Women’s Bay’ah in the Islamist groups

Sara Rashid

Bay’ah or (Pledge of allegiance) is an oath of allegiance to a leader; it is one of the Islamic terminologies.

It is known to have been practiced by the prophet as what was mentioned in the verse “(48:10) Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, [O Muhammad] – they are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands. So he who breaks his word only breaks it to the detriment of himself. And he who fulfills that which he has promised Allah – He will give him a great reward”.

The bay’ah is back to the era of the prophet Muhammad, and the Rashidun Caliphs (Rightly Guided Caliphs). While Holy Prophet (saw) took the Bay’ah from ladies as well as men, it would be sufficient for them to repeat the words of allegiance after the Holy Prophet (saw) recited them, as a proclamation of faith necessary to simply become a Muslim, bay’ah differed in the Islamist Groups as it is a political oath.

The concept of the bay’ah contradicts in the Muslim Brotherhood’s view; it was so clear in their neglecting women’s allegiance. There is no evidence of any woman allegiance to the group. This approach was followed by Al-Qaeda, Takfir wal-Hijra, Jihad and many others.

While the Islamic Group and the Salafist sect have no allegiance to men or women, the allegiance –in their point of view- is not required to be oral or written, it is just sufficient for them to trust in the member.

Muslim Brotherhood and Bay’ah

The Brotherhood’s treatment of women is not different from the rest of the other organizations, as woman needs to be confined within a framework that is controlled by the man. Hence, women arrangement within the Group depends do not exceed the degree of member.

Zeinab al-Ghazali, the most prominent woman in the group, despite her role within the organization, but she declared her bay’ah to the founder of the group Hassan al-Banna (1906: 1949) as what was mentioned in her book “Days of my life”.

She wrote “I was going to the Youth House Hall to give a lecture, met al-Banna, I said to him “I pledge to offer my life and blood for the establishment of the State of Islam”, and al-Banna replied “I accept your pledge”.

Ali Muhammad Al-Azhari, professor of Al-Azhar University, said that “the view of the Muslim Brotherhood on women’s allegiance indirectly affirms that the group is a political entity, not religious as it claims”.

He explained that “the religious allegiance that was made during the era of the Prophet was taken from women and men”, adding that “since the Islamic society moved to the political model of the ruler and state, as women do not have political capacity, there is no need for the women allegiance.

Islamic Group and the Salafis… Practicing without Bay’ah

Islamic Group was not interested in the Bay’ah of its members, neither men nor women, and its interpretation is that allegiance is not required to be verbal or written, the member have to adopt the group ideas.

Fouad al-Dawalibi, one of the founders of Islamic Group, said to the “Reference”: “the Islamic Group is convinced that the men and women are not equal in Islam, however, women were involved in some operations either as camouflage or to assist their husbands in carrying out their tasks”.

He also added that “The group hastened to establish a political party, especially with its inability to adhere to all the requirements of being a player in the political game”.

Bay’ah in Jihad group, Daesh and Al Qaeda

Those mentioned groups refuse to obliged the women with any oath of allegiance, instead of that they take the husband’s pledge as he is the person responsible for woman.