Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 303
Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I CLOSING SCENE 303 In pursuance of this suggestion of Maulaw i Muhammad ‘Al i , Sahibz a da Sahib ra drew up a list of sixty names and requested Maulaw i Sayyid Muhammad Sarwar Sh a h ra to summon those persons to a meeting the same night for consultation. After consultation it was agreed unanimously that before the burial of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih ra his authoritative Successor should be elected who should arrange for his funeral and burial. It was also agreed that the night should be spent in supplication that Allah may be pleased, of His grace, to maintain the community on the straight path and enable it to tread along the ways of His pleasure, and that the next day a fast should be observed and special supplications should be continued. By noon the next day more than a thousand members of the community had arrived in Qadian from outside. Sahibz a da Sahib ra consulted with the members of his family on the situation that had arisen. Some of them were of the view that they must continue propagation of such doctrines as they believed to be right, and for this purpose they felt that it was necessary that the Khal i fa should be one who was in accord with them on questions of doctrine. But Sahibz a da Sahib ra urged that the preservation of the unity of the community was most important. In his estimation the election of a Khal i fa was a religious obligation. If this could be agreed to, the most appropriate method would be to elect a Khal i fa by popular vote of those present. Should this not be acceptable, agreement might be reached on electing a neutral individual. Failing this also allegiance may be sworn to any one acceptable to the other group or to one of themselves. In the end all members of the family expressed their accord with his proposal.