The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 74
T he S ystem of mushawarat in J am A‘ at - e -A hmadiyya too w ill suffer great loss. There was a time when the Muslims were weak, but then a time came when their en emy was weak and M uslims were strong, at that time the Muslims were far stronger even than the Christians, but, despite their strength, they went into decline because they did not have enough troops. Therefore, we must keep increasing our strength, or else we shall lose. For instance, if the opponent is standing and we are walking, we w ill surely overtake him, but if the opponent comes running and w e merely increase our pace, he w ill surely overtake us, for at that time w e w ill need to run faster than him. Unless a nation invites Divine wrath upon it self, it can never be destroyed when it makes sure that its plans are not only superior to those o f its opponents, but are also better than its own previous plans. It is thus im portant to keep both these things in mind. (12) The first thing when discussing a proposal is to see whether it is useful or not. People tend to get into argu ments about minor issues which have nothing to do with the pros or cons o f the proposal itself. You should avoid arguing about irrelevant issues, and should stay focussed on the real issue. (13) Unless the point is o f particular relevance, repeti tions should be avoided. Not everyone needs to speak, unless he has something new to say. (14) Save your own time and that o f others. The Result of Consultation should be to generate new ideas, leam different aspects o f a proposal, and to gain knowledge, and not just to cast votes. This is the Islamic way. Proposals should be invited and opinions should be sought, and the useful proposals should be adopted. 74