The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 402
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e - ahmadiyya Jama'ats, and we have expanded this system, but if we give the Amirs the authority to nominate office-bearers o f their own choice, they are likely to select people who are already willing to work with them. In this way the Amirs may be led to think that people are cooperating with them, while, in fact, they are not cooperating with the Amir and are only working because they want to. . . “D ifferences among my P eople are a S ource of B lessing ” If we make it a rule that Amirs w ill appoint the office bearers, the inevitable result w ill be that they w ill select people who can get along with them and with whom they feel comfortable. This w ill, o f course, ensure that the Amirs w ill get the cooperation o f the office-bearers, but the spirit to submit to the order o f an office-bearer against one’s own w ill, w ill almost die out in the Jama'at. Secondly, the Amirs w ill be unable to hear con trary opinion. If an Amir gives an order and it is not complied with, he realizes that he has yet to develop the spirit o f obedience among his members, but if he always nominates people o f his own choice, he w ill not have oc casion to listen to contrary opinion. On the one hand, the Holy Prophetsa said: ‘He who obeys my Amir obeys me, and he who disobeys my Amir disobeys m e,’ but, on the other hand, he also said Usi-j <y\ ‘Differences among my people are a source o f blessing. ’ He did not say that once an Amir has been appointed, all differences should be removed, rather he said that the presence o f difference, despite the pres ence o f an Amir, is a blessing for the umma. If the differences are completely wiped out, it shall not be a 402