Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 313
Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I CLOSING SCENE 313 would be able to arrest or restrict its growth. Having accomplished his divinely appointed mission he departed this life on May 26, 1908. The bereavement had a shattering impact upon the members of his Movement, who were utterly bewildered and knew not which way to turn. God put forth His steadying hand and, of His mercy and grace, reunited them under the spiritual leadership of Hadrat Maulaw i N u r-ud-D i n ra as Khalifatul Masih. There was not a single dissentient voice. But alas, soon, very soon, murmurs, not of open dissent, but of latent discontent began to rise to the surface and become audible. Some of the leading members of the Movement began to think of democracy, constitutions and Parliaments. Yet, curiously enough they chose the S adr Anjuman (Central Association), in which they happened to be in the majority, as their rallying ground, forgetting that, or perhaps because, it was a self-renewing body, neither elected nor democratic, while the Khal i fa had been their own, as well as the unanimous choice of the Movement. That aspect, however, was purely superficial. What they grievously ignored was that the Khilafat was a spiritual dignity which had been promised divine support in clear and emphatic terms (24:56). The triumph of Islam was to be achieved through spiritual means under the directions of divinely guided Khal i fas. Thus, the issue was joined. Was the Movement to be guided and directed by a divinely appointed and inspired authoritative spiritual Head, or was it to be controlled and administered by a self-renewing registered Association? If it was to be the latter, there would be nothing spiritual about it, and it would be bereft of the divine promises and assurances set out in 24:56. That was the issue that was presented to that valiant champion of Khilafat Hadrat Maulaw i N u r-ud-D i n, Khalifatul Masih I ra. He neither