by abid khan - islamahmadiyya - ahmadiyya muslim · pdf file · 2017-09-26observed...
TRANSCRIPT
1
JALSASALANAUK2017
APersonalAccount–Part1
ByAbidKhan
2
Introduction
In2016,HazratKhalifatulMasihV(aba)graciouslyinvitedmetospendtwo
weekseithersideofJalsaSalanaUKincloseproximitytohim.JustasIhad
doneduringHuzoor’s tours abroad, I spent timewithHuzoor in London,
observed someofhis activities andmetmanyof thepeoplewhohad the
opportunitytomeethimduringthosedays.
I was unsure if this was a ‘one-off’ or something that I would have the
opportunity to do again. Indeed, during themonths preceding this year’s
JalsaSalana,anumberofpeoplecontactedmetoaskifIwouldbewriting
another‘UKJalsadiary’.IwouldrespondbysayingthatIwaswaitingtosee
ifIreceivedanyinstructionsinthisregard.
Itsohappenedthatduringtheafternoonof12July2017,asIwasleaving
Huzoor’sofficeafterMulaqat,Huzoorsaid:
“Youshouldwriteyourdiaryagainthisyear.Youcanstartthisweekend
attheFazlMosqueandthenfromnextweekendyoushouldcontinuethis
dutythroughouttheJalsaperiod.”
Iwas,ofcourse,extremelydelightedtohavetheopportunityonceagainto
spendmoretimewithHuzooranddespite,havingwrittenadiarylastyear,
overthecourseofthenextfewweeks,Iwasagainleftamazedwitnessing
Huzoor’sdailyroutine.
Huzoor’s schedule is relentless the entire year but the days around Jalsa
SalanaUKareevenmoredemanding.
3
Asalways,AhmadisfromallaroundtheworldhadgatheredinLondonand
HuzoormetasmanyaspossibleindividuallyoraspartofJamaatdelegations.
Huzoormetcountlessdignitariesandnon-Ahmadiguestsandheldvarious
media interviewswith journalists fromaround theworld.Heheldofficial
meetingswith Jamaatrepresentatives fromdifferentcountries,answering
theirquestionsandguidingthemwithloveandwisdom.
In addition, Huzoor prepared, and then delivered his addresses, for Jalsa
Salana and all thewhile, he continuedwith his normal activities, such as
readingandrespondingtothethousandsoflettershereceivedeachweek
from Ahmadis around the world. He continued to review all official
correspondence from various Jamaat offices and missions and gave
instructionsandguidancetoall.
Furthermore, Huzoor is constantly concerned about thewelfare of every
singleparticipantofJalsaandsohetookdailyreportsaboutwhichpeople
andgroupshadarrivedandwhowasstilltocome.
Further, throughout the Jalsa itself, Huzoorwas kept informed about the
healthandwell-beingofthemembersoftheJamaat.Similarly,iftherewere
anyissuesorproblemswiththearrangementsinvariablyHuzoor’sguidance
andprayersweresought.
Whilst,IhopetogivereadersanideaofHuzoor’sactivitiesduringtheJalsa
UKperiod,IcanneverdojusticetothemandnorwillIeverbeabletotruly
portraytheemotionsofthosepeoplewhoattendedtheJalsaandwereable
tomeetHuzoor.
4
AdaftariMulaqat
Thisyear,Eid-ul-FitrwasofferedintheUKon26June2017,whichmeantan
intervalofonemonthuntilthestartofJalsaSalanaUK.InthedaysafterEid,
peoplestartedtoarriveinLondonfromdifferentcountriesandwitheach
daythatpassedthenumbersincreased.
OneofthepeoplewhocamequiteearlywasSyedMubasharAyyaz(54)from
Rabwah,whohasbeenafamiliarfaceattheUKJalsaforthepastfewyears.
After qualifying from Jamia Ahmadiyya in 1987, alongside serving in the
Jamaat’sResearch Cell based inRabwah,MubasharAyyaz sahib has been
servingasPrincipalJamiaAhmadiyyaRabwahsince2015.
