March 23 is an important day in the annals of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. For it was on this historic day in the beginning of the 14th century of Islam that the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian formally began to initiate his disciples through the system of Bia’at into the spiritual Order of Silsila Ahmadiyya, a community of true believers who will be sincere helpers and supporters of the larger causes of Islam in the modern world. The first Bia’at into the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya took place in Ludhiana on Rajab 20, 1306 AH ~23 March 1889.
Historically speaking, the idea of Bia’at in the then, newly-established Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, in many ways, resembled the practice in Sufi Orders of the medieval Islamic world where disciples formed a chain of spiritual relationship with their spiritual preceptor and Imam through Bia’at, the rite of initiation of a disciple into the Sufi spiritual path or Tariqah. In the Sufi traditions, Bia’at denotes ‘Wilayah’ or the transmission of the spiritual power, from the Prophet to certain of his Companions and through them to one generation after another of those seeking to follow the spiritual path.
As a spiritual concept and practice, Bia’at has strong and deep antecedents in the faith
traditions of Islam. Indeed, the Holy Qur’an speaks of the original covenant of
humanity with God through the Prophets: ‘[Prophet], when your
Lord took out the offspring
from the loins of the Children of Adam and made them bear witness about themselves,
He said, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ and they replied, ‘Yes, we bear witness.’ (7:173)
“And remember God’s blessing upon you, and His covenant by which He bound
you, when you said, ‘We hear and we obey.’ And reverence God. Truly God knows
what lies within breasts” (5:8).
“Fulfill My covenant, and I shall fulfill your covenant, and be in awe of
Me.” (2:41)
