Mashwara (consultation) is the basic “motto” of Dawah work. Mashwara was constantly done by Prophet Mohammad (SAW) along with his companions. In Dawah it is done with the understanding that it is Sunnah and thus it is treated as the foundation of Dawah work.
Maulana Ilyas drew the attention of all followers towards this consistent Sunnah and made it an integral part of Dawah and Tabligh. Hazrat Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that he did not see anyone consulting so frequently with his companions as Prophet Mohammad (SAW) did. Hazrat Ali( RA) narrated that he asked: ‘0 Rasulullah! If we have a matter in which we do not have a specific order, to do or not to do, what do you order in this regard to us?’ The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘Consult those who have a good understanding of Deen and are devout worshippers, and do not decide on an individual opinion.’
Since there will be no more Prophets, no more revelations, no more sending of Angel Gibreel with messages from Allah, Prophet Mohammad (SAW) did Mashwara with his companions on many occasions to make decisions. The Ummat was not ordered in the Quran to do Mashwara with the Prophet but the Prophet was ordered to do Mashwara with the Ummat. The Ummat was asked to obey and the Prophet (SAW) was told to give the order and continue to do Mashwara with the Ummat. Therefore till doomsday, every single work of the Ummat has to be done by Mashwara. But if the Ummat discards the Mashwara, differences will arise and cause disunity and factions. If the Ummat continues to do Mashwara, they will remain united, will get Hidayah, and will be given dominance over non-believers. If they forsake the Mashwara, they will not be given dominance.
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) solicited opinion from elders and then made a decision. Mashwara should be done sincerely and even if the decision contains shortcomings, Allah will remove those shortcomings and help in the positive outcome of the decision. There is another very important thing in Mashwara: if a person says he is more clever than others, it is false pride and misappropriation. In fact, in the Mashwara every one should sit with pure heart and pray to Allah to give everyone the correct guidance. If we sit with sincerity, even our mistake will be righted. Another important thing in Mashwara is that there will be difference of opinion, and if something goes wrong and a person says that it happened because his opinion was not accepted, it is disbelief in one of the Articles of Faith.
In Mashwara one has to keep in mind that one should not contradict another person’s opinion and should not say that this is not correct. Contradicting another’s opinion is also contradicting the Ikram (respect) of a brother. It should be said, “Masha Allah, this is a good opinion”. The Ameer should give his decision after taking into consideration the opinions of others, and not based on his own opinion only.
It is Sunnah to select from all opinions. The goal of Mashwara is to draw honey from the beehive. A person should not stop expressing his opinion if nobody pays any heed to it; this is also misappropriation of trust. The person sitting in Mushwara should not say, “do this and do that”. The Ameer should not be the first to express his opinion. His opinion should be expressed last. To select from all opinions expressed is to create harmony and peace; otherwise, people will say that the Ameer is only asking others’ opinion for Barakah.
In giving an opinion in a Mashwara, three things should be taken into consideration: Nafs, Intellect, and Shariah. One should keep personal feelings under control when expressing an opinion. The Nafs will create feelings inside oneself. Intellect will control the Nafs. If the Intellect goes astray, Shariah will control it. To control one’s inner feelings is real self reformation (Islah).
The participants of Mashwara have to think of the various forms and ways of doing it correctly, with great Fikr and planning, and stick firmly to the principles of this work. If the new people who come into this work learn the correct principles, only then correct results will be produced, and the direction of the Ummat will be changed from wrong to right, and falsehood will be turned towards Haq (truth). Allah forbid, if we do not keep in mind the correct principles and work accordingly, the new brothers in this work will consider wrong principles to be the right ones and in the whole world they will introduce wrong ways, thinking them to be correct. Therefore it is essential that we always keep in front of ourselves the correct principles and discuss often with one another, and confine our work strictly to the Mashwara and the obedience of the Ameer in a particular jammat.
