The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 357
the S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ' at - e -A hmadiyya thing. There was the time when I was elected the Khalifa and the treasury was in arrears, with just 18 annas in it, but now your budget, including that o f Tehrik Jadid, has gone up to Rs. 2,900,000. Just try to compare 18 annas with Rs. 2,900,000! God indeed is All-Powerful!” [Report Majlis-e-Shura 1957, pp. 83-91; SIrat Fadl-e-‘Umar, vol. II, pp. 198-203] (3) A proposal was put before the Shura that an Ahmadiyya flag should be prepared and hoisted at Jalsa Salana on the occasion o f the jubilee. The majority was o f the view that the Jama'at should have its own flag, and only a few differed with this opinion. Hadrat Musleh-e-Mau‘udra gave his verdict in favour o f the ma jority, but he also acknowledged the importance of the minority opinion, and said: “Mr. Sahib Din has not been able to present his idea very *clearly. He thinks that the flag has to do with govern ment, and since we do not run a government it would be improper for us to decide that we should have a flag, and it would be much like what the Congress is doing. Any how, he thinks that if w e have a flag without our own government, it would be unrealistic and absurd. This seems to be the idea at the back o f his mind. I do not say that I quite agree with him in this matter, but this is a question which does require consideration. Can we have a flag without a government? Let the scholars tell us. ” Responding to this question, some eminent Compan ions™ and scholars expressed their views. They said that the flag serves as a beacon, it is not a religious issue for it only serves as an expression o f human nature. A flag used to be hoisted when the Holy Prophetsa led the Eid 357