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Bayah

Bay'ah, sometimes transliterated bayah, is an Arabic term meaning a pledge of allegiance or oath of loyalty to a leader or ruler. The word comes from a root meaning “to give” and has historically referred to a formal commitment of obedience, support, and acceptance of a leader’s guidance and authority.

In early Islamic history, bay'ah_signified the community’s formal pledge to follow the Prophet Muhammad and to

In modern usage, bay'ah can refer to a pledge of loyalty to a national government, or to

See also: pledge of allegiance, Aqabah, caliphate, Islamic governance.

uphold
his
message.
The
practice
includes
notable
pledges
such
as
the
Bay'ah
al-Aqabah,
in
which
the
people
of
Yathrib
pledged
loyalty
to
the
Prophet
in
two
successive
covenants.
After
Muhammad’s
death,
bay'ah
was
used
to
authorize
and
legitimize
the
leadership
of
the
first
caliphs,
and
it
continued
to
function
as
a
traditional
means
of
legitimizing
rulers
within
many
Islamic
states.
The
form
and
ceremony
of
bay'ah
have
varied
across
times
and
places,
but
the
core
idea
remains
a
covenant
or
oath
between
a
leader
and
their
followers.
a
ruler
within
a
state.
It
is
also
encountered
in
discussions
of
militant
or
extremist
groups,
where
leaders
claim
to
receive
bay'ah
from
adherents
as
a
sign
of
allegiance;
such
claims
are
controversial
and
are
not
universally
accepted
within
the
Muslim
world.
Forms
of
bay'ah
can
be
oral
or
written
and
may
involve
promises
of
obedience,
support,
and
compliance
with
the
leader’s
codes
or
constitution.