The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 120
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e - ahmadiyya Regardless o f how much he benefited from our system o f Shura, or did not, the comparative study o f the two sys tems w ill be o f great interest to future researchers and scholars, and it w ill become obvious as to which o f the two systems is worthy o f being called a Divine system and a system established under direct heavenly guidance. Let us now present an outline o f the system o f Musha warat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya. (1) It is directly related to and dependant upon Khilafat. Khalifatul Masih, in keeping with the injunction [i Consult them in matters o f impor tance], may invite the opinion o f relevant people as and when he wishes. (2) Every such meeting begins with prayers and remem brance o f God, so that all decisions are made with Taqwa, and with Divine help and guidance. (3) Every member is at liberty to express his view s freely with the permission o f the Chair. But the speaker should address him self directly to Khalifatul Masih and not to the audience. Khalifatul Masih has full authority to ac cept or reject the view s o f the majority. This is the basic outline o f the system o f Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya. Let us now turn to the subject o f its gradual evolution, and highlight some aspects o f this process, particularly those which reflect upon the mental or spiritual brilliance o f Hadrat Khalifatul Masih. The initial method adopted by Hadrat Khalifatul Masih IIra for selecting members o f Shura was as follows: He would extend personal invitation to some people, whom he knew to be sagacious and competent, to attend Majlis-e-Shura. But most o f the delegates were those who had been nomi 1 2 0