Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 277
Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 277 everyone else to go and join the service in the mosque. On the first day of my visit when the call to Prayer for the noon service was heard and everyone was dismissed I stood up to depart, whereupon Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra graciously and affectionately directed me: M i y an , you should join the service here with us. Accordingly, I joined the noon and afternoon services in the sitting room. There was only one row of worshippers behind the Imam. Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra sat at the left end next to his couch. I stood next to him to his right and the other participants arranged themselves on my right. Being anxious not to incommode him and also out of respect I would not stand close to him, but he would put his arm round my shins and move me closer to him. On one occasion Shaikh Muhammad Taim u r not being available to lead the afternoon service, Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra looked round and said to me: M i y an , you have read the Holy Quran, please lead the service. I could but obey. One day it so happened that when the doctor left after dressing his injury, I was the only one in the room. I did not know the proper way to massage. Should I slip out of the room quietly, or should I make an attempt to massage the limbs of the noble patient, which would probably occasion him more discomfort than comfort? As was his wont, he was lying on his left side. I moved quietly to a sitting position on his couch at his back and started my shy, fumbling ministrations. After about five minutes I stopped, intending to withdraw and let him rest. Perceiving this he raised his right arm and placing it round my neck gently bent my face close to his and kept me in that position in silence for a couple of minutes. When he released me he observed: "M i y an , I have made many