Sources: The New Encyclopedia of Islam

Abstract

The encyclopaedia provides detailed definitions of key Islamic terms. It defines bay’ah as “an oath of fealty or allegiance made with the ruler by the subjects, or, on their behalf, by the body of religious scholars and political chiefs” (p. 82). It also provides a definition of the term “idhn” (permission), closely related to bay’ah (pact), which denotes the initiation into the tariqah – the path of the Sufis. The initiation is a pact sworn with God to consecrate oneself to Him and fight in ‘His way’ for truth and against illusion with one’s life and one’s possessions. True initiations convey a knowledge that cannot be transmitted in any other way (p. 205). Under the definition of ‘Jinn’, bay’ah is also mentioned when describing Prophet Muhammad’s journey to Ta’if when the chiefs of the jinn came to the Prophet and made a bay’ah with him which is today the “Mosque of the Jinn” in Mecca (p. 242). The encyclopedia also mentions ‘Masjid al-Bayah’ (under the definition of Mina) as the place where the first groups of Medinans pledged allegiance to the Prophet, and remains a rare example of the traditional Hejazi mosque style which has been preserved amidst rampant modernization (p. 309). Being an encyclopedia, this source is useful for defining purposes, but is limited in terms of exploring the historical significance of bay’ah or its relevance in the contemporary context today. The intended audience would be those who are trying to gain background information on key Islamic concepts. Pages: 205, 82, 242, 309