To Die Before Death: Intersubjectivity of Bay‘at Ritual in Tarekat Naqsyabandiyah Kadirun Yahya (TNKY)

Abstract

Bay‘at ritual is one of the important activities in the tarekat. Bay‘at as the initial process of a prospective student, confirms a steadfast commitment to the doctrines and rituals taught in the tarekat. In practice, each tarekat has a different method and technique. To understand bay‘at ritual practiced at the Tarekat Naqsyabandiyah Kadirun Yahya (TNKY), a research question was asked about the process and experiences of prospective students who participated in bay‘at ritual. To answer the research questions used, qualitative methods with a phenomenological approach. The data source comes from the intersubjectivity of researchers and is equipped with other supporting data. Observation, interviews, and documentation were carried out in data collection, and data analysis was carried out by simplification, grouping, and interpretation stages. The findings of this study explain that before the initiation process is carried out, three orientations will be carried out to provide knowledge and ensure the readiness of prospective students to join TNKY. The process of bay‘at is carried out with the stages of bathing, repentance, praying sunnah, sleeping on its side like a corpse, and being covered with a shroud. The intersubjectivity of physical experience following bay‘at feels cold, hot, sore, sleepless, and uncomfortable. The inner experience gives rise to feelings of being tormented, constrained, afraid, and others. Still, the process of “torture” that is going through raises the awareness that only Allah is the place to ask for help and always strive to be connected to Him through remembrance.