The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 199
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya S e e k i n g P e r m i s s i o n f o r G o i n g O u t It had been established as a rule that delegates will not go out without permission during the proceedings of Shura. It is in fact the injunction o f the Holy Quran that when a meeting is being held to discuss important mat ters, no one should leave without the permission o f the Chair. That is why when anyone wants to go out during the proceedings o f Majlis-e-Shura, he has to raise his hand and get the Chair’s permission. But undesirable situations did at times arise due to some people’s igno rance o f this established rule. In this context, Hadrat Khallfatul Maslh IVrh gave the following instructions: “There are two sorts o f people who raise their hand during Majlis-e-Shura. I have observed that there are those who raise their hand and wait for permission to go out, and there are others who raise their hand and start walking, which seems to imply that they must go whether or not they are given permission and that the system o f seeking permission is only a joke. We have to be patient, because God repeatedly asks the believers to exercise patience, for bearance and etiquette. You should raise your hand, and if no one notices you from here, i. e. , me or some other friend does not see you, then any worker who happens to see the raised hand should come here and point him out. ” [Report Majlls-e-Shura 1983, p. 100] The delegates have to raise their hand to go out in case o f need, but sometimes the Chair is too preoccupied to notice them and they have to keep standing with then- hand raised. In such a case, Hadrat Khalifatul Maslh IVrh delegated this authority to his assistant, and said: 199