The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 409
Chapter XI T he L egal S tatus of M ajlis - e -S hura [And their affairs are decided by mutual consultations ]. This injunction o f the Holy Quran can only be understood in the light of j [And con sult them in matters o f importance ] which defines the legal and legislative status o f Majlis-e-Shura. Khulafa have time and again shed light on this. During Majlis-e- Shura 1928, Hadrat Musleh-e-Mau‘udra said: “With regard to our consultations and deliberations in the Shura, one thing which I have said before, and which I hope the Nazirs and others w ill keep it in mind, is that, according to Islamic Shariah, only the Khalifa has the right to decide. Others can only advise him. M ajlis-e- Mushawarat does not make decisions, it only offers ad vice. It is up to the Khalifa to decide. ” [Report Majlis-e-Shura 1928, p. 46] Since the institution o f Majlis-e-Shura in Jama'at-e- Ahmadiyya does, in some ways, resemble the Western system o f democracy, it led some people to think that the status o f a representative in the Shura is the same as that o f a Member o f Parliament or National Assembly. But when we look carefully, we find basic differences be tween the form and temperament o f Majlis-e-Shura and that o f Western democracy. (1) In the case o f Western democracy, a person offers him self for election as a representative of the people, and then his party gives him ticket and nominates him as its candi- 409