The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 29
T he S ystem of M ush A warat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya Hadrat < Umaifa would give people full freedom to ex press their opinions, but he would also exercise his prerogative to make the final decision. The question is: Is a Khalifa bound by the decision of the majority, or has he the right to reject their opinion? We find both instances in the time o f Hadrat Abu Bakrra and Hadrat ‘Umar1 *. There were times when the Khalifa accepted the opinion o f the majority. And one o f the guidelines sent by Hadrat ‘Umar™ to his governors was that, in cases where no clear guidance was available in the Quran or Hadith, decisions should be made on the basis o f consensus. But, on the other hand, we also find decisions made by Hadrat Abu Bakrra and Hadrat ‘Umar™ which were against the opinion o f the majority. For instance, with regard to the people who had refused to pay Zakat after the demise o f the Holy Prophet83, we find that Hadrat Abu Bakrra was determined to crush their rebellion, whereas the majority of the Companions, including Hadrat ‘Umarra, was against such an action. In this instance, Hadrat Abu Bakr1 3 overruled the majority and acted according to his own judgement. It was due to the blessing and majesty o f Khilafat that even those who had been against this idea, submitted to the Khalifa’s decision with all their heart and soul, and did not show any hesitation in putting down the rebellion. In this context, two important points need to be kept in mind. If the basic guidance regarding the matter under consid eration was to be found in the Holy Quran, the only 29