The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 23
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya to be found in the Shariah, consultation is'not only un necessary but is outright forbidden. Moreover, consultation should only be held with people who are known for their knowledge, religious insight and righteousness. Hadrat Abu Hurayrahra relates that the Holy Prophetsa once said: “Seek advice from a wise person; when he gives his advice and you reach a deci sion, do not go against it, or else you will face humiliation. ” These two Ahadith taken together bear out that the Holy Prophetsa has declared it essential for members o f the Shura to be wise, sound o f judgement, virtuous and pious. M ushawarat during K hi lafat - e -R as hid a The institution o f Khilafat came into existence after the demise o f the Holy Prophetsa, and the Khulafa continued with the system o f Mushawarat. In this context, the Promised Messiah3 8 says: “The use o f authority can be a very sensitive matter. For this reason, the Khulafara whole-heartedly adopted the path o f Shura, so that if a mistake was made, the respon sibility would lie upon the whole community rather than on one person. ” [Tbe Promised Messiah's™ letter to Nawab Muhammad ‘All Khan Sahib, Maktubat-e-Ahmadiyya, voL 7, part 1, p. 52; Ashab-e-Ahmad, voL 2, p. 1096) U nparalleled R esolve of H aorat A bu B akrr a Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra was elected Islam’s first Khalifa after consultation among the Companions13. When he took up the responsibilities o f Khilafat, he 23