The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 181
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya any dissent. Both sides honestly present their points o f view , but when the Khalifa analyses the matter and an nounces his decision, they all become one. Nowhere else in the whole wide world w ill you find a system that en sures such complete harmony. As I was reading these proceedings, my heart was filled with praise for God Almighty who has blessed us with a beautiful and pure system to ensure solidarity and to proclaim His Oneness. This is also the conclusion that w e derive from Ayah Istikhldf. If and when you are blessed with the gift o f Khilafat, the result w ill be i. e. , they w ill worship Me and w ill not associate partners with Me. Divine unity is and shall remain firmly established, and with its blessings the Jama'at w ill also be blessed with unity, and the whole Jama'at w ill move in one direction. A Subtle Point about the Status of Shura: Another thing worth mentioning in this regard is a fine point that was raised by Hadrat Sahibzada Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib. He had a very perceptive mind and was the only one to have mentioned this point. He said that Majlis-e-Shura has two basic functions: The first is to offer advice to the Khalifa, and in this ca pacity the question o f right does not arise. And the apprehension that if women gain majority they w ill pull the decision in their favour is simply absurd and baseless, because the function o f the Islamic system o f Shura is only to give advice. The other function o f the Shura is that, in case a Khalifa passes away, it plays a role in electing the new Khalifa— at least this was the position at the time. This is the only function o f Shura which needs to be deliberated upon, for there are no dangers associated with first one. What w e 181