Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 223
Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I ILLNESS 223 may be bestowed steadfastness. Be not afraid of difficulties; they are encountered in every situation. I had to encounter mine. Some members fell into error and were guilty of great impertinence and disrespect; but I forbore. They did not realise what was due to the Head of the Movement. Such lack of realisation is due to lack of knowledge. But God was merciful; He Himself set their hearts right. Hearts are in God’s hands and He inclined all of them towards me, and thus they and we and the community experienced His mercy and beneficence. So avoid dissension yourselves and persuade the members of the community to avoid it. Allah, the Exalted, has prescribed steadfastness for such occasions. Another matter to which I wish to draw your attention is that at some places where there are large sections of the community further progress has become slow. I know the reason thereof, and admonish you to have recourse to two remedies. The first is that the office-bearers should supplicate in agony. You know that at the time of an eclipse of the sun or moon Prayer services are held. The Holy Prophet sa was much perturbed at the time of an eclipse, though he knew that it was a natural phenomenon, as is said in the Holy Quran: We have appointed stages for the moon (36:40). He knew that during an eclipse the light of the sun or the moon is not diminished, but is screened from the earth. Yet he was perturbed, because he had been charged with the conveying of a message and was apprehensive lest some obstruction might be encountered in his conveying of it. Therefore, at the time of an