Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 162
STATUS OF KHALIFA Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I 162 this was not necessary. Only new members of the Movement had to take the oath of allegiance, and that was what was laid down in Al-Wa si yyat. I am still of the view that those who had sworn allegiance to the Promised Messiah as are under no obligation to swear allegiance to any one else. Yet I took the pledge in order to maintain accord in the Community. " 60 Subject to this distinction, he appears, at least at that stage, to have been inspired by a fervent spirit of obedience, as is testified to by the following statemtnt set out in his pamphlet A Most Important Announcement : "There is another system of pledge current among Su f i s which is called Pledge of Repentance. A person who takes this pledge becomes subject to the orders of his preceptor in the same way as was the purpose of the pledge of allegiance to the Holy Prophet sa or to the Promised Messiah as. But this pledge has no relevance to the Khilafat of either of them. It is this pledge that those of us who are members of the Movement took at the hand of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra , and it is by virtue of this pledge that all of us are bound to obey all the orders of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra , including those that relate to doctrine. This pledge was for the purpose of strengthening our spiritual relationship to God, of deriving benefit from the association with such holy personages as Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra , and of bowing our heads before his profound learning and his grace. For this purpose it is necessary that the disciple should throw himself before his