The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 318
T he S ystem of M ush A warat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya that the truly correct and blessed advice is the one which reflects the thoughts and feelings o f the believer, and is put forth with sincerity and pure intent. In this regard, Hadrat Musleh-e-Mau‘udra has said: “One o f the qualities o f the believers mentioned in the Holy Quran is that they settle all their affairs through mutual consultation. This teaching is one o f the unique features which distinguish Islam from other faiths. Obvi ously we cannot imagine a time in human history when people did not consult one another or were averse to do ing so. From the day man was created, people have been consulting one another and shall always do so. But it is only the Holy Quran that has made it a part o f faith and an obligation. No previous scripture contains such injunc tions. The Holy Quran is the first book which has declared consultation to be a part o f faith and has called it a branch o f Islam. In this manner Islam invites our attention to two important points: First, many times the W ill o f God is in fused into the hearts o f the people at large, and His intention is reflected in the hearts and minds o f the Jama'at. Instead o f conveying His message through verbal revelation, He manifests it through the w ill o f the people. If this was not a fact, then consultation would not be an in tegral part o f faith and would not be considered a branch o f Islam. It is only in this manner that the thinking o f the people can be in harmony with the w ill o f God. Thus we leam, in the light o f the Divine injunction mentioned in the Holy Quran, that the w ill o f God does at times de scend upon the Jama'at, just as it descends upon the ears and tongues and hearts o f Prophets38. . . The second thing we leam is that, according to the teach ings o f Islam, all human beings are equal, and they have 3 1 8