The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 427
T he S ystem of M u s h a w a r a t in J ama ' at - e -A hmadiyya Khilafat—an Integral Part of Faith: The first thing I want to clarify is that Khilafat is not a political system, rather it is an integral part o f our faith. But at this moment I w ill not produce new arguments to prove this point. Some may not agree, but it is our belief that the Holy Quran has pre scribed Khilafat, and thus it is a religious issue in which I am not prepared to admit any change. I believe it was Khan Sahib Zulfiqar ‘A ll Sahib who once brought a mes sage from the Ghair Muba ’i ‘In that we should sit down and resolve our differences. I told him that if the differ ences relate to worldly matters, I am w illing to give up everything, if they relate to some property, I am willing to forego it, but since Khilafat is a religious issue, how can you expect me to make a sacrifice o f that, when even the slightest change in religion amounts to infidelity. So all I can say is that let them try to convince me and I w ill try to convince them, and whoever turns out to be upon the truth should be accepted. Thus Khilafat is a religious matter. It is an integral part o f our faith that the Khalifa represents the Prophet, who in turn represents God. After giving certain commandments, God authorizes a Prophet to make decisions in consulta tion with the people, and his followers are bound to accept his decision without any hesitation. No one has the right to question his decisions and to turn away. The Khalifa has, similarly, been given the right to make deci sions after consultation. The Status of Majlis-e-Shura: In worldly consultative bodies, every member can say, ‘You should listen to me, whether or not you agree with m e. ’ But in Khilafat no one has the right to say even that. It is the Khalifa’s prerogative to ask for advice as and when he sees necessary, and the 42 7