Truth About the Split — Page 347
347 Bai‘at to one whose doctrines we disapprove?" I said: "Well, in the first place, the doctrinal differences are not such as would preclude one side from pledging its Bai‘at to one belonging to other. (At that time the doctrinal differences had not become so very marked as they became later on). And then we, at any rate, are prepared to pledge our Bai‘at to one of your party. " Maulawi Muhammad Ali now said: "It is a difficult matter. You had better think, and take counsel. Tomorrow again we will talk over the subject. " So did I request, saying, "You too had better consult your friends about the views I have expressed and let me know what they think, so that we may discuss the subject again. " Then we parted. At night, I called a meeting of my friends and reported to them our conversation. They all held that it was impossible on religious grounds to deny the Khilafat. It had been explicitly mentioned in the Holy Quran, that those who denied the authority of Khulafa’ were transgressors, and further that the Khilafat was one of the special blessings of God to the believers, and therefore they thought that it would never be proper for them to forego the Divine blessing. I told them that so far as I had understood from my conversation with Maulawi Muhammad Ali he would lay special stress upon that point. But still the meeting held that