Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 59
was a personal weakness that I could not get rid of. My bai'at cured me of that. " Maulvi Nooruddin ra migrated to Qadian and never left the presence of the Promised Messiah as except by his command. His family, friends and medical practice, too, followed him to Qadian. CllQF WISDOM He accompanied the Promised Messiah as on all his journe ys and was present during all debates and court appearances. He was designated the first President of Anjuman Ahmadiyya (administrative branch of the organization) by the Promised Messiah as. Khalifatul Masih I Maulvi Nooruddin ra had accompanied the Promised 0 ca=:: 0 I say to you again that even if someone comes in the garb of an angel and criticizes my Khilafat, Allah's grace will bring him to prostrate before Adam, and if he is Tulis, he will be expelled from this court. I swear upon God that He has made me the Khalifa. Messiah as on his last journe y to Lahore and returned with his master's bod y to Qadian on Ma y 27 , 1908. By consensus of all present he was elected the first successor to the Promised Messiah as. Hadhrat Maulvi Nooruddin ra, who was then 68 years old, affirmed that he would be read y to swear allegiance to an y member of the Promised :s:: Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih Jra The Promised Messiah as appreciated the stature and sacrifice of his disciple. The Promised Messiah as has memorialized Maulvi Nooruddin ra in man y of his writings. For instance, we read : I rend er humble thanks to Allah th e Exalted that He ha s bestow ed upon me such an ex cellent faithful f rie nd w ho is right e ous and poss es ses learning of th e high est d egree. He is far- sight ed and k ee nly disc e rning. He stri ve s in th e cause of Allah, and has out s tripp ed his c ont e mpora ries in his d ev oted lo ve of Him. He is in such c ompl ete ac c ord w ith me as th e pulse is in a cc ord wi th th e br e ath. Hadhrat Mau lvi N urudd in by Muhammad Zafarullah Khan p. 67 Had h rat Maulvi Nooruddin ra called on the Promised Messiahra several times a da y, and carried out Huzur's smallest request as well as the most difficult assignment without a murmur. His other services in Qadian included the daily dars (reading and commentar y) of the Holy Qur ' an , leading the Friday prayers, and tutoring Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad ra, son of the Promised Messiah as and others. In addition, he attended to his patients, students, and visitors, most of whom also stay ed with him. Messiah's as famil y, and sought the acquiescence of Hadhrat AmmaJan (wife of the Promised Messiah •s ) before accepting the office. His address at this occasion is a memorable commentary on the office of Khilafat and is available in several books. During the tenure of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I ra, the Madrassa Ahmadi yya was enlarged and a library w as added , containing mostly books donated by him. Later a public library w as also established in Qadian. A public health dispensar y, which later became the N oor Hospital, w as founded. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih r ra himself undertook training of missionaries to be sent to various places in India and abroad. Religious debates and lectures were continued. Masjid Aqsa was enlarged and other building projects were started. He maintained a very per sonal and benevol ent contact with all Ahmadis through audiences, answering letters and promoting amity and brotherly love among all members. With the grace and mercy of Allah, he brought a sense of security and safety to the na scent Communi ty and his supplications to Allah the Exalted were its best shield against all dangers. He w as its greatest resource of in- depth knowledge of the Holy Qur 'an, Ahadith, and the