Conditions of Bai'at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi — Page 170
C ONDITIONS OF B AI ‘ AT AND R ESPONSIBILITIES OF AN A H MAD I 170 than that. You are not merely establishing a bond of equals; instead, you are acknowledging that it is a command of Allah and His Messenger sa to accept the Messiah that was promised. Therefore, you are establishing this bond for the sake of Allah the Almighty. You are making this contract to uphold the reli- gion of Allah the Almighty and to convey and spread the reli- gion of Islam to all corners of the world. This bond can only be successful and long-lasting if you pledge to be obedient in everything good and keep this pledge until death. You should be mindful that this bond does not remain inactive, but should become stronger every day. It should be so strong and its stan- dard should be so high that, in comparison, all other relations, bonds, and friendships should prove weaker. The bond should be so matchless and strong that in its comparison all other bonds and relations should seem meaningless. Then he says that the thought can cross one’s mind that in family relationships sometimes the rule of give and take—to compromise, to accept, and to have one’s decisions accepted occasionally—is applicable. Here it must be understood that this, instead, is the bond of a slave and servant. Indeed, it should be even more than that. You have to be obedient without any grumbling. You never have the right to say that such and such cannot be done or that you cannot do such and such at this time. When you have taken the bai‘at and have entered the organisation of the Jam a ‘at of the Promised Messiah as , you have given everything of your’s to the Promised Messiah as. You have to obey his decisions; you have to act upon his teachings. Since the system of khil a fat exists after him, you have to follow the decisions and the instruc- tions of the Khalifah of the time. Here you should not think