[Q 378] Can One Take Bay’ah from a Majdhub Waliyy?

Question

Is it permissible to do Bay’ah (spiritual allegiance) with a Majdhub Waliyy, like people took Bay’ah with Tajuddin Baba, who was a Majdhub and had Khulafa?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

The purpose of taking Bay’ah (spiritual allegiance) with a wholesome spiritual guide is to receive proper guidance from him, so that one may be successful before Allah.
However, a Majdhub is someone who is so enraptured in the love and presence of Allah that they are oblivious to everything besides Allah. Therefore, the true purpose of Bay’ah, which is to receive guidance from a spiritual guidance so that one may attain closeness to Allah, cannot be fulfilled with a Majdhub Waliyy, as the very objective of Bay’ah cannot be achieved with someone who is Majdhub.

As Imam Ahmad Rida Khan عليه الرحمة writes in Fatawa Ridawiyyah:
“Secondly, alongside the aforementioned condtions of bringing one (the Murid (spiritual disciple)) to the Closeness of Allah, the Shaykh must also be aware of the corruptions of the Nafs (ego), the deceptions of Shaytan, and the pitfalls of desires. He must know how to train others and be extremely compassionate toward his disciples, making them aware of their faults and providing solutions for them. He is to help resolve the difficulties that arise on the path of spiritual development. He is not to be a mere Salik (traveler on the path) himself or just a Majdhub. It is mentioned in ‘Awarif al-Ma’arif: ‘neither of these two are fit to be spiritual guides’.
I agree, because the first (Salik) is still on the path himself, and the second (Majdhub) is oblivious to the method of (spritual) training.”

(Fatawa Ridawiyyah, Vol. 21, Pg. 101, Raza Foundation, Lahore)

Answered by: Usman Madani (Askmufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 12th October 2024