Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 165
Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I STATUS OF KHALIFA 165 the Khal i fa was a purely symbolic spiritual preceptor, entitled to respect and honour in that capacity, but without any authority. They were apprehensive that the succession might go to Sahibz a da Mirz a Bash i r- ud-D i n Ma h m u d Ahmad, scarcely yet twenty years of age, a mere stripling, whom the Khalifatul Masih ra favoured unduly and for whom he appeared to entertain a high degree of esteem. In view of this contingency also they were anxious that the priority of the S adr Anjuman in its relations with the Khal i fa should be clearly established. In pursuit of this purpose some of them had no compunction even in perverting well established doctrine. They argued that it was vain to cite verse 24:56 of the Holy Quran and to seek a parallel in the instance of Hadrat Ab u Bakr ra in support of the Khilafat , for the Holy Prophet sa certainly had Successors who were Khal i fas , but that the Promised Messiah as , who himself was only a Khal i fa of the Holy Prophet sa and was not a Prophet in his own right, could have no Khal i fa. For instance, Dr. Bash a rat Ahmad, who had been a signatory of the written request presented to Hadrat Maulaw i N u r-ud-D i n ra on 27th May, 1908, to assume the office of Khalifatul Masih , had the hardihood to write: "We had unequivocally affirmed that Mirz a Sahib was not a Prophet but only a Khal i fa of the Holy Prophet sa. Khilafat can only follow upon Prophethood, a Khal i fa of a Khal i fa is meaningless. " 64 This statement was a direct contradiction of positive affirmations made from time to time by leading figures in the group to which Dr. Bash a rat Ahmad belonged; indeed he himself was responsible for the affirmation: