Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 218
218 AHMADIYY AT of the view that no KhaIifa was needed and there was no possibility of a compromise on this fundamental issue, which was of the nature of a religious obligation, they could do what they liked, but those who were convinced that there must be a spiritual Head of the Movement would now get together and would elect a Khalifa after consultatioll. That was the end of the conversation. The Sahibzada Sahib then proceeded to Masjid Noor where he was being awaited by a couple of thousand people. After the Asr prayer Khan Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib stood up and read out the will that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I had written on 4 March and had committed to his custody. He had scarcely finished when from every direction there arose shouts of Mian Sahib, Mian Sahib, Mian Sahib. In the midst of this uproar Hazrat Maulvi Syed Muhammad Ahsan Sahib stood up and announced in a loud voice: I am the person concerning whom the Promised Messiah has said that I was one of the two angels mentioned in the Ahadees who would accompany the Messiah on his descent from heaven. I. consider that Sahibzada Bashirud Din Mahmud Ahmad Sahib is in every respect fitted that he should take the covenant of Ba'iat from us. I therefore request him to proceed to do so. Thereupon Maulvi Muhammad AIi Sahib and Syed Mir Hamid Shah Sahib both stood up at the same time, each beseeching the other to let him speak first. Their altercation continued for some minutes and the audience became impa- tient. At this stage Shaikh Yaqub Ali Irfani Sahib stood up and announced: 'We cannot afford to waste precious time in these wrangIings. I request our master the Sahibzada Sahib to accept our Ba' iat. ' Upon this there were shouts of labbaik, labbaik, and it seemed that the whole body of people present was pushing forward towards the Sahibzada Sahib, who contined sitting silent and for some time gave no indication of his attitude. When he found that there was not the slightest doubt that it was the universal wish that he should assume the responsibilities of the exalted office of Khalifa, he looked for