Afewdaysbeforethestartofthisyear’sJalsa,ImetMubasharAyyazsahib
shortlyafterhehadadaftari(official)MulaqatwithHuzoor.
Throughout the year Huzoor holds daftari Mulaqats, in which he meets
officials of the Jamaat from different departments, offices and from the
auxiliaries,aswellasrepresentativesofthedifferentinstitutionsestablished
bytheJamaat.
Normally it isHuzoor’sroutinetoholdsuchmeetings inthemorningand
theycontinueuntiltheZuhrprayers.Suchmeetingsareextremelyimportant
as Huzoor gives direct guidance to Jamaat officials and clarifies various
issues.
OnethingthathasalwaysstoodouttomeisHuzoor’sefficiencyandthisis
somethingMubasharAyyazsahibalsonoted.
5
MubasharAyyazsahibsaid:
“WheneverIhavehadthechancetomeetHuzoorinadaftariMulaqat,I
presentvariousissuesandnormallyIanticipatethatitwilltakeanhour,
oratleast30minutes,togothroughthedifferentquestionsandpoints
thatIhave.However,mybeliefandexperienceisthatAllahblessesthe
timeoftheKhalifa-WaqtsothatwhatIexpectwilltakeanhourisoften
coveredinjust3or4minutes!Furthermore,nothingisleftandnordo
any questions remain in my mind, rather in that very short period
Huzoorclarifieseverythingandsolvesalloftheproblemsorworriesthat
Ihad.Huzoor’severyanswergivesfullpeaceofmindandsatisfaction.”
MubasharAyyazsmiledandadded:
“Sometimes I run out of things to say and then Huzoor says ‘Aur?’
meaning‘Anythingelse?’andthenIamstuckwithnothingelsetosay!”
RegardinghisMulaqatearlierintheday,MubasharAyyazsahibsaid:
“Thistime,Itook20pointsorquestionstopresenttoHuzoorandinafew
minutes,Iwasabletotakesuchblessedguidancethatwillbenefitour
Jamaatworkforyearstocome.AsIleftHuzoor’soffice,Ifeltsoblessed
andjoyousanditfeltlikeIhadbeengivenanewlife–thisishowKhalifa-
Waqtmakesyoufeel.”
AnotherthingthatMubasharAyyazsahibmentionedwashowsometimes
Huzoor’s guidance was contrary to his own expectations. This was
somethingImyselfhadexperienced.
6
Speakingofonesuchincident,MubasharAyyazsahibsaid:
“Last year, I mentioned to Huzoor that something on the MTA
programmeFiqahiMasa’ilwasnotappropriateandIwasquitesurethat
Huzoorwouldagreewithme.However,Huzoor’sanswerwasdifferent
andmademerealisethatmyownthoughtprocesswascompletelywrong
andHuzoor’sapproachwasfilledwithsomuchwisdom.”
Ashebecamevisiblyemotional,MubasharAyyazsahibcontinued:
“Huzoor’smethodofguidingandteachingisfilledwithloveandsoeven
whenhecorrectsyouordrawsyourattentiontosomethingitincreases
yourloveforhim.”
Aswecontinuedtosittogether,IaskedMubasharsahibifhehadanyspecial
recollectionofHuzoorfrombeforeKhilafat.
Mubasharsahibpausedforasecondbeforesaying:
“BeforeKhilafat,I foundHuzoortobeextremelyquiet,almostsilent.If
HuzoorwasinvitedtoaJamaatevent,normallyhewouldattendbuton
theconditionthatsomeothereldershouldspeakandhewouldnot.How
beautifulandfaithinspiringitisthatheisapersonwhopreferrednever
to speak until that day when Allah the Almighty commanded him to
speakbeforetheentireworld.Thatsamepersonisnowthevoiceofthe
time,whotravelstheworldinordertoconveythemessageofAllahtothe
worldandsurelywhoeverfailstoheedhiswarningswillsuffergravely.”
