The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 88
T he S ystem of M ush A wajrat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadtyya were accepted in most cases, the Holy Prophet5 1 J and his successors always had the final say in keeping with the Divine injunction. Expansion of the Existing System of Shura: The same practice was followed by the Promised Messiah (as) and his Khulafa. Nothing was added to this system, but it was organized in a certain way. Hadrat KhalTfatul Maslh IIra began the sys tem o f holding Majlis-e-Shura every year. In 1922, for the first time, he invited delegates from all Jama'ats and Majlis-e-Shura was established as an institution. Since then it has been held more or less every year. The step I have taken is to establish Majlis-e-Shura in every country. This is because if Majlis-e-Shura was held in Markaz alone, other Jama'ats in other countries would remain ignorant o f what Shura is all about, and how it functions. Moreover, just as the Holy Prophet* has been asked to [Consult them in matters o f impor tance] , the Muslims have likewise been told, [Their affairs are decided by mutual consultation ]. Therefore, it is not only those who have been appointed by Allah that are required to hold consulta tions, but Muslims at large have also been directed to work in consultation with one another. By the grace o f Allah, the institution o f Shura has now been established in most countries o f the world. The Shura that begins tomorrow morning w ill probably be the first to be held in Sri Lanka. ” [Report of ^udur’s visit to Sri Lanka in 1983, pp. 6-7] E volution of M ajlis - e -S hura The institution o f Majlis-e-Shura in Jam a‘at-e- Ahmadiyya progressed gradually and its traditions ma tured with time. In its present form, Majlis-e-Shura 88