Truth About the Split — Page 187
187 in the company of the Promised Messiah as. These gentlemen not only joined the Promised Messiah as earlier than Maulawi Muhammad Ahsan, but are mostly such as enjoyed more of his society than was the case with Maulawi Sayyid Muhammad Ahsan. Thus it is altogether wrong to say that Maulawi Sayyid Muhammad Ahsan is the oldest Companion of the Promised Messiah as. The earliest work in which the Promised Messiah as enumerated the names of the men who joined him is Izala-e-Auham. Of the persons mentioned therein, there are eighteen now alive regarding whom the Promised Messiah as was pleased to record his remarks. Out of this number, fourteen have entered my Bai‘at and four have joined the party of Maulawi Sahib. Can there still be any doubt as to which side enjoys the confidence of the majority of the Promised Messiah’s as Companions? Nor am I prepared to agree with Maulawi Muhammad Ali that Maulawi Sayyid Muhammad Ahsan is the most learned man in the whole of the Ahmadiyya Movement. It is no easy matter to determine the extent of a person’s learning. In my opinion, Maulawi Sayyid Sarwar Shah Sahib and Qazi Sayyid Amir Husain Sahib are in no way inferior to Maulawi Sayyid Muhammad Ahsan in the matter of scholarship. I may also include Maulawi Hafiz