7
MubasharAyyazsahibtoldmethatduringhisMulaqathehadmentionedhis
desirethataproperbiographyispublishedaboutHuzoor’slife.Uponthis,
HuzoorsharedwithMubasharsahibsomeincidentsabouttheconditionsin
which Huzoor and his family lived in Ghana in the late 1970s and early
1980s.
MubasharAyyazsaid:
“IlearnedwhatasimplelifeHuzoorlivedandhowhealwaysremained
contentwithwhatever he had and never complained.Huzoor toldme
that I should follow this example because, as the Principal of Jamia
Ahmadiyya,IshouldsetanexampleforallthestudentsinJamia.”
TrustinAllah
A fewdays later, Imentioned toHuzoormyconversationwithMubashar
Ayyaz sahib and very graciously Huzoor also shared with me some
memoriesofhistimeinAfrica,whichexhibitedhissimplicityandcomplete
trustinAllah.
Huzoorsaid:
“WhenwelivedinAfrica,ourchildrenwereverysmallandsoweneeded
milkforthembutsometimesitwasnotavailableandfinishedbeforeI
couldgetmore.Iremembervividlyononesuchoccasion,themilkwas
finishedandSaboohi (Huzoor’srespectedwife)wasworriedbut I told
herthatwewillnotaskanyoneforhelporputanyburdenontheJamaat.
8
Rather,IsaidweshoulddoIstighfarbecausetherearegreatblessingsin
thisprayerandweshouldleavetheresttoAllah.”
AsHuzoorsaidthesewordsIfeltmyselfbecomingextremelyemotional.The
thoughtofHuzoorandKhalaSaboohi(Huzoor’srespectedwife)livinginsuch
conditionswheretheywerestrugglingtofindthemostbasicnourishment
fortheiryoungchildrenwasextremelypainful.
Yetatthesametime,itwasalessonthatevenasayoungman, livingina
foreigncountryandfacinghardship,Huzoorneverexhibitedanypanicnor
expressedanyfearordesperation.
Continuing,Huzoorsaid:
“WecontinuedtopraytoAllahandtoofferIstighfarandaswedid,there
wasaknockatourdoorlaterthatevening.WhenIopenedthedoor,Isaw
anAhmaditeacherwhohadtravelledfromhundredsofmilesandwas
onhisway toKumasi city.He toldme thatwhilsthewas travelling it
occurredtohimthatwewouldbeinneedofmilkforourchildrenandso
hetravelledoutofhiswayonextremelypoorqualityanddifficultroads.
Hegaveusacartonofmilk,whichwassufficientforourchildrenforthe
nextfewdays.Alhamdolillah,Allahhadansweredourprayers.”
Speakingmore generally of the conditions in Ghana, inwhich he and his
familylived,Huzoorsaid:
“In Africa, there was a shortage of food and so Saboohi (Huzoor’s
respected wife) would have to improvise and we would eat curries
9
without any meat or vegetables. For example, white beans were
availableandsowewouldgrindthemandmakeastockbyaddingwater
andsomesaltorspices.”
Huzoortoldmethesestorieswithasmileonhisfaceand,ratherthanlook
backatthatperiodwithanysadnessatthedifficultiesheandhisfamilyhad
faced,HuzoorlookedbackwithhappinessathowAllahhadfulfilledalltheir
needs.
EmotionsofAhmadis
A great blessing of Khilafat is the certainty and reassurance thatKhalifa-
WaqtimpartsintheheartsofAhmadis.Inthisregard,onepersonImetwas
Samir-ud-dinAliKhan(35)whohadbeenlivinginDubaiforsomeyears.
SpeakingofmeetingHuzoorafewdaysbeforetheJalsa,Samirsaid:
“Before today’s Mulaqat, I was extremely nervous because I had two
specificquestionsregardingmylifeforwhichIneededHuzoor’sadvice.
Forthepastsevenmonths,Ihadthoughtoverandoveragainabouthow
totackletheseissuesbecausebothhadthepotentialtohaveabigeffect
onmylife.WhenIpresentedthemtoHuzoorheansweredtheminjusta
fewsecondsinthemostperfectwayanditfeelslikeanincrediblyheavy
weight has been lifted frommy shoulders. It is amazing that Huzoor
respondswithasmileandveryinformallyandyetwhenyouthinkabout
hisactualwordsyourealisehowmuchwisdomthereisinthem.”
10
AnotherpersonImetwasayoungstudent,ShahrukhKhan(23)fromNew
York, who was spending the summer doing an internship at Oxford
University.
Shahrukhsaid:
“Ever since I was a child, I have listened to Huzoor’s sermons and
consideredhimtobemyrolemodelbutmeetinghiminpersonhastaken
my love and understanding of Khilafat to a whole new level. I feel a
spiritualitythatIhaveneverfeltbefore.Ifeelanawakeninginmyheart
becauseIhavemettheholiestpersonintheworldtoday.”
Asourmeetingended,Shahrukhsaid:
“GrowingupintheWestisdifficultandwefacealotofchallengesand
obstaclesthatcantakeusawayfromourfaithbutKhilafat isashield
thatshowsusthatworldlythingsaredistractionsandweshouldfocus
onourfaith.HuzoorencouragestheyouthbyshowingusthatIslamdoes
not restrict us but encourages us to excel, whilst channelling our
passions in a positive direction. For example, when I asked Huzoor’s
guidanceaboutmyfuturestudies,hewasnotatallrigidandencouraged
metopursuethosesubjectsaboutwhichIampassionate.”
AnotherpersonImetintherun-uptoJalsawasYusufSayed(51)fromNew
JerseyintheUnitedStates.
11
SpeakingaftermeetingHuzoorafteraperiodoffiveyears,Yusufsahibsaid:
“I can’t speak and can’t breathe! I am speechless! The feeling of
spiritualitythatemanatesfromHuzoorisunlikeanythingelse.”
Withwords,Iamunlikelytoforget,Yusufsahibcontinued:
“Withoutdoubt,Khilafathassavedme!IfIwasnotanAhmadi,IthinkI
would be the world’s biggest terrorist. I am not joking but am very
serious. There are so many frustrations in the world, especially for
immigrantsandtherearesomanythingsthatcanmakeyourestlessor
leadyoutothewrongtrack.Andso,Iamtheluckiestpersonintheworld
thatIhavebeensavedandrightlyguidedbyKhilafat-e-Ahmadiyya.”
Afaithinspiringnarration
Anotherperson Imet in the run-up to Jalsa SalanawasMahmoodAhmad
Malhi(27),ayoungMissionarywhohadgraduatedfromJamiaAhmadiyya
GermanyandwasnowpostedinCologne.
During,Huzoor’srecentvisitstoGermanyIhadseenMahmoodsahibona
fewoccasionsbuthadneverspokenwithhim.However,thistimeinLondon
heapproachedmehimselfbeforehisMulaqatwithHuzoorandsoughtmy
advice.
He toldme he had been very effected by an incident I had narrated in a
previousdiaryaboutanAhmadiladyinGermanywhohadsoughtHuzoor’s
12
prayersforherchildren.IwroteabouthowHuzoortoldmetotellherthat
hehadprayedforherthroughoutthenight.
Inthisregard,Mahmoodsahibaskedmeifitwouldbeappropriateforhim
toaskHuzoortoprayforhimandhisfamilyinthesameway.
Inreply,Isaid:
“IneveraskedHuzoorexactlywhathemeantbutIdonotthinkHuzoor’s
commentmeantthatheprayedconstantlythroughoutthenightonlyfor
that lady.Rather, I thinkhemeant thatheprayed forheratdifferent
timesthatnight.”
