The Unity of Muslims — Page 40
40 Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad him with my letter, he deemed it a source of division. Fifteen days later, the Ahle Hadith published a declaration asserting their non-acceptance of the Sultan of Turkey as their caliph. The Shia community followed suit with a similar declaration, leading to unrest. Although not present in this country, the Kharijites would likely have made a comparable statement. A year and a half later, the Turks themselves deposed the Sultan. At a gathering at Shimla some three or four years later, Muhammad Ali observed that the movement had a noble cause; unfortunately, the Muslims fell apart and failed to achieve the objective. I then reminded him of [the advise I had proposed]. If it had been followed, this failure might have been averted. Upon this, Maulana Muhammad Ali said he had not received my advice. I mentioned that it was conveyed to his elder brother, Shaukat Ali, who disregarded it. I reiterated that if my proposal was heeded—and it was written [to the British] that most Muslims recognised the Sultan of Turkey as the Caliph, whilst the minority considered him a symbol of their authority—the Ahle Hadith, the Kharijites, and the Shia would not have raised any objections. The Maulana expressed disappointment at not receiving my message sooner.