I've never really thought about what the initiation actually meant...and I looked it up on the Ahmaddiyat website which makes it so much easier NOT to want to follow it...
DISCLAIMER: This is not material for extremist Muslims to use against the Ahmaddiya sect...since it has no references to being un-Islamic, so screw you if you want to use it to argue Ahmaddi folk aren't Muslim.
I'm only posting this because this is what MY background was, and so it is more to do with personal research than anything and although I have rejected Ahmaddiyat viewpoints, I wouldn't stray towards any other sect of Islam either. So there
Conditions of Initiation (Bai'at)
in
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
By
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian
The Promised Messiah and Mahdi (peace be upon him)
________________________________________
The initiate shall solemnly promise:
I That he/she shall abstain from Shirk (association of any partner with God) right up to the day of his/her death.
Fair enough..."no god but Allah, and Mo is his messenger..."
II That he/she shall keep away from falsehood, fornication, adultery, trespasses of the eye, debauchery, dissipation, cruelty, dishonesty, mischief and rebellion; and will not permit himself/herself to be carried away by passions, however strong they might be.
Falsehood. Lying? Everybody lies at some stage. Heck, loads of Muslims I know have lied, even about petty things. What the hell is trespasses of the eye anyway? Anybody care to explain that one to me?
III That he/she shall regularly offer the five daily prayers in accordance with the commandments of God and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the Tahajud (pre-dawn supererogatory prayers) and invoking Darood (blessings) on the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); that he/she shall make it his/her daily routine to ask forgiveness for his/her sins, to remember the bounties of God and to praise and glorify Him.
Because god constantly needs to be reminded how great and holy he is.
IV That under the impulse of any passions, he/she shall cause no harm whatsoever to the creatures of Allah in general, and Muslims in particular, neither by his/her tongue nor by his/her hands nor by any other means.
Calling someone an infidel (kafir, whatever) is pretty insulting and is causing them harm...
V That he/she shall remain faithful to God in all circumstances of life, in sorrow and happiness, adversity and prosperity, in felicity and trial; and shall in all conditions remain resigned to the decree of Allah and keep himself/herself ready to face all kinds of indignities and sufferings in His way and shall never turn away from it at the onslaught of any misfortune; on the contrary, he/she shall march forward.
If there is suffering, and god is benevolent, almighty, all powerful, ominiscient, there shouldn't be an excuse. Somethin' ain't right.
VI That he/she shall refrain from following un-islamic customs and lustful inclinations, and shall completely submit himself/herself to the authority of the Holy Quran; and shall make the Word of God and the Sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the guiding principle in every walk of his/her life.
Halloween, Christmas, Easter...well I'm out.
VII That he/she shall entirely give up pride and vanity and shall pass all his/her life in humbleness, cheerfulness, forbearance and meekness.
Vanity and pride...ahh the very seeds of some people I know...they are the Muslim Desperate Housewives...
VIII That he/she shall hold faith, the honor of faith, and the cause of Islam dearer to him/her than his/her life, wealth, honor, children and all other dear ones.
Children?
Children? My mother once said to me that she would still love me if I gave up religion....something tells me she was just saying that...all talk. If not, then...well, she isn't following the Bai'it very well.
IX That he/she shall keep himself/herself occupied in the service of God's creatures for His sake only; and shall endeavor to benefit mankind to the best of his/her God-given abilities and powers.
For the sake of god only? Not for morality, but do it for the G-man, yo!
X That he/she shall enter into a bond of brotherhood with this humble servant of God, pledging obedience to me in everything good, for the sake of Allah, and remain faithful to it till the day of his/her death; that he/she shall exert such a high devotion in the observance of this bond as is not to be found in any other worldly relationship and connections demanding devoted dutifulness.
Pretty full-on. It's like having a full time job.
Source:
http://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.html
Topic: The Ahmaddiyat Bai'it (initiation)