The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 4
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama * at - e -A hmadiyya “O Prophet o f Allah, these prisoners are our cousins and our kith and kin. I propose that we free them in exchange for ransom. The money we thus receive w ill strengthen us against the disbelievers. It is even likely that Allah may grant these people guidance and they may become our helpers. ” [Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, vol. 1, pp. 30,31, published in Beirut] Hadrat ‘Umar™ disagreed and took the position that kinship should not be a consideration in matters o f faith. He said: “O Prophet o f Allah, these people are the enemies o f God and they have rejected you. They are the ones who ex pelled you from M ecca and came out with a huge army and brought every calamity upon the Muslims. They are the pillars o f infidelity and symbols o f misguidance. The progress o f Islam lies in destroying them. O Prophet o f Allah, do not hesitate to slay them. I would even have the Muslims slay their own relatives with their own hands. ” The Holy Prophetsa listened to Hadrat ‘Umar’s1 3 speech but remained silent. Hadrat Abu Bakrra stood up once more and spoke further about the importance of kinship, mercy and forgiveness, and expressed his hope that these people might accept Islam. But Hadrat ‘Umarra was against giving the prisoners any concession. When the two had expressed their opinions, the Holy Prophetsa re tired to his tent for a while. When he came out, the Companions were all eager to hear his decision, for some o f them agreed with Hadrat Abu Bakrra and others concurred with the opinion o f Hadrat ‘Umar13. But the 4