is Muḥammad?"). Seeing this state, Ḥaḍrat Umm al-Muʾminīn Bībī ʿĀʾisha Ṣiddīqa (may Allah be pleased with her) went away from there. [reading uncertain]
قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: يٰٓاَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ اِذَا جَآءَكَ الْمُؤْمِنٰتُ يُبَايِعْنَكَ عَلٰٓى اَنْ لَّا يُشْرِكْنَ بِاللّٰهِ شَيْـًٔا وَّلَا يَسْرِقْنَ وَلَا يَزْنِيْنَ وَلَا يَقْتُلْنَ اَوْلَادَهُنَّ وَلَا يَاْتِيْنَ بِبُهْتَانٍ يَّفْتَرِيْنَهٗ بَيْنَ اَيْدِيْهِنَّ وَاَرْجُلِهِنَّ وَلَا يَعْصِيْنَكَ فِىْ مَعْرُوْفٍ فَبَايِعْهُنَّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُنَّ اللّٰهَ ۭ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِيْمٌ
(al-Mumtaḥana 60:12)
Vocabulary: yā ayyuha'n-nabiyy — O Prophet!, O Messenger!; idhā jāʾaka — when they come to you; al-muʾmināt — Muslim, believing women; yubāyiʿnaka — to make bayʿa with you; ʿalā an — on this condition that; lā yushrikna bi'llāhi shayʾan — they will not make anyone a partner of God; wa-lā yasriqna — and will not steal; wa-lā yaznīna — and will not commit zinā (fornication) and immorality; wa-lā yaqtulna awlādahunna — and will not kill their children; included in this is also causing an abortion without necessity; wa-lā yaʾtīna bi-buhtānin — and will not fabricate slander, calumny and false accusation; yaftarīnahu — which they invent, they fabricate lies; bayna aydīhinna wa-arjulihinna — in front of, boldly and brazenly, knowingly; it is an Arab idiom: bayna yadayka, and likewise bayna yadayka wa-khalfaka — that is, in front, openly before one's eyes; wa-lā yaʿṣīnaka fī maʿrūfin — and will not disobey you, depart from your command or rebel, in a good work; fa-bāyiʿhunna — then accept their bayʿa; wa'staghfir lahunna'llāh — and pray to Allah for forgiveness for them; inna'llāha ghafūrun raḥīm — indeed Allah is the One who forgives and shows mercy; He forgives past sins and covers them in His mercy.
Translation: O Prophet! When Muslim women come to you to make bayʿa, that they will not make anyone a partner of God, nor steal, nor commit zinā, nor kill their children, nor knowingly, in plain sight, accuse anyone, nor fabricate slander, nor disobey you in any good work — then accept their bayʿa, and
pray for forgiveness for them; Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Gentlemen! What is bayʿa? It is repentance (tawba). It is a compact to do good deeds in the future, and to make some righteous man a witness to this, and to want the prayer of forgiveness from him. Nowadays, where all religious works have become mere formalities, bayʿa too has remained a custom. No one cares about practice. To make a compact and not act upon it is a lie and a sin, and on top of it to make an elder a witness to it! Out of a hundred seekers of God, not even two or four emerge. They either fulfil a custom, or make bayʿa so that magic, satanic and supernatural (āsēbī) influences may go away, or a sick person may get well. Steadfastness in fasting and prayer is very little the aim. Of the dhikrs and spiritual exercises (adhkār o ashghāl), not one in a thousand is wanted. But this bayʿa too is the work of those people who have some connection with religion. Respect for the elders is in their hearts; but in this modern age, what repentance, what bayʿa, what pīrī-murīdī (the master–disciple relationship)? They regard all this as humbug. The truth is that these people have no concern with God at all. They regard this pure name as a name without meaning: lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadun rasūlu'llāh.
وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: لَقَدْ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ اِذْ يُبَايِعُوْنَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ
(al-Fatḥ 48:18)
Vocabulary: la-qad raḍiya'llāh — indeed Allah has become pleased; ʿani'l-muʾminīn — with those believers; idh yubāyiʿūnaka — when they pledge allegiance to you; taḥta'sh-shajara — beneath the tree.
Translation: Allah Most High says: Truly Allah is pleased with these believers, in that they pledge allegiance on your hand beneath that tree.
Gentlemen! Here at Ḥudaybiya, beneath a tree, the Bayʿat al-Riḍwān (the Pledge of Good Pleasure) on the blessed hand of the Messenger of God ﷺ is mentioned. Allah honoured those who made this bayʿa, being aware of their firm faith and contentment, with the light of sakīna (tranquillity), and Allah Most High declared His good pleasure. Among these nine hundred (900) men were Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) and ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) too, with whom God is pleased, and who is aware of their faith. [reading uncertain] [reading uncertain] Some irreligious person may not accept the Qurʾān, may not acknowledge the faith of these Companions — what do we care about that? The real good pleasure of God, the Lord of the worlds, was attained by these Companions. Not accepting these Companions is, in a way, not accepting the Qurʾān. For such a one to call himself a "muʾmin" (believer) is contrary to fact. For us, Allah and His Messenger are enough. Those with whom Allah and the Messenger are pleased — we too are pleased with them.
مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَا بَيْعَةَ عَلَيْهِ، مَاتَ مِيْتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً.
(Musnad Aḥmad — Ibn Saʿd from Ibn ʿUmar; Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl] — Ḥm (Aḥmad), Ṭb (al-Ṭabarānī) — from Muʿāwiya; Kanz vol. 1.) [reading uncertain]
Vocabulary: māta — he died; wa-lā bayʿata ʿalayhi — and there is no bayʿa upon him, and he did not make bayʿa; māta mītatan jāhiliyyatan — he died the death of the Jāhiliyya (the pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance).
Translation: Whoever died without bayʿa died the death of the Jāhiliyya.
(In Musnad Aḥmad, from Ibn Saʿd, from Ibn ʿUmar, and from Muʿāwiya — Ḥm (Aḥmad), al-Ṭabarānī, and Kanz al-ʿUmmāl, vol. 1, p. 26.)
أُبَايِعُكُمْ عَلَى أَنْ لَا تُشْرِكُوْا بِاللهِ شَيْئًا وَلَا تَسْرِقُوْا وَلَا تَزْنُوْا وَلَا تَقْتُلُوْا أَوْلَادَكُمْ وَلَا تَأْتُوْا بِبُهْتَانٍ تَفْتَرُوْنَهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيْكُمْ وَأَرْجُلِكُمْ وَلَا تَعْصُوْنِيْ فِيْ مَعْرُوْفٍ فَمَنْ وَفٰى مِنْكُمْ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللهِ ـ فَمَنْ أَصَابَ مِنْ ذٰلِكَ شَيْئًا فَأُخِذَ بِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَهُوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لَهُ وَطُهُوْرٌ وَمَنْ سَتَرَهُ اللهُ فَذٰلِكَ إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِنْ شَآءَ عَذَّبَهُ وَإِنْ شَآءَ غَفَرَ لَهُ ـ
(Aḥmad, al-Bukhārī and Muslim, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī — from ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit.) Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl], vol. 1. [reading uncertain]
Vocabulary: ubāyiʿukum — I take your pledge of allegiance (bayʿa); ʿalā an — on this [condition], that; lā tushrikū bi'llāhi shayʾan — do not associate anything with Allah as a partner; wa lā taznū — and do not commit fornication; wa lā taʾtū bi-buhtānin — and do not fabricate slander; bayna aydīkum wa arjulikum — knowingly, with your eyes open [lit. "between your hands and feet"]; fī maʿrūfin — in any good thing; fa-man wafā minkum — whoever among you fulfils the pledge; fa-man aṣāba — whoever falls into; min dhālika shayʾan — anything of these; fa-ukhidha bihi — and is taken to account for it; wa man satarahu'llāhu — and whomever Allah conceals; fa-dhālika ila'llāhi — then that is up to Allah; in shāʾa — if He wills; ʿadhdhabahu — He will punish him.
Translation: Ḥaḍrat ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: "I take your pledge of allegiance on this: that you will not associate anyone with Allah as a partner, nor steal, nor commit fornication, nor kill your children, nor knowingly fabricate slander against anyone, nor disobey me in any good thing. So whoever among you fulfils the pledge, his reward is upon Allah. And whoever falls into any of these things and is then taken to account for it in this world (is punished), then for him that is an expiation and a purification. And whoever Allah conceals, his matter is with Allah, Mighty and Majestic: if He wills He will punish him, and if He wills He will forgive him." (Kanz al-ʿUmmāl, vol. 1, p. 15)
أُبَايِعُكَ عَلَى أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللهَ وَتُقِيْمَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكٰوةَ وَتُنَاصِحَ الْمُسْلِمَ وَتُفَارِقَ الْمُشْرِكَ ـ
(Al-Ḥākim — from Abu'l-Yasar.) Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl], vol. 1.
Vocabulary: taʿbuda'llāha — that you worship Allah; tunāṣiḥa — that you wish well [to]; tufāriqa — that you stay apart [from].
