Friday Sermon delivered at Masjid Mubarak, Islamabad, Tilford, UK ‘The Blessings of Jalsa Salana UK – A Reflection of the True Islam’
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) said that, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, the Jalsa Salana (Annual Convention) was held last week.
His Holiness(aba) said that these three days were very blessed, which left a positive impact on Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis alike. His Holiness(aba) said that he would mention some impressions and comments given by non-Ahmadi guests.
Selfless Efforts of the Workers at Jalsa Salana
His Holiness(aba) said that first he would like to thank all the volunteers who worked before, during and after the Jalsa and some continue to work. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, this is a salient quality of Ahmadi women, men and children which is greatly appreciated by even the non-Ahmadi guests and this serves as a form of silent propagation when the workers carry out their duties. All of the Jalsa workers, no matter their duty, have a part to play in this. Every department at Jalsa works diligently and is worthy of gratitude. In such a large operation, small shortcomings should be overlooked.
His Holiness(aba) said that all of the workers, aside from serving the guests of Jalsa, also serve as a means of silent propagation, and people are appreciative of this. People around the world are also appreciative of MTA for bringing the Jalsa proceedings to them, wherever they may be.
His Holiness(aba) expressed his thanks to all the workers of Jalsa.
His Holiness(aba) said that this year, for the first time, a large contingent of youth from Mauritius also came to Jalsa in order to render their services and worked very well. Similarly youth have come from Canada who are assisting in the windup of Jalsa. His
Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah the Almighty reward them all.
His Holiness(aba) said that the press and media coverage this year was very good. The organisation of traffic was also very well done. Usually complaints are received from the neighbours every year, however this year there were no complaints. In fact, some neighbours thought that the attendance this year was relatively less upon seeing how smoothly the traffic was flowing, although the attendance this year was 2,000 more than the previous year. When they were informed of this they were very surprised. His Holiness(aba) said that one of the local councillors is an Ahmadi Missionary and he played a vital role in establishing relationships with the neighbours and the traffic planning. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah reward him.
Impressions of Non-Muslim Guests at the Jalsa
His Holiness(aba) said that he would present the impressions of some guests. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah the Almighty open the hearts of those who have shared their impressions, enabling them to understand the true message of Ahmadiyyat. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may we attain that purpose for which the Promised Messiah(as) was commissioned beyond just these three days of Jalsa, making this a part of our entire lives.
His Holiness(aba) said that a person named Ismail from French Guyana who had a long-standing relationship with the Community had the opportunity to attend Jalsa, during which he also entered the fold of Ahmadiyyat. He said that he had never seen such a gathering where so many people speaking so many languages from around the world have come together. Upon seeing this gathering, he said he became convinced that this Community was the Community of the Holy Prophet(sa). He said that if the Promised Messiah(as) is not accepted as the Imam of the Age then we will go astray. If the Muslims wish to become united then they must come into the fold of Ahmadiyyat at the hand of the Caliphate. He said that the Jalsa organisation was second to none and all the workers were carrying out their duties with a smile. He had been a Muslim for some years but always felt there was something missing, and having attended the Jalsa he said that this void had been filled.
His Holiness(aba) said that a Buddhist priest from Japan also expressed how he found the organisation of the Jalsa to be exemplary and that the manner in which all the workers carried out their duties was excellent. With so many people gathered in one place, it is possible for issues to arise, however, he found everyone attending the Jalsa to exhibit the highest standard of morals. He and his wife had a meeting with His Holiness(aba) in which he advised them to ponder over the fact that there is One God, in Whom belief is necessary and he also enjoined service to mankind. The Buddhist priest said that although he does not believe in One God in his faith, his heart accepts that there is a Creator Who brought everything into existence and it is possible for us as humans to establish a connection with that Being.
His Holiness(aba) said that a guest from Kosovo attended the Jalsa for the first time and enjoyed the speeches. He found especially that the speeches delivered by His Holiness(aba) started to bring about a positive spiritual change within him. He said that upon returning home, he would encourage all those he knows to study Ahmadiyyat. In Kosovo, he used to visit the Ahmadiyya mission house and would be advised by other Muslims to stay away. However he persisted in visiting the mission house and continued drawing nearer to Ahmadiyyat. He said that this is the way in which other Muslims try to dissuade people from Ahmadiyyat, however, he will return to Kosovo and draw people’s attention towards the speeches delivered by His Holiness(aba).
His Holiness(aba) said that Mrs Patricia from Holland expressed her gratitude for the great hospitality. She felt a great sense of comradery upon attending the Jalsa with people from all corners of the world being gathered in one place. She said that setting up a village which hosted thousands of people was not easy but was done excellently. She congratulated everyone involved in carrying out a successful Jalsa. She especially said that she would remember the International Bai’at ceremony for the rest of her life. She said that if every person in the world was more mindful of humanity as the Ahmadiyya Community is, then the world’s problems could be solved.
