The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 18
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya move the Ihram and sacrifice their animals, they did not respond, for they were all heartbroken with grief. Ob serving this, the Holy Prophetsa quietly retired to his tent. Ummul M u’mimn Hadrat Umm-e-Salamah13, who was with him at the time, said, “O Prophet o f God, do not be anxious. By the grace o f God, the Companions are not disobedient, it is only the conditions o f the Treaty that have so grieved them. I would suggest that you do not say anything to them. Instead remove your Ihram and sacrifice your animal, the Companions, I am sure, will follow you. ” The Holy Prophetsa did as advised, and when the Companions saw this, they also quickly started sacrificing their animals and shaved their heads. [Sirat Khatam-un-Nabiyyln, pp. 769-770] T he T rue N ature of S hura So far we have discussed Shura in the light o f consulta tions that were held at the time o f the Holy Prophet33. We shall now proceed to analyze some o f its theoretical aspects. In the verse, [Consult them in mat ters o f importance ], the word Am r does not apply only to extraordinary matters, but also to matters o f governance and administration. The purpose of holding Mushawarat is to seek people’s opinions on important matters which require thought and deliberation. The final decision, however, lies with the head or the leader, and this pre rogative is at the basis of Islamic Mushawarat. When the leader calls responsible and wise people for consultation, he reserves the right to accept or reject their opinions. 18