bait, murshid, khilafat, gaddi nashin, sajjada nashin, khadim, moallim, dargahsharif, ajmersharif, khwajababa,gharibnawaz, kgn, khwajaajmeri, sufishrine, chishty, ajmer, dargah,darbar.

	MEANING OF BAIT
	The meaning of bait is to pledge, or to be sold at the hands of a spiritual master who can guide one to Allah. To pledge is to promise, so those who break their pledge with the murshid breaks their pledge that they have made to Allah and his Rasool S.A.W.

QURAN REGARDING BAIT
Allah says in the Holy Quran:

1. Those who swear allegiance to you, swears allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands so whosoever breaks his oath, he breaks it to his own loss and whosoever fulfils the covenant which he made with Allah then Allah shall soon give him a great reward. (Sura Fath verse 10).

2. Surely Allah was pleased with the believers when they were swearing allegiance to you under the tree, and Allah knew what were in their hearts so he sent down on them tranquility and rewarded them with a near victory. (Sura Fath verse 18)

3. O Prophet! When believing women come to you for taking oath of allegiance at your hands, that they will not associate anything with Allah, and that they will not commit theft, and will not commit adultery and nor kill their children and nor will bring a calumny forging it between their hands and feet, and will not disobey you in anything good. Then accept their allegiance and beg Allah to forgive them. Undoubtedly Allah is forgiving, Merciful. (Sura Mumtahinah verse 12)

HADITH REGARDING BAIT

1. Hazrat Abdulla ibn Umar R.A.A reported that: I heard the messenger of Allah say that whosoever takes off his hand from allegiance will meet Allah on the day of Resurrection without having any proof for him and whoso dies while there was no allegiance on his neck dies a death of the days of Ignorance.

2. Hazrat Abu Huraira R.A.A. reported from the Messenger of Allah said that Prophets ruled over the children of Israel, whenever a Prophet died another Prophet succeeded him but there will be no Prophet after me, there will soon be Caliphs and they will number many. They asked “What then do you order us” He said “Fulfill allegiance to the first and then the first, give them their dues Verily Allah will ask them about what he entrusted them with”.

3. Ibn Umar R.A.A. reported that when we took oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah over hearing and obeying he used to say to us “About what you are capable” [MISHKAT AL-MASABIH - Maulana Fazlul Karim]

BAIT-E-UTHMANI

When one desires to take bait on the hands of a Murshid who may be in a distant country, one is allowed to contract this oath of allegiance via the means of a letter or via a khalifa (representative) of the Murshid. This type of bait has its origin from the famous incident of Hudaibiyyah: Rasulullah S.A.W. on that occasion made the bait of Hadhrat Uthman R.A.A. in his ( Hazrat Usman's) absence. On this occasion, Rasoolallah S.A.W. placed his right hand on his own left hand and announced that he has made bait of Usman. The bait in absence of the mureed is therefore termed Bait-e-Usmani. The mureed will be counted among the sincere ones as long as his love and sincerity for his Murshid is firm although he may be far away from him. [Saba Sanabil Shareef - Hazrat Abdul Wahid Bilgrami R.A.A]

BAIT-E-TAJDEED (RENEWAL OF BAIT)

This means to renew your pledge with the murshid. This practice is good because one never knows when he has fallen out of allegiance and also this helps one to keep one’s contact with the murshid “rust free”.

Tajdeed or renewal of BAIT used to take place in the time of the Holy Prophet S.A.W. Once the Holy Prophet S.A.W. personally took BAIT thrice from Sayyiduna Salmah bin Akwah R.A.A. whowas preparing to leave for Jihad. In the first instance, Rasoolullah S.A.W. asked, "Did Salmah take BAIT?"

After a while the Holy Prophet S.A.W. asked, "Salmah, are you not going to take BAIT?" Sayyiduna Salmah said, "Ya Rasoolullah S.A.W.! I had already taken BAIT". After all the Ashaabs had taken BAIT, the Prophet of Islam S.A.W. repeated for the third time, "Salmah are you not going to take BAIT?" Sayyiduna Salmah said, "Ya Rasoolullah S.A.W.! I have already taken BAIT twice". The Prophet of Islam S.A.W. said, "Repeat the BAIT". So, Sayyiduna Salmah, in a single sitting took BAIT (Tajdeed) thrice.

MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING BAIT

We have found that there are people who have some misconceptions regarding this practice of BAIT that give it a totally different meaning.

Some of these misconceptions are:
·     Many feel that after they become mureed, all the rules of Sharia do not apply anymore. That there is no need to read salaah, give zakaat etc. One can go on sinning and his murshid will answer to Allah for him. This is a big trick of the Shaitaan. One has to obey at all times the rules of the Sharia. There are also many who think that the rules of Sharia only apply after they have become mureed.
·    Becoming mureed promises success in ones worldly affairs. Example, increasing business, winning court cases, becoming very rich and so forth.
·     Upon becoming mureed one is going to see miracles upon miracles. Miracles are not the aim and objective of Tasawwuf.
·     Many say that they are not ready to become mureed because they are still young and they will become when they are more mature. One is more vulnerable to shaitaan in his youth, therefore for him to have a murshid is in that period is more important._·Many people say that they are mureeds of great mashaa’ikh who have passed away many hundred years ago. Although they are very great one cannot pledge allegiance at the grave of a Wali, one has to take the oath of allegiance to a murshid who is alive._·Many people place hats and garments on the grave of the Awliya and therafter claim to have khilaafat. These so called khalifas are devils in disguise just to lead people astray.

HISTORY OF THE CHISTIYA ORDER AND BAIT

The Chistia Order is one of the most popular and influential mystic orders of Islam. It derives its name from CHIST, a village near Herat in Afghanistan, where the real founder, Hazrat Khwaja Abu Ishaq Chisti (RA) of Syria, had settled by the command of his spiritual guide, Hazrat Khwaja Mamshad Ali Dinwari (R.A).
When Hazrat Abu Ishaq Chisti (RA) arrived at the Khanqah of Hazrat Mamshad Ali Dinwari (RA), the Sheikh asked him of his name. He replied "Abu Ishaq SHAMI", and the Sheikh then said to him, "From this day people will refer to you as Abu Ishaq CHISTI", and that he should go to Chist in Afghanistan and spread the mystic order so that people in and around Chist could receive spiritual guidance from him. Furthermore, the Sheikh said that all those people that would enter his (Khwaja Abu Ishaq Chisti) silsila, would be known as CHISTI untill the day of Qiyamah.
The Silsila is traced back to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) through various generations of great Sufi saints of this order. During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), people used to make "Baiat" (to take the oath of allegiance) upon His (S.A.W.) hands, pledging that they:
"Will not associate in worship, any partner with Allah; that they will not steal; nor commit adultery, nor kill their children; that they will not lie and that they will not disobey Him in any just matter." QUR'AN SLX Verse 12
This oath used to be accepted by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), and he used to make dua for the forgiveness of their sins. Allah, in response to these oaths, responded in the Qur'an stating:
"Verily those who pledge their oath to you, do in reality pledge their oath to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands." QUR'AN SLX VIII Verse 10
This practice of pledging continued until the Holy Prophet's (S.A.W.) demise. Thereafter, people pledged their oath upon the hands of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs viz. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RA), Hazrat Umar ibn Khattab al-Farooq (RA), Hazrat Uthmaan ibn Affan al-Ghani (RA), and Hazrat Maula Ali ibn Abi Talib Karam Allahu Wajhahul kareem.
The Chistia Order flows from Hazrat Maula Ali (RA), leading to his spiritual desendants, Khwaja Hasan Basri (RA), Khwaja Abde Wahid ibne Zaid (RA), Khwaja Fuzail ibn Ayaz (RA), Khwaja Ibrahim bin Adham (RA), Khwaja Huzaifa Mir'ashi (RA), Khwaja Hubaira Basri (RA), Khwaja Mamshad Ali Dinwari (RA), Khwaja Abu Ishaq Chisti (FOUNDER of the Order), Khwaja Abu Ahmed Chisti (RA), Khwaja Muhammad Chisti (RA), Khwaja Abu Yusuf Chisti (RA), Khwaja Maudood Chisti (RA), Khwaja Haji Shareef Zindani (RA), Khwaja Usmaan Harooni (RA), and Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti Hasan Sanjeri Ajmeri (RA).
Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti (RA), also known as Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaaz, brought the silsila to India at the close of the 11th century, and established its centre in Ajmer. From here, the mystic order spread throughout India and became a force in the spiritual life of the people of India. After his demise, his spiritual desendants and successors, viz. Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Kaki (RA), Hazrat Khwaja Fariduddin Ganje Shakar (RA), Hazrat Makhdoom Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Kalyari (RA), and Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Awliya Mahboobe Ilahi (RA), and their successors in turn, continued this noble mission

