Ahmadiyyat Destiny and Progress — Page 18
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad 18 the election process. Yet those who subscribe to this point of view present no credible argument to support it. No such thing occurred after the Holy Prophet sa or after the demise of the Promised Messiah as. 1200 followers swore loyalty to Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I ra within 24 hours. But in this case it took 28 hours for almost 2000 people to pledge their allegiance to me, despite adverse circumstances and questions over the need for khilafat. Truly God saved the community during this crisis and enabled the majority to unite under one hand. In the beginning only three people, Hazrat Umar ra and Hazrat Ubaidah ra from the Muhajirin and Qais ibn Sa‘d ra from the Ansar gave their loyalty to Hazrat Abu Bakr ra. At the time of this pledge there were those who sought to stop it with the blades of their swords. They wished to disperse the people with force. There were others who, in a state of emotion, would taunt and declare that the pledge held no value. So are we to conclude from this that, God forbid , Hazrat Abu Bakr ra so greatly coveted khilafat he was ready to assume its stewardship on the basis of the allegiances of three men and continued to take further pledges despite the hostility around him or that his khilafat was illegitimate? Those who subscribe to such views are mistaken. When 2000 people have pledged their