Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 198
198 AHMADIYY AT There was no one who stood up in opposition to what he had set forth. He then told Khawaja Kamalud-din Sahib and Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib to confer together and decide whether they would be prepared to enter into the covenant of Ba'iat a second time. He also directed Shaikh Yaqub Ali Irfani Sahib to enter afresh into a covenant of Ba'iat. All three made the covenant and the meeting came to an end. Every- one felt that God Almighty had secured the Community against a great trial. It appears, however, that Khawaja Kamalud-din Sahib and Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib were deeply chagrined as they felt that they had been gravely humiliated. Their subsequent conduct showed that in mak- ing the covenant again they had only submitted formally to the demand of the Khalifa and had not truly accepted him as one to whom their allegiance and obedience were due. Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib in particular was deeply offended and felt that he had been deliberately insulted. He began to talk of leaving Qadian. Dr Khalifa Rashiduddin Sahib, who was an intimate friend of Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib, though he did not agree with him on the question of the authority of the Khalifatul Masih, came to him in great perturbation and told him that Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib intended to leave Qadian and that something must be done to persuade him to change his mind. The Khalifatul Masih told Dr Sahib that he should go back to Maulvi Sahib and tell him that he could leave Qadian as soon as he wished, and even sooner; at which Dr Sahib was much flustered, whereupon the Khalifatul Masih sought to comfort him by assuring him that no great harm would ensue on Maulvi Muhammad Ali's departure from Qadian. However, Kha- waja Kamaluddin Sahib persuaded Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib that it would not be wise on his part to leave Qadian. Differences arose occasionally between the Khalifatul Masih and the Central Association and a coterie in the Cen- tral Association became more and more critical of the Khali- fatuI Masih. Their attitude of opposition to him came out very clearly in some of the letters that they exchanged