Later, as Mahmood sahib came out of Mulaqat, I asked him if he had
requestedHuzoor’sprayersinthewayheplanned.
Inreply,MahmoodMalhisahibsaid:
“IdidaskHuzoortoprayformeliketheladyhehadprayedforandin
reply,Huzoorsaidthatthemeaningofprayingallnightmeantthathe
willhaveprayedatvariousstagesofthenightforthatindividualandit
didnotmeanthatheonlyprayedforherduringthenight.Anyway,when
IaskedHuzoortoprayformeinthesamewayhedidnotsayanything
buthesmiled.”
Thereafter,MahmoodsahibnarratedanincidentthatIfoundtobeextremely
captivatingandfaithinspiring.
13
He told me that when he started at Jamia many years ago, one of his
classmates,Arsalan,whowasalsooneofhisbestfriends,wrotetoHuzoor
askingwhatthe‘secrettosuccess’inJamiawas.
Ratherthanrespondingthatheshouldworkhardorbygivingeducational
tips,Huzoorwrotebacksimplywiththewords:
“ThesecrettosuccessisthatyouarepunctualinofferingNamaz.”
Mahmood sahib told me that after receiving this response, Arsalan took
Huzoor’swordstoheartandwasalwaysoneofthefirstpeoplesittinginthe
Mosqueforeachprayerandcontinuedthispracticethroughouttheseven
yearsofJamia.
Continuingthestory,Mahmoodsahibsaid:
“Afterafewyears,ourJamiacollegemovedtoitscurrentpurpose-built
siteinRiedstadtandHuzoorcametoinaugurateit.Onthatoccasion,all
oftheJamiastudentsandteacherswereseatedinfrontofHuzoor.Iwas
seatednext toArsalanandwithgreat fervourandemotionheprayed
that‘OAllah,ifyoutrulyexistthenpleasemakeHuzoorremembermeat
thistime.’”
Mahmoodsahibcontinued:
“LiterallyafewsecondsafterArsalanprayedthis,Huzoorcalledoutfrom
thestage‘Arsalankahanhain?’meaning‘WhereisArsalan?’.Inastate
ofshock,Arsalanstoodup,Huzoorlookedinhisdirectionandthentold
14
himtositdownagainwithoutsayinganythingelse.Iamwitnesstothis
amazingandfaithinspiringincident.Idonotthinkitislikelythatifother
peoplepraythatHuzoorshouldcalltheminstantlythatAllahwillanswer
theirprayersinthesameway.Rather,Ibelievebecausemyfriendtook
Huzoor’s advice to be punctual in prayers so seriously that on this
occasionAllahrewardedhimbyansweringhisprayerthereandthen.”
AWelshconvert
OneofthepeopletomeetHuzoorduringthosedaysfortheveryfirsttime
wasanelderlyWelshmancalledAshleyHowellThomas(77)fromCardiff.
AshleysahibhadconvertedtoAhmadiyyatin2016andsoIaskedhimhow
hehadcometoacceptIslam.
Ashleysahibsaid:
“I always consideredmyself to be quite a spiritual person and I was
heavilyinvolvedinChurchactivitiesandmostofmyfriendswerelinked
to theChurch.However,one thing I struggledwithwas theconceptof
Jesus,peacebeuponhim,havingthestatusofGod.ThiswassomethingI
couldnotreconcileandcausedincreasingdoubtstoentermymindasI
grewolder.”
Ashleysahibcontinued:
“Acoupleofyearsago,IcameacrosssomeAhmadiMuslimswhowere
preachingatastallinCardiffandIwasimmediatelyimpressedbyhow
15
friendlyandwarmtheywere.Theywereagainstall formsofreligious
hatred or division and this really appealed to me. Over the next few
weeksandmonths,IstudiedIslamandIfoundthatinallaspectsoflifeit
providedwhatIconsideredtobean‘ideal’solution.Atatimewhenthere
is a lot of prejudiceandhatredagainst Islam, I read thebook ‘Life of
Muhammad’andwassoimpressedbythecharacteroftheHolyProphet
ofIslam(peacebeuponhim).”
