Approaching the West — Page 216
Conditions of Initiation by Ḥ a ḍ rat Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad of Q ā di ā n The Promised Messiah and Mahdi (peace be upon him) The initiate shall solemnly promise: I. That he/she shall abstain from Shirk (association of 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 will not permit himself/herself to be carried away by passions, however strong they may be. III. That he/she shall regularly offer the five daily prayers in accordance with the commandments of God and the Holy Prophet ( peace and blessings of All ā h be upon him); and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the Tahajjud (pre-dawn supererogatory Prayers) and invoking Dar ū d (blessings) on the Holy Prophet ( peace and blessings of All ā h be upon him); 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 All ā h in general, and Muslims in particular, neither by his/her tongue nor by his/her hands nor by any other means. V. That he/she shall remain faithful to God in all circumstances of life, in sorrow and happiness, adversity and prosperity, in felicity and trials; and shall in all conditions remain resigned to the decree of All ā h and keep himself/herself ready to face all kinds of indignities and sufferings in His way and shall never turn away from it 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’ ā n; and shall make the Word of God and the Sayings of the Holy Prophet ( peace and blessings of All ā h be upon him) the 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 honor of faith, and the cause of Islam dearer to him/her than his/her life, wealth, honor, children and all other dear ones. IX. That he/she shall keep himself/herself occupied in the service of God’s creatures for His sake only; and shall endeavor to benefit 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 All ā h, and remain faithful to it till 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 demanding devoted dutifulness. (Translated from Ishtih ā r Takm ī l-i-Tabl ī gh, January 12, 1889)