Bayah and its Functions in the Jahiliyah Period and Early Islam

One tradition of the pre-Islamic Jahiliyah (Ignorance) period that was endorsed and used by Islam was bayah, or paying allegiance.There are similarities and differences between bayah 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 bayah 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 bayah 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 bayah's functioanl difference in these two ages.