Hazrat Hakim Maulana Nurud-Din, Khalifatul-Masih I, may Allah be pleased with him, used to relate the following story.
A Muslim association was established at one place. Big differences arose among the members.
I asked, “What happened?”
They said, “There has been quite a bit of in-fighting. One says that he will be the president, the other says that he will be the one.”
I said, “Why do you not make one the president, give the name of sadr to the second one, name of murabbi to the third one, and declare the fourth person as the chairman?”
They liked this suggestion, and they did follow the suggestion.
They declared one person as the murabbi, and whispered in his ear, “Look, murabbi is the biggest of all. What is a sadr compared to a murabbi?”
Then they went to the second one and said, “You are the sadr, and, well, sadr is above all, as he has the most visible position. There is not much to a murabbi. He just sits at home.”
Then they went to the third one and started saying, “You are our president. Sadr is a word used by clergy and locals. Look at the enlightened brains of the time; they appoint their best person as the president. So we make you the president.”
They went to the fourth one and said, “You are our chairman.”
Everyone was pleased because they were not worried about service or performance. All they desired was that whenever they had to write a letter to an official, they could write their title below it. The first one could write, “Murabbi of the Muslim Association,” the second one, “Chairman of the Muslim Association,” the third could write “Sadr, Muslim Association,” the fourth person could write, “Chairman, Muslim Association”―just to say that they were the leaders of the Muslims. Otherwise they did not perform any service.
Some people have the habit of joining associations to gain such titles.
It is the work of God to make leaders. Whoever God wants to make a leader, he grabs him and makes him a leader. The Promised Messiah, may peace be upon him, has written in his books that I was in seclusion and no one knew me, neither did I have the desire that someone may recognize me. He took me out of the corner of seclusion by force. I wanted to stay hidden and die hidden, but he said, I will give you fame throughout the world with admiration.