Ahmadiyyat in America — Page 7
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I Hazrat Haji Mau/vi Hakeem Nuruddin (May Allah be pleased with him). (184 I - I 9 I 4) INSTITUTION OF KHILAFAT IN AHMADIYYAT ccording to the prophecy of the ~ ~::. "' Prom i sed Messiah in his pam - phlet , The Will, Khilafat was in- stituted in the Ahmadiyya Move- ment in Islam on his death in 1908. This is on the model of the Pious Khi- lafat that followed the Holy Prophet Muham- mad , peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. In this system of Khilafat, an electoral college fro m members of the co mmunity elects a Khalifah by majority vo te. The Kha li fah is the re l igious head of the community and directs all affairs of the community in complete accordance with Islamic pr in cip le s. The Khalifah usual ly asks for a Bai'at fr om the community members to re-affirm their allegience to him and the the cause of Is lam. Hazrat Haji Mau l vi Hakeem Nuruddin was the first khalifa (s uccessor ) of the Promised Mes- siah under the institution of Khilafat. He was an erudite scholar who had quenched his thirst of knowledge by studying in practi- cally all the famous religious institu tions of the India, and had the privelege of learning and residing for a long time in the Holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Not only an expert theo l og ian and eminent saint of his time, Hazrat Nuruddin was a tal- ented physician as wel l. When the P romised Messia h initiated the Bai'at (the pl edge of allegiance) on 23rd March 1889 , he was the first to owe allegiance to him.