The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 133
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J am A‘ at - e -A hmadiyya foremost duty o f the Nazarat to publish tracts in which the significance o f growing a beard is outlined. And until such tracts are published, it is not proper to hold people answerable. I hope that Nazarat TaTim and Tarbiyyat w ill publish such tracts and inform the people that grow ing a beard is the requirement o f the Shariah. Our members are so sincere and devoted that once they un derstand something to be the practice o f the Holy Prophetsa and the commandment o f the Shariah, they w ill surely act upon it. Someone once asked me whether faith depends on the beard, I said, ‘N o, faith depends on the practice o f the Holy Prophetsa, and his practice was that he kept a beard. ’ Therefore,, it is necessary to publish such tracts. But the question before us is: What should be done when an Ahmad! does not keep a beard?” After listening to different views from the delegates, Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I f a said: “Since this is a matter o f Shariah, the sub-committee does not have any right to place limits on it. The Prom ised Messiah^ has given us the principle that sunna means everything which the H oly Prophet^ practiced and taught others to practice; thus not everything the Holy Prophetsa did can be included in the sunna. The word ‘sunna’, therefore, is applicable only to those acts o f the Holy Prophetsa which he also urged other people to fol low. Now , it is an established fact that the H oly Prophetsa kept a beard and'taught others to do the same, but in no Hadith do we find him telling how long the beard should be. On the other hand, history tells us that some o f the Companions kept small beards. Hadrat ‘A lira also wore a small beard and historians are o f the view that the same was true o f most o f the Companions. 133