The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 363
T he S ystem of M ushawabat in jam A‘ at - e -A hmadiyya there is an Ahmad! man who is not steadfast and his par ents are likewise weak o f faith, and he marries a non- Ahmad!, the whole family w ill be cut o ff from Ahmadiy- yat, or at least the boy w ill be at risk. On the other hand, if there is a devout Ahmad! whose parents are also sin cere Ahmadis and he marries a non-Ahmad! girl, there is every likelihood that the girl w ill also be converted into Ahmadiyyat. Now the concerned Department desires that it should have the authority to allow or disallow such a marriage taking into consideration the circumstances o f the young man and his family. If it appears, from the Ahmadiyya point o f view , that the marriage to a non- Ahmad! girl w ill adversely affect the young man and his family, then it w ill stop such a marriage. But if it sees no harm, and expects positive results, it may allow them to go ahead. The Department w ill assess whether the com ing o f a non-Ahmad! girl into a certain Ahmad! household w ill be advantageous or not. This is why I de cided in favour o f the majority. The decision accepts the necessity for such a matrimony for the sake o f preserving relationships, opening avenues for the propagation o f Ahmadiyyat, and in view o f the fact that there are fewer girls, but the decision has been entrusted to a Department which w ill decide in the interest o f the Jama'at. It w ill be the Nazarat’s duty to see whether the person who is seek ing such a permission and his family are devout Ahmadis or not, and to advise them accordingly. The Nazarat should also see to it that the permission should be granted in keeping with certain criteria. . . G iving permis sion does not mean that no restrictions should be placed whatsoever. In the case o f my family, some o f my w ives have non-Ahmad! relatives with whom they enjoy good relations. I, therefore, thought that if w e could bring 363