The path to Allah (ṭarīq Allāh) is structured upon principles (uṣūl), methods (asālīb), and an educational framework (minhāj tarbawī) through which the seeker (murīd) attains the Divine Presence (ḥaḍrat Allāh). A true spiritual path necessitates a guide (shaykh) who establishes these foundations—a realized knower of Allah (ʿārif bi-llāh) who leads others toward Him. Such a guide is not chosen arbitrarily but is divinely appointed as a khalīfa (vicegerent) on Earth. Through adherence to these foundational principles, the seeker’s soul is refined and elevated into the Divine Presence.

The foundations (uṣūl) of our noble Karkariyya (ṭarīqa al-karkariyya) path are firmly rooted in prophetic guidance (al-hadī al-nabawī) and remain in harmony with the criteria of the sharīʿa. The first of these sacred foundations is the Bayʿat al-Riḍwān—the Pledge of Divine Satisfaction—between the guiding shaykh and the disciple.

Allah, Exalted is He, states: Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with a near victory. (Qur’an, 48:18)

What is the bayʿa (pledge of allegiance)? Why do we pledge allegiance? To whom do we pledge? And what are its fruits?

The bayʿa is a sacred covenant (ʿahd) and commitment (mīthāq) to reviving what the Qur’an and Sunnah have enjoined and to upholding divine rulings. It is an act of loyalty (walāʾ), obedience (samʿ wa-ṭāʿa), and submission (taslīm) to the khalīfa (successor) in return for their just governance. At its core, the bayʿa is an agreement between two parties:

1. The imām, who represents the first party.

2. The ummah (community) or the individual, which constitute the second party.

From the exoteric perspective, within the traditional framework, the imām—as the ruler in this worldly sense—is entrusted with governing in accordance with what pleases the Lord, while the ummah pledges full obedience and submission to the imām’s guidance. From the esoteric perspective, however, there is also a pledge of commitment (bayʿa) that must be established between the spiritual imām, the walī, and the believers (muʾminīn) as they journey toward the Truth through the path (ṭarīq) of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Whoever dies without having a pledge of allegiance upon their neck dies a death of ignorance (mītatan jāhilīyya). (Muslim)

This hadith strongly emphasizes the necessity of giving bayʿa and warns against neglecting it. To die without having pledged allegiance is to live and die in a state of deviation from divine guidance. For the Muslim community at large, it reminds us that we must be peaceful and law-abiding individuals in our societies and avoid causing fitna (discord). For those who seek to connect with their unseen nature and realize it—worshipping Allah through the similitude (tashbīh) of divine witnessing and annihilating themselves in divine light (fanāʾ fī al-nūr)—they must abide by the laws and directions of the ruler of the unseen world and the world of lights: the walī.

Furthermore, Allah declares in the Qur’an: Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you (O Prophet) are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hands. So, whoever breaks his pledge only breaks it to his own loss, but whoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allah, He will grant him a great reward. (Qur’an, 48:10)

This verse affirms that allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ—and by extension, to those inheriting his guidance—is ultimately allegiance to Allah Himself. Every sincere seeker who commits to remaining steadfast (thabāt) upon the spiritual path of iḥsān, carrying the trust (amāna) of divine knowledge in both word and deed, enters into this covenant with Allah. Those who violate it and deviate from the guidance of the vicegerent walī governing their unseen realm only harm themselves by hastening their downfall.

The reward of remaining steadfast in the spiritual path and fulfilling the commitment of bayʿa, however, is the light (nūr) that guides the believer through the darkness of their heart, illuminating their path until the Day they meet their Lord in that luminous state. On that Day, those who remained true to their pledge will rejoice, while those who rejected it will grieve, lamenting: “Oh, if only I had taken the path with the Messenger!” (Qur’an, 25:27)

Thus, our bayʿa is the spiritual bayʿa of the Prophet ﷺ, and it is also the bayʿa of his purified household (Āl al-Bayt) and their perfected inheritors—the saints (awliyāʾ) and divine deputies (khulafāʾ) who guide seekers to Allah.