THE MURSHID (Spiritual Guide)

QUALIFICATIONS OF A MURSHID (SPIRITUAL TEACHER)

1.    He must be of the Ahle-Sunnah Wal Jamaat and hold correct Islamic beliefs.
2.    He should have knowledge (Ilm) in Islamic Jurisprudence whereby he must be able to answer questions without consulting any books.
3.    He must have permission from his murshid to take BAIT and his silsila must be linked to the Holy Prophet S.A.W. via the chain of mashaaikh   without a break in link or sequence.
4.    He must not be a Fasiq-e-Mohleen (one who openly commits sin).

DUTIES OF A MURSHID

1.    He should not have the desire of being followed.
2.    He should not have greed in having disciples. When a murshid sees that a person desires to follow him he should not be hasty in accepting him rather he should delay and test whether the seeker is sincere.
3.    The murshid must guide the mureed according to the mureed’s capacity.
4.    The murshid must not show greed in respect to the mureed’s wealth and property. Hazrat Khwaja Nizaamuddeen Aulia narrates, “One day a disciple coming to see his master presented to him some watermelons. The master did not accept it and returned it. Someone asked why has the master rejected an offering from his disciple. The master replied, ‘Just as it is improper for a master to be dependant on his disciples in religious matters so too in worldly affairs he should never be dependant on one who is his disciple’.”
5.    A murshid must be compassionate to his mureed. If in a mureed he sees some defects he should admonish him in a suitable manner at the proper time otherwise it is possible that the disciple will lose his devotion for the murshid.
6.    The murshid must not disclose the secrets of his mureed.
7.    The murshid should speak to his disciple in a good respectable manner free from pride so that it may have an effect on the hearts of the mureeds.
8.    The murshid must be one who sees both the rich and the poor in the same light. In his presence, social position, high birth and wealth are of no importance. By this, the ground of devotion is kept fertile for each mureed regardless of his standing in the material world.
9.    The murshid must keep his word with his disciples even when the disciples are not constant in their devotion. The murshid should not neglect his duties to his mureeds nor withdraw his grace from them.
10.     Whether the mureeds accept or reject his teaching he should not spare any moment in training his mureeds.

KHILAAFAT

Khilaafat means successorship and a person who attains successorship from a murshid is known as a Khalifa. When a murshid detects perfection and piety amongst his mureed he may grant them the khilaafat and allow them to guide others on the spiritual path. A khalifa is a representative of the murshid. Khilaafat is not something that can be bought or sold.

TYPES OF KHILAAFAT

There are basically 6 different types of Khilaafat:
1. Isaalatan-When a murshid, acting upon Divine Instructions, bestows Khilaafat upon anybody.
2. Ejazatan- When a Murshid chooses anybody from amongst his family or mureeds whom he sees fit enough to carry out the duties as his Khalifa.
3. Ijmaa’an- When a murshid passes away without leaving a successor, then the pious elders elect a person from amongst the family or mureeds as the Khalifa.
4.Wiraasatan- When a murshid passes away without leaving a successor then the offspring on their own accord declare themselves as successors. This type of khilaafat is not accepted by the Mashaa’ikh.
5.Hukmun- After the demise of the murshid a dispute arises as to who is the successor, then this matter is settled in an Islamic court under a pious Qazi who appoints a successor.
6.Takleefan- This is when a mureed requests his murshid directly or indirectly to bestow upon him khilaafat and the murshid due to embarrassment grants the mureed khilaafat. This type is not accepted by the Mashaa’ikh.

CATEGORIES OF KHILAAFAT

Khilaafate Sugra (Small or General Khilaafat)

When a mureed due to his sincerity towards his murshid and by virtue of his piety and spiritual exercises is granted khilaafat by his murshid. A murshid would present him with a special garb symbolizing his khilaafat. If the murshid wishes, then he may grant this khalifa a locality or an area for him to spread Islam and propagate the silsila. A murshid can grant this type of khilaafat on as many mureeds who are pious and capable as he wishes.

Khilaafate Kubra (Major or Special Khilaafat)

This is when the murshid upon divine instructions grants this special khilaafat upon a mureed who has become perfect on the spiritual path. This khalifa will occupy the position as held by the murshid in his lifetime. He becomes the absolute representative of the murshid. This khalifa becomes the recipient of the sacred relics that were passed down from one murshid to the next. All the mureeds and the mureeds who possess the Khilaafate Sugra will become answerable to him.

IJAZAT (Permission)

With regards to Ijazat, a khalifa is not allowed to make mureeds and take BAIT from people unless he is given permission to do so by the murshid. There are two kinds of Ijazat i.e.

A) Ijazat-e-Mutleqa (Complete Permission)- With this permission, a mureed fully represents the murshid and he may take BAIT from people and hand over the shajra bearing his own name on it

B) Ijazat-e-Nayaabati (Ijazat on a Murshids Behalf)- A murshid grants a mureed permission to take BAIT on his behalf. These pledges are transferred to the murshid and they become the mureeds of the murshid. The shajra is handed to them bearing the name of the murshid.

GADDI NASHINI (SPIRITUAL HEIR OF A MURSHID)

A Gaddi Nashinis a spiritual heir or successor to the position as held by the murshid. A Gaddi Nashin is usually chosen from amongst the most deserving and pious from amongst the murshid’s sons or mureeds. This position is not hereditary and blood relationship has nothing to do with it. The person who becomes the Gaddi Nashin has complete control of all activities of the Khanqah, for example, he administers all affairs, guardianship of the endowments of a shrine, appointments and dismissals.

It is really sad that in the time we live in, people have the tendency to show disrespect to the Khulafa of the murshid considering them just as brothers of the silsila because they share a common murshid. These problems occur because of the lack of knowledge. There is definetly a world of difference between a mureed and a Khalifa. If a person acts disrespectfully to the Khalifa he should repent at once and must renew his pledge of initiation. If one does not repent, his original initiation will become null and void. When Allah made Hazrat Adam (A.S.) his Khalifa and ordered all the Angels to bow before him, all obeyed Allah’s command and bowed besides Shaitaan who rebelled. Because of this he became the cursed one and was turned away from the divine presence of Allah. Similarly if a mureed claims to be equal to the Khalifa of his murshid or speaks ill of him, then he too will be turned away from the services of his murshid. A Khalifa is the representative of the previous Mashaaikh in the chain from his murshid the up to Beloved Prophet S.A.W.

QUALITIES OF A GADDI NASHIN

A person who sits on the seat of SAJJADA should possess twelve qualities-
Two qualities are from Allah_
1.    A person must be ready to pardon.
2.    Always ready to forgive.
Two qualities from Sayyiduna Rasoolallah S.A.W.
1.    Must be sympathetic.
2.    Must be kind.
Two qualities from Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq R.A.A.
1.    Truthfulness
2.    Charitable
Two qualities from Hazrat Umar R.A.A.
1.    Commanding what is right and fair.
2.    Forbidding what is wrong and unfair.
Two qualities from Hazrat Uthman R.A.A.
1.    Must be an active provider of food.
2.    Devoted to praying at night when others are asleep.
Two qualities from Hazrat Ali R.A.A.
1.    Must possess knowledge.
2.    Must be courageous.

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