AshleysahibtoldmethatafterafewmonthshehadacceptedIslaminhis
heartbuthadnotdecidedwhichsectofIslamtoalignwith,ashewasalsoin
contactwithsomenon-AhmadiMuslims.
Ashleysahibsaid:
“Initially, I was confused about which Mosque to attend but soon I
realisedthatAhmadiswerethemostopen-mindedandtolerantofallthe
Muslimsand theiranswerswere themost logical.Now,a year later, I
havenoregretsandamconfidentImadetherightchoice.”
Ashleysahibcontinued:
“IdofeeldisappointmentthatthereissomehostilitytowardsAhmadis
fromotherMuslimgroups.Forexample,onedayIwasinataxiwitha
MuslimdriverandhecondescendinglyaskedmewhyIwasgoingtothe
AhmadiyyaMosque.Inreply,ItoldhimthatmypurposeistoserveGod
andIbelievetheHolyProphetMuhammad(peacebeuponhim)tobethe
MessengerofAllahandthisismypriority.WhenIgavehimthisresponse
hisattitudesoftenedandhebecamemuchmorefriendly!”
16
AshleysahibtoldmeabouthisfirstmeetingwithHuzoorandhowhehad
beengivenaMuslimnamebyHuzoor.
Ashleysahibsaid:
“MeetingHuzoorwasextremelyreassuringandmorethananythingIfelt
secureinhispresence.Iwassurprisedathowgenuineandhumbleheis!
IalsofeelveryluckybecauseIaskedHuzoorforaMuslimnameandso
he namedme ‘Nasir’. It is a really beautiful nameand one I feel very
happywith.”
MeetingwithAustralianMP
On 19 July 2017, despite being extremely busy preparing for Jalsa and
meetingtheAhmadiswhohadtravelledtomeethim,Huzooralsometwith
KevinConnolly,aMemberofParliament fromNewSouthWales,Australia
and his wife. The meeting took place at 1-pm and lasted for around
40minutes.
Onequality Ihavewitnessed inHuzoor ishowhenever forgetsanykind
gesturemadebyothers,nomatterhowsmall.Forexample,whenHuzoor
visitedJapanin2015,hewashostedforamealbyaJapanesebusinessman,
Mr.Sato,whohadbecomewellacquaintedwiththeJamaat.Afewmonths
later, Huzoor became aware that Mr. Sato was visiting London and so
personallyinvitedhimfordinnerandspentagreatdealoftimewithhim.
Inasimilarvein,whenHuzoorvisitedAustraliain2013,hewasreceivedat
theairportbyKevinConnollyMP,eventhoughHuzoor’sflightarrivedinthe
17
veryearlyhoursofthemorning.Uponthis,Huzoorexpressedhisgratitude
toMr.Connollyandevenexpressedhisembarrassmentthathehadwoken
soearlytocometotheairport.
UponhisarrivalattheFazlMosque,IreceivedMr.Connollyandtalkedto
himforafewminutesbeforehismeetingwithHuzoor.Hetoldmehewason
apersonalholidaywithhiswifebuthaddesiredtomeetHuzoor,evenifonly
forafewminutes.
Later,whenthemeetingconcluded,heexpressedhissurprisethatHuzoor
hadmethimandhiswifefor40minutes,whenhehadexpectedonlyhave
fivetotenminutes.Inmyheart,IwasquitesurethatthereasonHuzoorhad
given Mr. Connolly so much time was not because of his status as a
Parliamentarian but because Mr. Connolly had come to the airport and
receivedHuzoorinthemiddleofthenightin2013.
Duringthemeetingitself,HuzoorandMr.Connollyspokeoftheincreasing
threatofterrorismintheworld.
