Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 204
KHILAFAT Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I 204 smiled and asked: "Have you witnessed the manifestation of the power of my Mighty Lord?" On one occasion Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra observed: "Salvation is won through the grace of God, and His grace is attracted by righteous conduct. Thus faith alone is not enough, it must be accompanied by righteous action. The Christians do not appreciate this. " Thereupon someone asked: "What type of conduct is needed for Khilafat ?" He answered: " Khilafat is a sort of vice-prophethood, and both are gifts of God. I conceive, however, that this grace is attracted by the service of humanity and I have been inspired by this sentiment since my early youth. I have always been keen to serve everyone without distinction of caste, creed, country or nationality both intellectually and practically. " Shaikh Ya‘q u b ‘Al i ‘Irf a n i ra wrote in July 1909: "When a visitor arrives in Qadian from outside for the first time, he naturally looks for Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra. Being directed to him, he is surprised to see several people sitting on mats unceremoniously without any distinction of any kind. He finds among them a gracious, awe-inspiring old man with a shining countenance; but his dress, movements and manner of conversation furnish no indication that this light-radiating being adorns the seat of Khilafat. He attends the sick and ailing, clad in their unwashed and smelly garments, simply and without ceremony, diagnoses their troubles and prescribes their treatment. There are also those who ask all types of questions on religious subjects and hear the answers from his lips.