When Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, was divinely instructed to take the Bai’at (initiation) and establish a Jamaat, he published a tract titled Takmil-e-Tabligh wa Guzarish-e-Zaruri (Completion of the Call and an Important Request). In this tract, Huzooras put forward the ten conditions that one must pledge to enter the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. These conditions are as follows:
I The initiate shall solemnly promise that he/she shall abstain from shirk [associating any partner with God] right up to the day of his/her death.
II That he/she shall keep away from falsehood, fornication/adultery, trespasses of the eye, debauchery, dissipation, cruelty, dishonesty, mischief and rebellion; and that he/she will not permit himself/herself to be carried away by passions, however strong they might be.
III That he/she shall regularly offer the five daily Prayers in accordance with the commandments of God and the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the tahajjud and invokingdurud on the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. That he/she shall make it his/her daily routine to ask forgiveness for his/her sins, to remember the bounties of God and to praise and glorify Him.
IV That under the impulse of any passions, he/she shall cause no harm whatsoever to the creatures of God in general and Muslims in particular, neither by his/her tongue, hands, nor any other means.
V That he/she shall remain faithful to God in all circumstances of life, in sorrow and in happiness, in adversity and in prosperity, in felicity and in trial; and that he/she shall in all conditions remain resigned to the decree of God and keep himself/herself ready to face all kinds of indignities and sufferings in His way and shall never turn away from Him at the onslaught of any misfortune; on the contrary, he/she shall march forward.
VI That he/she shall refrain from following un-Islamic customs and lustful inclinations and shall completely submit himself/herself to the authority of the Holy Qur’an; and that he/she shall make the Word of God and the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa his/her guiding principles in every walk of his/her life.
VII That he/she shall entirely give up pride and vanity and shall pass all his/her life in humbleness, cheerfulness, forbearance and meekness.
VIII That he/she shall hold faith, the honour of faith and the cause of Islam dearer than his/her life, wealth,honour, children, and all loved ones.
IX That he/she shall keep himself/herself occupied in the service of God’s creatures for His sake only and shall endeavour towards the beneficence of mankind to the best of his/her God-given abilities and powers.
X 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.
(It is interesting to note that the Promised Messiahas wrote this tract on 12 January 1889. On the same date, the Promised Son, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra, was born. The Jamaat and Hazrat Musleh Maudra, therefore, were born twins.)
Having published this tract, the Promised Messiahas travelled to Ludhiana (then in British Indian Punjab, now in the Indian Punjab) to take initiation from those who wished to join the divinely established Jamaat at the hand of the Promised Messiahas.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas resided at the house of Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan in Mohalla Jadid. The background of this setting is understood to be the urge that Hazrat Sufi sahib had shown many years ago for him to take the Oath of Initiation at his hand and allow a Jamaat to be established. As the Promised Messiahas had not yet been instructed by Allah the Almighty to do so, he showed reluctance.
Now that Allah had instructed him to do so, he chose the house of Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan to do so, who, unfortunately, had previously passed away. This blessed house is now known as Dar ul Bai’at. Having been passed to many residents over decades, it is now in the custody of the Jamaat.
This blessed service, commonly known as Bai’at e Ula (the first Bai’at) was held on 23 March 1889, the venue being the house mentioned earlier. A notebook (commonly known as Register Bai’at-e-Ula) was prepared to note down the names of the fortunate persons in attendance.
Hazrat Maulvi Nurudin, Allah be pleased with him, was the first person to be called in the room where the Promised Messiahas was seated and was to take the Oath of Initiation. The rest of the persons who had travelled from distant places followed one by one.
That register is still safe and secure except for the first page which is unfortunately missing. This register was discovered by Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ishaqra who passed it on to Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra, on 14 October 1955 wrote a letter to Maulvi Muhammad Siddiq, then in-charge of Khilafat Library Rabwah, expressing that he wished for such extremely important and historic material of the Jamaat to be preserved by the Jamaat.
Maulvi Muhammad Siddiq sought guidance from Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, KhalifatulMasih IIra, who replied that it was best for it to be preserved under Jamaat’s custody.
Copies of this correspondence are included in this article with their English translation.
As mentioned above, the first page of the register has been missing ever since the register was first discovered by Hazrat Mir sahib. However, with the help of those who were present, the names were later inserted on a page which now works as page one of that blessed document.
[Should our readers wish to contribute to filling in the missing names, (provided they have sufficient evidence to prove so,) we request them to write to us and we will arrange for research to be carried out and guidance sought from Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa for a final decision.]
Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra to Maulvi Muhammad Siddiq (Librarian, Khilafat Library)
Respected Maulvi Muhammad Siddiq sahib,
Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
I have the register of the first Bai’at. The first page is missing and the numbering starts from thereon. It should be brought to Huzoor’s attention and preserved in the library…
Wassalam
Khaksar
Mirza Bashir Ahmad
14.10.1955
Maulvi Muhammad Siddiq to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
My Lord
Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahe Wa Barakatuhu
Hazrat Miyan Bashir Ahmad sahib has informed me that he has the first register of Bai’at in Silsila Ahmadiyya… He is of the opinion that this should be brought to the knowledge of Huzoor and then … be preserved in the Library.
I write to seek Huzoor’s permission and guidance in this regard.
Wassalam
Huzoor’s humble servant
Khaksar
Muhammad Siddiq
17/10/1955
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra, granting permission wrote:
Very good. It will be preserved in the Jamaat’s history. Archive it.