SpeakingabouttherecentspateofterroristattacksinLondon,Huzoorsaid:
“Despite the attacks, I am glad to say that the situation in London
remainscalm,however,wearenowatastagethatitcannotbesaidthat
anypartoftheworldissafefromthethreatofterrorismandextremism.
EveninAustralia,therearerisksandsoyoumuststayvigilant.”
HuzoorexplainedhowtheJamaatwasseekingtoportraythetruemessage
of Islam and so whenever there were any terrorist incidents or attacks,
18
Ahmadiswouldgotothescenetooffertheirsympathiesandtospeaktothe
mediatocondemntheatrocitiesthatweretakingplace.
Regardingthis,Huzoorsmiledandrecalledacartoonrecentlypublishedin
anAustraliannewspaper.Huzoorsaid:
“WhenourAhmadiyouthswenttooffertheirsympathiesaftertherecent
attacks in London some of them were wearing T-shirts bearing the
message‘IamaMuslim,askmeanything’andtheseT-shirtswereshown
in the media. As a result, I recently saw a cartoon in an Australian
newspaperinwhichitshowedaMuslimyouthwearingthisT-shirtbeing
approachedbyanon-Muslimlady.However,thequestionsheaskedwas
notabouthisfaithbutwhetherornothewasgoodattennis!”
19
Mr.ConnollyinformedHuzoorthattheareawhereourBaitulHudaMosque
waslocatedinSydneyhaddevelopedalotoverthepastfewyears.
Hearingthis,Huzoorsaid:
“SuchdevelopmentisnotuniquetoourMosqueinSydney.Infact,when
this land for theFazlMosquewas identifiedourMissionary inLondon
wrotetoourSecondKhalifasayingthatit istoofarfromthecentreof
London.Inreply,theSecondKhalifasaidheshouldnotworryandthat
thecitywillcometoreachtheMosqueandovertheyearsthishascome
true,asLondonhasexpandedanddeveloped.”
Mr.Connolly informedHuzoorthathecontinuedtoserveasaMemberof
ParliamentinNewSouthWales.
Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:
“Ourbeliefis‘onceafriend,alwaysafriend’andsowewillalwaysinvite
youtooureventsandconsideryouourfriendwhetheryouareanMPor
not.”
UponbeingaskedbytheMPwhathis‘priorities’fortheJamaatwere,Huzoor
said:
“We are passing through very challenging times where terrorism is
beingconductedinthenameofIslamandsoourpriorityistoshowthe
worldwhatIslamtrulyisandtospreaditsrealandpeacefulteachings.
The fears of non-Muslims are to some extent rational because of the
20
terrorism perpetrated in different countries but they must also
rememberthat theextremistsare ina tinyminorityandthat thevast
majorityofMuslimsarepeaceful.”
Inreply,Mr.Connollysaid:
“Itiswonderfultoseehowthismessageofpeaceandtherejectionofall
extremism is coming fromwithin Islam through your leadership. You
andyourcommunityareshowingusthatIslamisameansofpeaceata
timewhenthismessageisneededurgently.”
As themeetingconcluded,Mr.ConnollyaskedHuzoorhisviewsaboutUS
PresidentDonaldTrump.
Again,Huzoorsmiledandsaid:
“IthinkPresidentTrumpdoesnotbelieveintraditionaldiplomacy!”
As Huzoor said these words, I thought to myself how astute and true
Huzoor’sanalysiswasandhowin justa fewwordshehadhighlightedan
issue which was causing headaches for world leaders and governments
acrosstheworld!
70thanniversaryofIndependence
DuringthedaysaroundJalsa,IcontinuedtomeetHuzoorintheafternoonin
hisofficedaily.Despite,havingalistofMulaqatsthatwasincreasingbythe
21
day,HuzoorstilltookthetimetolistentowhateverIhadtopresentandto
answeranyquestionsIhad.