Our Shaykh, Sidi Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari, writes in Kāf al-astār regarding the nature of the vicegerents of God on earth and the spiritual bayʿa:

“The people of Allah (ahl Allāh), the perfected inheritors (al-wārithūn al-kummal), are never absent from any time or place, for they are the focus of divine gaze (maḥall al-naẓar). Through them, Allah lifts afflictions, sends down rain, answers supplications, and accepts good deeds. They are the security of the people of the Earth. They are the bearers of prophetic education (al-tarbiyya al-nabawiyya) in every era. Whoever pledges allegiance to them has pledged allegiance to Allah. Whoever looks upon them has looked upon Allah. But whoever breaks the covenant after sealing it with them only does so against themselves—their tree of will (shajarat irādatihim) withers, their inner light (nūr baṣīratihim) is extinguished, and they regress to the state of the common people. Yet, whoever remains true to what they have covenanted with Allah will be granted the greatest reward: the perpetual witnessing (shuhūd) of His sacred Essence (dhāt), and the attainment of the station of nearness (maqām al-muqarrabīn). May Allah establish us firmly upon this upright path without wavering or turning back. Āmīn.”

The bayʿa is not merely a historical or legal formality; it is a universal, divine law (qānūn ilāhī) embedded within the very structure of existence. The entire cosmos submits to the chosen khalīfa of Allah—the Insān Kāmil (Perfect Human Being), who serves as a divinely guided teacher leading seekers to knowledge of Allah. Since the highest of angels submitted to the vicegerency of Adam, what then of those who are lower than them? It is only the heedlessness of the human being, veiled by the darkness of their own heart, that refuses to submit to this existential order and the covenant of bayʿa.

By pledging allegiance, the seeker commits to walking the straight path (al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm), avoiding distractions, and focusing solely on divine reality. The shaykh becomes the guide who directs the disciple toward Allah, teaching them to emulate his actions and words, adhere to divine commands, and refrain from prohibitions. Through this discipline, the seeker is elevated to the sacred and eternal presence (al-ḥaḍrat al-qudsiyya al-azaliyya) of Allah.

Our Shaykh said in one of his poems in Dīwān Dīnān al-Arwāḥ:

The foundation of the path is the pledge (bayʿa),

Given with sincerity (ṣidq), intention (nīyya), and purpose (qaṣd).

Beneath the Tree of Divine Satisfaction (shajarat al-riḍwān),

A birth of the heart (al-wilāda al-qalbiyya) takes place.

The lights of the Beloved manifest (tajallī anwār al-ḥabīb),

The Prophetic spirit (al-rūḥ al-nabawiyya) shines forth.

The greatest veil (al-ḥijāb al-akbar) is lifted—

The Muhammadan essence (al-dhāt al-muḥammadiyya) revealed.

Allah opens hearts (yaftaḥ Allāh al-qulūb)

Through the highest of signs (bi-l-ishāra al-ghāliyya).

It is the steed of the Most Merciful (burāq al-Raḥmān),

The ascension beyond all veils (li-l-ḥujub al-ghaybiyya).

Therefore, one realizes that the bayʿa is not simply an oath of allegiance but a dynamic unfolding of divine trust (amāna) that bridges the visible and unseen realms, binding the seeker to a guide who is the embodiment of the very order of existence. It is an existential commitment, an alignment of the self with the divine decree (qadar), where submission (taslīm) is not passive surrender but an active participation in the unveiling of truth. Just as the celestial bodies orbit in obedience to their centers, so too does the spiritual seeker revolve around the axis of divine vicegerency, drawing light from the source that illuminates their inward night. To pledge bayʿa is to acknowledge that guidance is not self-generated but received, that knowledge is not claimed but inherited, and that nearness to Allah is not a solitary ascent but a journey walked in the footsteps of those whom He has chosen as beacons. It is the affirmation that in every age, the hand of Allah (yadu Allāh) remains extended through His elect, and to grasp it is to grasp the rope of salvation that leads beyond selfhood into the radiance of divine presence.

May Allah grant us steadfastness (thabāt) upon His path, sincerity in our allegiance, and the ability to witness His divine presence eternally.