THE ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY (NIZAM-E-JAMAAT)

Jamia Ahmadiyya Ghana

Contents

1. The Local Mosque
2. The regional administration
3. The national administration
4. Women's organisation
5. Auxiliary organisations
6. International Centres
7. Khilafat & Shura
8. Jamia Ahmadiyya
9. Madrasatul Hifz
10. Qaza

1- The Local Mosque

The affairs of each Ahmadi mosque are run by officials elected from the local Ahmadi Muslim community. The head of these officials is the President and under him there are various secretaries. For example, a secretary for education, a secretary for sports activities, a hospitality secretary, a secretary for finance etc. These officials are unpaid voluntary workers. Most mosques also have an imam appointed to them. He is responsible for leading prayer services, the religious education of the local community and preaching. As the imam's position is a full time one which requires many years of training, the Ahmadiyya community organise accommodation and a small allowance for the imam and his family.

2- The regional administration

Each local president represents his community at regional meetings. These are chaired by the regional president who in turn represents the region at the national meetings.

3- The national administration

Each country has its own national administration. This includes regional presidents as well as several secretaries. The national administration is led by the national President, who is elected by local representatives every three years. Like local and regional officials, members of the national administration are unpaid voluntary workers.

                                                                       

4- Women's organisation

Each local mosque, region and nation has its own women's organisation. These are run in much the same way as the main organisation (see above) with officials elected at local and then national level and working on a voluntary basis.

5- Auxiliary organisations

The other main auxiliary organisations at local and national level are Khuddam (15-40 year old men) and Ansar (40 plus men). The Khuddam in particular are expected to voluntarily give up their time to help with physical tasks around the mosque, such as cleaning, maintenance and security.

6- International Centres

The international centres of the community are in Qadian (India) and Rabwah (Pakistan). These two centres help coordinate the activities of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community around the world. The three main bodies which do so in both cases are Sadr Anjuman, Terhik-e-Jadid and Waqfe Jadid.

7- Khilafat & Shura

The religious and administrative head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the Khalifa, who is currently based in London. Until 1984, the khilafat was based in Rabwah but anti-Ahmadiyya legislation introduced by the government that year (which is still active) made it essentially illegal for the khalifa to continue his activies in Pakistan. The khalifa is elected on the death of his predecessor by an electoral college made up of senior officials and imams of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from each country around the world - although Ahmadi Muslims believe the election is guided by God. No campaigning, speeches or speculation of any kind are allowed in these elections. Instead, members of the college nominate candidates they believe to be the most righteous and elect them on this basis. Each year, the Khalifa hosts an international shura (consultation) which has been described as follows:

The subjects to be decided at International Shura come from resolutions agreed as recommendations at National Shuras. All concern policy and not administrative matters. To discuss each resolution a committee is formed by members who volunteer their services because of their interest in the subject or who are nominated by the Emir of their country. The chairman of the committee then reports the findings to the full Shura. If a poll is asked for this it is by show of hands. When the view of Shura has thus been obtained the Khalifa, after deliberation and perhaps more questioning announces his decision. He may accept the advice completely, he may accept some of it and vary other portions, he may appoint a sub committee to investigate the matter more closely and report back as soon as possible. If however he believes that the proposal is not in the true interest of the movement or that it contravenes some tenet of Islam then he will explain his reasons and reject the suggestion completely. (Iain Adamson, non-Ahmadi Muslim expert on Ahmadiyya writing in his book 'A Man of God')

8- Jamia Ahmadiyya

Jamia Ahmadiyya are the training universities for the religious scholars of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Jamia's have been opened in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the UK, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone and Madagascar. These universities run seven year courses in which students study Arabic, Quran (split-word translation, commentary, pronunciation etc), hadith (Islamic traditions), comparative religions, Hanafi fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Bible studies, Ahmadiyya literature, Urdu, Persian, public speaking and other life skills. In their final two years, Jamia students write a thesis of no less than 30,000 words. Jamia graduates will devote their lives to working for the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, most often as imams around the world.

9- Madrasatul Hifz

At these schools, young students are taught to memorise the Quran. One is open in Rabwah and another in Ghana.

10- Qaza

The Qaza is a system by which Ahmadi Muslims can ask judges appointed by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community who are trained in either Islamic law or civil law to rule on certain issues. One independent academic explains why:

'It handles only civil cases, not criminal cases. It can take twenty-five to thirty years typically for a case to work its way through the Pakistani legal system to the provincial courts of appeal. Partly in recognition of this lamentable state of affairs, the second khalifa established the Ahmadi court. (Antonio Gaultieri, a Christian professor at Carleton University, writing in his 2004 book 'The Ahmadis: Community Gender and Politics in a Muslim Society. The book was based on research he conducted while staying at Rabwah and he studied Ahmadiyya academically from 1987-2004)