Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 270
270 pointment and his removal would thus both be in the hands of the people. We believe that this is the only perfect form of government, and we are confident that as the circle of the Ahmadiyya Movement widens and its membership increases, people will, of their own free will, acknowl- edge the excellence of this form of government, and even sovereigns will renounce their hereditary rights in the interests of the welfare of their people and will confine their privileges to those which they enjoy, and to which they are entitled as individuals. As the Promised Messiah as was only a spiritual Khalifah his successors will also remain, so far as possible, outside and above politics, even when sover- eigns and States join the Movement. They will perform the functions of a real League of Nations, and will endeavour, with the help and advice of the representa- tives of different countries, to regulate international relations. Their principal function will, however, be to look after the spiritual, moral, social and intellectual welfare of the people, so as to avoid their attention being monopolized by political matters, and vital spiri- tual and moral affairs being neglected as has been the case in the past. I have said that they will, so far as possible, remain outside and above politics. I have made this reservation to meet exceptional cases where the people of a particular country, in a time of difficulty or crisis, may request the aid of the spiritual Khilafat , and it may become necessary to make temporary arrange- ments for the government of that country. But such