Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 224
224 AHMADIYY AT justified in fact. Such was the situation in the estimation of a secular person who had no idea of the positive and powerful assets and resources to ,which the newly elected Khalifa had access and which were wholly of a spiritual character. His own state of mind at the time might be judged to some degree from the address that he delivered to the large gather- ing of those who were present in Qadian and had made the covenant of Ba'iat on 14 March 1914. This was his first address to the Community which followed immediately upon his election as the Khalifa. After a long silent prayer in which everyone present joined, he spoke as follows: Friends, I believe with complete certainty that God Almighty is One and has no associate. Dear ones, I next believe that Hazrat Muhammad, peace be on him, is the Messenger of Allah and the Khatamal Anbiya. I believe firmly that after him no one can arise who might abrogate even a vowel point of the Law that he brought. Dear ones, that beloved master of mine, the Chief of the Prophets, possesses such high dignity that a person acknowledging him as his master can, through complete devotion and perfect obedience to him, achieve the rank of a prophet. It is true that the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, possesses such dignity and honour that a sincere servant of his can achieve the rank of prophet. This is my faith and I affirm it with complete certainty. I also believe that the Holy Quran is the beloved Book that was revealed to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, and is the last Book and comprises the last Law. I also believe with perfect certainty that the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, was the prophet mentioned in Muslim and the Imam mentioned in Bokhari. I affirm that no part of the Islamic Law can be abrogated. , I urge you to follow the example of the Companions of the Holy Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them. They represented in their persons and conduct the result of the prayers and perfect instruction of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him. After his death the second consensus that took place was on the setting up of the system of the truly guided Khilafat. If you study the history of Islam and reflect upon it, you will find that the progress made by Islam during the time of the rightly-guided Khalifas, began to decline when the Khilafat took on the form of kingship, and Islam