The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 2
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya ter. He would sometimes consult all o f them, and at times he would consult only a few selected Companions who could provide wiser counsel upon the matter at hand. F irst M eeting of I slamic M ajlis - e -S hura Many o f the consultations made during the lifetime of the Holy Prophetsa were related to military matters. The first such instance is the Battle o f Badr which came as a com plete surprise. The Muslims had come out o f Medina unprepared and ill-equipped, since they had intended only to stop a trade caravan o f the disbelievers. But when the Holy Prophetsa got news o f the approach o f a whole army, he called a halt and summoned the Companions for con sultation. This is how Hadrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib1 3has described this episode: Having summoned the Companions, the Holy Prophet33 asked their suggestions as to which course o f action should be adopted. Some said that, considering the cir cumstances, it was better to go for the caravan, for they were not prepared to face the full army. But this idea did not appeal to the Holy Prophetsa. Upon this some eminent Companions started making speeches vowing to sacrifice their lives and offering everything they possessed in the way o f God. Miqdad bin Aswadra, alias Miqdad bin ‘Amr said: “O Prophet o f Allah, we are not like the Compan ions o f M oses38, who said, ‘Go you and your God and fight, here we sit’. We are ready to go with you wherever you may lead us. We shall fight on your right and on your left, and in front o f you and behind you. ” Hearing this, the H oly Prophet’ssa face became radiant with de light, but he still awaited some response from the Ansar, 2