The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 137
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya that only pious and righteous people should be selected as representatives. . . He always stressed that a delegate of the Shura should not be one who is given to verbosity and glibness; he should neither be quarrelsome nor a faultfinder, and he should not be devoid o f piety and pu rity. Hudur also considered it very important that the Taqwa, piety, righteousness and sincerity should be the main consideration when selecting representatives for the Shura. Hudur said that only those suggestions can truly profit us which come from truly sympathetic hearts and are accompanied by humble and sincere prayers. At the occasion o f Majlis-e-Mushawarat 1940, he chose this very topic for his opening speech, some extracts of which we reproduce below: “M y dear people, who have come from far and wide to participate in this Majlis-e-Shura, our responsibilities and our obligations are so formidable that one shudders at the very thought o f them. The task o f creating a new earth and a new heaven— which God Almighty had given to the Promised Messiah3 5 — has now been entrusted to us. And there is not one among us who does not realize and acknowledge that we are not competent enough to ac complish this mission. In fact, we know nothing about it. The task entrusted to us is to build a structure, which, in its spiritual capacity, should equal the greatest buildings in the world, such as the Taj Mahal. But, as it is, w e are not even capable o f building cottages or even shelters for labourers. How then are we to build such an impressive structure that should amaze all those before us and after us? Surely we cannot do it, unless God Almighty Him self builds it for us, just as it is narrated in old tales that 137