His Holiness(aba) said that a guest from Taiwan said that she was greeted and treated with great hospitality, such which left her astounded. She said that she has attended many conferences around the world, but she has never attended such a large conference that was conducted entirely by volunteers. She said that in his address to the ladies, His Holiness(aba) excellently taught girls how to live their lives. During this address, she noticed the great attention with which girls were listening to His Holiness(aba), showing how much love and devotion they have for their Caliph. She met His Holiness(aba) for the first time; she thought that there would be a great deal of protocol, however, the meeting was quite informal with His Holiness(aba) asking questions about Taiwan and other things leaving her very impressed and positively impacted.
His Holiness(aba) said that a guest from Canada who has a PhD in philosophy said that by attending the Jalsa Salana, he witnessed a faith of sound logic and reason. The Jalsa exhibited the spirit of equality. He was very impressed to see the peaceful manner in which Ahmadis conduct themselves, despite facing decades of persecution. He said that he trusts the mindset of Ahmadis will spread more across the Muslim landscape of the world.
His Holiness(aba) said that a guest from Costa Rica, Lorena Villa Lobos, said that she has been in touch with other Muslim organisations, however, they do not have much female representation, and it is usually the men who are at the forefront. However upon attending the Jalsa Salana, she was pleasantly surprised to see that in the Ahmadiyya Community, women are given equal status as men. She found the discipline and organisation on the women’s side to be very good. She had heard about the various initiatives and efforts of the Community around the world, and upon seeing the Jalsa, it was confirmed to her that the Ahmadiyya Community does in fact follow through on the things which it says it does.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Argentinian Ambassador to the UK also attended the Jalsa. She was very impressed with the Jalsa Salana, to the extent that after the Jalsa, she hosted a reception at the Argentinian embassy in which she invited all the guests from Latin America who had attended the Jalsa Salana. She especially thanked the non-Ahmadi guests who attended the Jalsa and thereby lent their voices to help promote the message of the Ahmadiyya Community. She said that she was impressed to see that the Community did not try to hide anything from external guests by only inviting them for a specific portion of the Jalsa or only showing them specific aspects of the Jalsa. This shows that the Ahmadiyya Community does not have any hidden agenda and whatever the Community portrays truly exists within them.
His Holiness(aba) said that a guest from Belize said how can anyone deny that Ahmadiyyat in the true Islam? His siad all of his doubts and his questions were answered when he witnessed how much the Ahmadiyya Community loves the Holy Prophet(sa).
(These are just a few examples of the impressions of guests presented by His Holiness(aba))
People Guided to Ahmadiyyat as a Result of the Jalsa
His Holiness(aba) said that as a result of the Jalsa Salana, a chief from
Guinea-Bissau along with the members of his tribe accepted Ahmadiyyat, the Imam of a mosque from a village in Tanzania accepted Ahmadiyyat, a teacher at a madrassah in Niger accepted
Ahmadiyyat, and 12 people from Congo-Brazzaville accepted Ahmadiyyat during the Jalsa.
His Holiness(aba) said that during the Jalsa, 22 people from the UK accepted Ahmadiyyat; two of them are British, two Nigerians, 11 Pakistanis, one Romanian, five Arabs and one Bengali.
News of the Jalsa Reaches Millions Around the World
His Holiness(aba) said that approximately 1,000 non-Ahmadi guests attended the Jalsa. Under MTA Africa, more than 14 national television channels broadcast His Holiness'(aba) addresses and the International Bai’at ceremony which was watched by millions of people. 14 television journalists attended the Jalsa, with 57 news reports prepared reaching more than 55 million people.
His Holiness(aba) said that this year 49 websites covered the Jalsa Salana reaching 15 million people. 14 print articles were published, reaching 5 million. 19 reports were relayed on television, reaching 10 million people. 24 reports were broadcast on the radio, reaching 10 million people. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, news of the Jalsa Salana reached about 46 million people, with more coverage yet to come.
His Holiness(aba) said that people were also greatly impressed with the different exhibitions. Not only has the Jalsa served as a means of training and spiritual enhancement for Ahmadis, it has also served as a means of helping others understand the teachings of Islam and bringing them closer to Allah the Almighty. His Holiness(aba) said that not only should we bow down even more to thank Allah the Almighty, we must also remain steadfast upon our oath of spreading the message of God and the message of the Promised Messiah(as) to the world. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah the Almighty enable everyone to do so.
