One tradition of the pre-Islamic Jahiliyah )Ignorance( period that was endorsed and used by Islam was bay'ah, or paying allegiance. There are similarities and differences between bay'ah in the Jahiliyah period and early Islam. The similarities exist more in the performance form, some features and conditions, and those responsible to obtain the allegiance, The major difference between bay'ah in the Jahiliyah period and early Islam is its functional difference that is rooted in the political system and the type of government in the two ages. In this articale, while trying to define, the word bay'ah and briefly referring to the political system and a number of traditions in the Jahiliyah and early Islamic periods, we have made an effort to present bay'ah's functioanl difference in these two ages.
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