In Mashwra some etiquettes must be followed strictly. The Ameer of the Mashwara makes the final decision, and recites the Du’a of Mashwara: 0 Allah! Inspire us with your guidance in our deeds. We seek refuge in you from the evils of our souls and punishment for our bad deeds. The language of the Mashwara should be the vernacular. It is useful if the brothers are fully aware of the issues. Never insist on your opinion in Mashwara, never make long speeches or give long references to justify your opinion; the words should be brief and to the point.
In Mashwara you should not give opinion unless asked. You’re your opinion facing the Ameer only. If you have not been asked and no one has given an opinion similar to yours, then you can ask the Ameer for permission to give your opinion. If the permission is granted, only then you may give your opinion. If any brother gives an opinion similar to what you have in mind, then instead of repeating the whole opinion, just say that my opinion is similar to that of this brother. No one should cross talk with each other. Every one gives opinion only to the Ameer, so do not make it harder for the Ameer to decide and help him to decide instead. When most of the opinions have been given, everybody including the Ameer should concentrate their mind towards Allah and pray for the best outcome. Only Allah knows what is the best decision. Once a decision is made, all the participants should whole-heartedly agree to the decision.
If things go wrong, do not blame the Ameer or others but blame yourself for lack of efforts on your part to fulfil the desired objectives. The Ameer can ask everyone or only some, depending on how many are present. He should try to form a general consensus. It is important to keep hearts united as much as possible.
In Mashwara, the Ameer has the right to decide. But only the Ameer’s opinion cannot count. Otherwise, Mashwara is not necessary in the first place. So the Ameer should proceed with ikram (respect) to all. No one should ridicule or laugh at any opinion. Do not show your anger or frustration during Mashwara. If you cannot control yourself, you should not sit in Mashwara. Even if you are an old worker and the Ameer is relatively new, do not talk as if you know the issue better and your opinion is the best one. If you are an old worker, you should help the Ameer in Mashwara and not impose your will. Do not intimidate the Ameer that he should accept your opinion.
The Ameer, too, should not be a dictator. Such an Ameer will break hearts of many brothers and will ultimately divide the brothers. That will be the worst situation for everyone and will hurt the Dawah work.
Sometimes, the Ameer forms a group of his own and decides whatever his group says. This is a very dangerous practice. It divides the brothers and produces loss of unity. Sometimes the Ameer has a group of his own race and decides whatever his group says. This is even worse. It will create division along racial lines among brothers. Sometimes the Ameer tries to protect his position and dictates the decision accordingly. This also breaks the hearts of brothers. At the start of Mashwara, the Ameer should ask opinions and then decide. He should not give his opinion first. In that case his opinion becomes final decision and then it is not necessary to ask for opinions.
The Ameer can delegate someone to relate details of the decision to those who are not present. The Ameer should keep in mind the benefit of the work as first priority before deciding. In case the Ameer has to leave for some reason, he can delegate someone to continue Mashwara on his behalf.
There will be ups and downs, sometimes hot discussions, but eventually the Ameer should decide with positive intent to move forward. There will be different opinions, sometime conflicting opinions, but the Ameer should use Hikmat (skill) to convince others of an opinion. All those whose opinions are not accepted should thank Allah; those whose opinion is accepted should be afraid of its shortcomings and consequences, and say Astagfirullah. All should agree in the final decision of Ameer as their own opinion.
After a decision is made, all should try to work towards that decision. If the situation changes on which the decision was made initially, a new Mashwara can be made. However, the people who were present and gave Mashwara should be present or involved. If a new decision needs to be made to address or accommodate a new situation, all these brothers should help the Ameer to come up with the new decision and this new decision should be related to the affected people or places as soon as possible. This will clear the transition situation.
At the end of the Mashwara all participants should recite the du’a: ‘Glory be to You, praise be to You, 0 Allah! We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You. We repent to You and we ask You for forgiveness.’

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Dr Sheikh Arshid