Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 329
THE RENAISSANCE Of ISLAM 329 the accession of Kashmir. The number of Ahmadis serving in the Pakistan forces at the time, both as officers and other ranks, was much higher than their proportion in the popula- tion. Those of them who were serving in the units that were engaged in combat on the Kashmir border established an enviable record of good service and outstanding achievement in battle. The Community had suffered terribly in respect of personnel and resources in the tragic aftermath of the parti- tion. Nevertheless, under the directions of the Khalifatul Masih, an entire battalion of Ahmadi volunteers was organized and was placed at the disposal of the Commander- in-Chief, for deployment on the Kashmir border in the late spring of 1948. It was called the Furqan Battalion and con- tinued in active service on the Kashmir front till the cessation of hostilities on I January 1949. The entire cost of maintain- ing the Battalion at the front was borne by the Ahmadiyya Community. The Battalion established a high reputation for discipline, courage, bravery and an eager spirit of service and sacrifice, an appreciation of which was conveyed by the Commander-in-Chief in his letter to the Khalifatul Masih, when the Battalion was disbanded. The first grave crisis encountered by the Movement was the death of its Holy Founder on 26 May 1908. By the grace and mercy of Allah, the Movement was enabled to negotiate it successfully through the unanimous election of Hazrat Maulvi Nurud Din Sahib as Khalifatul Masih 1. An even graver crisis arose in March 1914 on the death of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih 1. For a while it threatened to rip the Community apart right down its middle. Again, by the grace and mercy of Allah, it was surmounted by the wisdom, sagacity, tact, farsight and prayers ofHazrat Khalifatul Masih II. Sir Herbert Emerson and the Ahrar combined to confront the Movement with a third crisis twenty years later, in the autumn of 1934. The grace and mercy of Allah again came to the rescue of the Movement, and the blessed initiation of