The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 450
T he S ystem of M ush A warat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya consult the Imam and he gives yon his advice, it is not proper to ignore it, unless, instead o f giving a pointed advice, the Imam explains the various pros and cons o f an issue and leaves it to the person to make a decision accordingly. This is what I do most o f the time when I am asked for advice. And I do so because I believe that my advice is not like any other advice; if I were to ex press a pointed opinion and the person chose to ignore it, this would involve an aspect o f disrespect which would adversely affect his spiritual life. Hadrat Khalifatul Masih n ra has repeatedly spoken about this in his sermons and other addresses. He once expressed his displeasure at some people who asked his advice in a certain matter, and when he gave his advice, they chose not to follow it and did what they themselves wanted to do. He expressed his displeasure and said, ‘I am upset, not because I take it as a personal affront, but because such an attitude is harmful for your own selves. ’. . . I do not approve o f the way people are increasingly seek ing the advice o f the Imam even in trivial matters, and their aim is only to gauge his opinion, which they might or might not adopt. This practice should not be encour aged. On the other hand, if you put before the Imam all your affairs in which you are unable to decide on your own, and present him with all the details o f the matter, and are prepared to accept and act upon any decision the Imam makes, this w ill surely be the highest degree o f submission, and you w ill receive Allah’s blessings— not only the blessings which relate to consultation but also those that result from obedience. . . But, as I have already explained, issues that relate to the Jama'at are far more important, and it is better that I should be left free to ad 45 0