Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 169
Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I STATUS OF KHALIFA 169 reassurance through a Khal i fa , and that Khal i fa revives and strengthens afresh the purpose of the advent of the deceased. Why did the Holy Prophet sa not appoint a Khal i fa to succeed him? It was because he knew well that Allah Himself would appoint a Khal i fa , for the appointment of a Khal i fa pertains to Him, and His choice is unexceptionable. Thus He made Ab u Bakr ra Khal i fa , having inspired his heart as the first one to accept the truth. " 70 This was a positive affirmation that he himself would be followed by a Khal i fa , and that the likely choice was Maulaw i N u r-ud-D i n ra who was the first one whose heart had been inspired to accept the truth. Concerning him he had already affirmed: "He accepted me unhesitatingly at a time when I was about to be denounced from every direction as a disbeliever, and many who had taken the pledge repudiated it, or became lukewarm and fell a prey to doubt. Then it was the Maulaw i Sahib ra whose letter reached me first of all in Qadian, accepting my claim that I was the Promised Messiah as , in which he wrote: We believe and we accept, so inscribe us among the witnesses. " 71 Thus it was a divine behest that impelled the hearts of all those who were gathered together in spiritual fellowship in the garden in Qadian on the afternoon of 27th May, 1908, to acclaim with one voice Maulaw i N u r-ud-D i n ra as Khalifatul Masih and to swear allegiance to him, the foremost among them being those members of the S adr Anjuman who were soon to claim priority for the Anjuman over the Khal i fa. In that hour of crisis they found themselves under spiritual compulsion to avow unequivocally: His