The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 86
86 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN perhaps he thought I was too young to make any decision on these things - to take the covenant. The Founder was in the little mosque, which was part of his house - after the noon prayers or the afternoon prayers, and I asked permission to take the covenant. He graciously consented, and I formally became a member of the Movement. I am so happy that I did it at that time because the Founder died on the 26th of May following, 1908. If I had not done it at that time, I would have regretted it always that I had not taken the covenant at his own blessed hands. He was succeeded by the first Khalifa, who was elected. He was his principal disciple, but no connection or relation of the family. He died in March, 1914, and he was succeeded by the eldest son of the Founder, who was only 25, but was the most outstanding personality already in the Movement and was not considered disqualified for election because he was the son of the Founder, nor was he elected just because he was the son of the Founder, but because everybody realized, from the qualities that he possessed, that he was the fittest person to lead the Movement. He is the present head of the Movement. He has been in very weak health the last five or six years and is not able to take any very active part in administering the affairs of and guiding the Movement. But the Movement is now well along the course that had been marked out for it, and under the guidance of the Second Khalifa it has spread far and wide. It has now active branches in both East and West Africa, quite a sizable community in Indonesia - I mean, outside Pakistan and India where there is the largest concentration - and there are some even in Europe. Recently the Movement started an effort in Scandinavia and already in Denmark there are over 40 adult Danish Muslims who have joined the Movement. They have now decided to build a mosque in or near Copenhagen. The Movement has built mosques in London, in the Hague, in Hamburg, in Frankfurt, and I had the great and inestimable privilege of opening the last three: the one in the Hague, the one in Hamburg, and the one in Frankfurt. One is in the course of construction in Zurich. There are small communities in a dozen cities of the United States. The Movement seeks to revive the true Islamic values. There are some doctrinal differences with the orthodox mass of Muslims, but it is not necessary to go into them here. The main value of the Movement lies in the fact in the case of Muslims and non-Muslims alike who have joined the Movement, the emphasis is on that our conduct should be in