The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 146
T he S ystem of mushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya them at all. The purpose which the Shura serves is that, if the members are righteous, it enables us to reach the cor rect decision; but it is not the purpose o f Shura to reform the members. Such reformation solely depends on the w ill and endeavour o f the individuals themselves. . . Reformation can only be achieved through personal effort and endeavour. If you become righteous, your Shura and your suggestions w ill also become right, and you w ill also try to implement the decisions. On the other hand, if the individuals are not righteous, their representatives, who are from amongst themselves, w ill also not be righteous. And when the representatives are deprived o f wisdom and righteousness and piety and moderation, their suggestions w ill also not be rational. Even if they happen to offer cor rect suggestions, they w ill not be fruitful. Unless you reform yourselves, you w ill be wasting your time. And if the representatives do not render correct advice, it w ill also not be possible to implement it. The key, therefore, lies in the hands o f the individual, and this is why Islam lays so much emphasis on the individual. ” [Al-Fadl 23 March, 1952 p. 3] NAU MUBA’rilN AND MAJLIS-E-S h CRA Since the people who join the Jam a‘at are not familiar with the etiquette and traditions o f Majlis-e-Shura, Hadrat M usleh-e-M au‘udra gave some instructions re garding their training. Hudur also said that new Ahmadls and the new generation should learn to ex press their views in the same patient and polite manner as is the custom o f their elders, so that they too may progress in Taqwa. Here we reproduce an extract from 146