Translation: Ḥaḍrat Abu'l-Yasar narrates that the noble Prophet ﷺ said: "I take your pledge on this: that you will worship Allah, establish the prayer (ṣalāh), give the zakāh (obligatory alms), wish the Muslims well, and keep yourself apart from the idolater (mushrik)." (Kanz al-ʿUmmāl, vol. 1)
إِنِّيْ لَا أُصَافِحُ النِّسَآءَ إِنَّمَا قَوْلِيْ لِمِائَةِ امْرَأَةٍ كَقَوْلِيْ لِامْرَأَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ـ
(Ibn Saʿd, from ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr.) Aḥmad; al-Tirmidhī — "ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ"; al-Nasāʾī; and Ibn Saʿd; al-Ṭabarānī (al-Kabīr); [and] — from Umayma bint Ruqayqa. [reading uncertain]
Vocabulary: lā uṣāfiḥu — I do not shake hands; li-miʾati'mraʾatin — for a hundred women.
Translation: Ḥaḍrat Ibn Saʿd narrates from ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "I do not shake hands with women.
Just as my word is for one woman, so in the very same way my word is also for a hundred women." (That is, I take the pledge verbally.)
عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ قُدَامَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: هَاجَرْتُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ نَاوِلْنِيْ يَدَكَ أُبَايِعْكَ، فَنَاوَلَنِيْ يَدَهُ فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ إِنِّيْ أُحِبُّكَ، قَالَ "اَلْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ" ـ
(Reported by al-Tirmidhī and al-Nasāʾī.)
Vocabulary: hājartu — I emigrated (made hijra); fa-ataytuhu — so I came to him; nāwilnī yadaka — give me your hand; fa-nāwalanī — so he gave me; uḥibbuka — I love you; al-marʾu — a man, a person.
Translation: It is related from Ḥaḍrat Ṣafwān ibn Qudāma (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I emigrated to the Prophet ﷺ. I came to him and said, "Give me your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you." So he gave me his hand. Then I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I love you." He said: "A man is with the one whom he loves."
عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ الْأَشْجَعِيِّ قَالَ: كُنَّا عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ تِسْعَةً أَوْ ثَمَانِيَةً أَوْ سَبْعَةً فَقَالَ أَلَا تُبَايِعُوْنَ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ (ﷺ) فَبَسَطْنَا أَيْدِيَنَا وَقُلْنَا عَلٰى مَا نُبَايِعُكَ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ قَالَ عَلٰى أَنْ تَعْبُدُوا اللهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوْا بِهِ شَيْئًا وَتُصَلُّوا الصَّلَوٰتِ الْخَمْسَ وَتَسْمَعُوْا وَتُطِيْعُوْا وَأَسَرَّ كَلِمَةً خَفِيَّةً قَالَ وَلَا تَسْأَلُوا النَّاسَ شَيْئًا فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ بَعْضَ أُولٰٓئِكَ النَّفَرِ يَسْقُطُ سَوْطُ أَحَدِهِمْ فَمَا يَسْأَلُ أَحَدًا يُنَاوِلُهُ إِيَّاهُ ـ
(Narrated by Muslim, Abū Dāwūd and al-Nasāʾī. — al-Taysīr)
Vocabulary: alā tubāyiʿūna — will you not pledge allegiance?; fa-basaṭnā aydiyanā — so we stretched out our hands; ʿalā mā nubāyiʿuka — on what shall we pledge allegiance to you?; tuṣallu'l-ṣalawāti'l-khamsa — that you pray the five prayers; asarra — he said secretly, as a confidence; kalimatan khafiyyatan — a light, quiet word; lā tasʾalū — do not ask.
Translation: Ḥaḍrat ʿAwf ibn Mālik al-Ashjaʿī narrates: We were with the Prophet ﷺ, nine, eight or seven men. He said, "Will you not pledge allegiance to the Messenger of Allah?" So we stretched out our hands and said, "O Messenger of Allah, on what shall we pledge allegiance to you?" He said, "On this: that you worship Allah and do not make anyone His partner, that you pray the five prayers, and that you listen and obey (what the one in authority says)." And he said one thing quietly, as a confidence: "And do not ask people for anything." (The narrator says:) I saw some of those men — if one of them dropped his whip, he would not ask anyone to pick it up and hand it to him.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا: قَالَتْ مَامَسَّ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ ﷺ يَدَ امْرَأَةٍ قَطُّ إِلَّا أَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَلَيْهَا فَإِذَا أَخَذَ عَلَيْهِ فَأَعْطَتْهُ ـ قَالَ "إِذْهَبِيْ فَقَدْ بَايَعْتُكِ" ـ [reading uncertain]
(Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, and Abū Dāwūd.)
Vocabulary: mā massa — he did not touch; yada'mraʾatin — the hand of any woman; qaṭṭu — ever; aʿṭathu — that woman wished to give [her hand] to him; idhhabī — go; laqad bāyaʿtuki — I have taken your pledge.
Translation: It is related from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never touched the hand of any woman; and if, when he was taking the pledge from a woman, that woman gave [i.e. offered] her hand, he said: "Go, I have taken your pledge." (Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim and Abū Dāwūd.)