The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 19
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J am A‘ at - e -A hmadiyya Hadrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh has elaborated on the na ture o f these consultations with reference to the above verse _P>V1 (j J [And consult them in matters o f importance ]. Hudur said that if the one who seeks coun sel, accepts it blindly in all its aspects, he will not have acted according to the true intent o f the words “Consult them Consultation means inviting the opinions o f others but it does not mean that those opinions should be ac cepted as they are. Rather, these opinions should be put to the test o f reason and the best part should be accepted. Writing about the need for governments to seek people’s opinion, Hadrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib1 3 has raised a very fine point. He says that the verse “ And their affairs are decided by mutual consultation ”, is addressed only to those who have been chosen by the people to run the government. He writes: “The Holy Quran lays down the following principle for those who are elected as rulers by their people: S ' i jliin jZl i l j A - f f f ' j ^ 1 £ ^ 3 I 3 JL J i J v, __ I (Al-Shura, 42:39) [Those who hearken to their Lord, and observe Prayer, and whose affairs are decided by mutual consultation, and who spend out o f what We have provided fo r them. ] The believers are instructed to be truly obedient to God, to worship Him regularly, to decide the matters o f state with mutual consultation, and to spend the wealth God has given them for the welfare o f mankind. The duty o f the ruler, as laid out in this verse, is that, having been 19