Forexample,oneafternoon,ImentionedtoHuzoorthatsomejournalistshad
askedusourJamaat’sviewonthePartitionofPakistanandIndia,giventhat
the70thanniversarywasfastapproaching.Ihadparticularlybeenaskedif
Ahmadis regretted supporting Partition given that our Jamaat had been
persecutedformanydecadesinPakistan.
Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:
“It is true that we Ahmadis are subject to cruelties and injustice in
Pakistanbutwealso firmly believe that oneday this persecutionwill
cometoanend.”
Huzoorcontinued:
“The Founder of Pakistan,Qaid-e-AzamacceptedAhmadis asMuslims
anddesiredforaStateinwhichallpeoplewouldhavereligiousfreedom
and sohewas fully supportedbyHazratMuslehMaud (ra).However,
even at that time, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) knew that eventually,
AhmadiscouldthemselvesbecomeatargetforpersecutioninPakistan
butthatdidnotstophimfromsupportingitscreation.”
Huzoorfurthersaid:
“Rather, Hazrat Musleh Maud’s (ra) objective was for all Muslims to
acquirefreedomandsohesupportedthemovementforthecreationof
22
Pakistan,despitethepotentialrisks forAhmadis.Hence,wewillnever
saythatthedecisiontocreateanindependentPakistaniStatewaswrong
orsomethingthatweregret. Instead,wecontinuetohave full trust in
AllahtheAlmightythatonedayallAhmadiMuslimsinPakistanwillbe
freetopracticetheirfaithopenlyandwithoutanyfearofpersecution.”
AsHuzoorsaidthesewordsIfeltemotionalandinspiredatthesametime.
WhatreallystruckmewashowHuzoorsaidthatHazratMuslehMaud(ra)
understood that ultimately Ahmadis could be targeted by the Pakistani
Government and clerics, yet for the greater good of theMuslims hewas
willingtomakethatsacrifice.
Similarly, Huzoor’s comment that a day will come when our Ahmadi
brothersandsisterswillbefreefrompersecutionillustratedhiscomplete
trustinAllahtheAlmighty.
Afewmomentswithafriend
A few years ago, a young English man called Jonathan Butterworth (31)
acceptedIslamandenteredthefoldofthePromisedMessiah(as).Withthe
GraceofAllah,JonathonisnowservingasaNationalAmilamemberinthe
UK,responsibleforthetrainingofnewconvertsandisalsoaBoardMember
ofMTAInternational.
On22July2017,IsatdownwithJonathaninanMTAofficeattheFazlMosque
and he told me about his journey to Islam. Jonathan had recently been
23
blessedwithasecondchild,whohehadjusttakenwithhiswifeandelder
childtomeetHuzoor.
Duringourmeeting,Jonathanbecameovercomebyemotion,ashenarrated
his personal relationship with Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya and to see a British
born,highlyeducatedyoungmansoemotionalandsoinlovewithIslamwas
veryfaith-inspiring.
At a timewhen Islam is beingdemonised andmisrepresented across the
world,thetransformationJonathandescribedinhimselfwasasignofhow
trueIslambestowedonlypeaceandsecurity.
Aswesattogether,JonathantoldmehisfatherwasaChristian,whilsthis
motherwasagnostic.Atschool,Jonathonwouldattendchapelthreetimes
eachweekandwouldprayandsinghymnsinthechoirbutallthewhilehe
didnothavearealbeliefinGod.However,ashematuredintohislateteens
andadulthoodhefeltaneedforspiritualitywhichledhiminitiallytowards
Buddhism.Thereafter,in2004,whilststudyingatKing’sCollegeinLondon,
hebecamefriendswithanAhmadiMuslimcalledQudsiRasheedwhotalked
tohimaboutIslamandAhmadiyyat.Asthefriendshipdeveloped,Jonathan
becamemoreandmoreinterestedinIslam.
Speakingaboutamajorturningpointinhislife,Jonathansaid:
“In 2010, I attended the UK Jalsa Salana for the first time and that
experiencehadaprofoundeffectonmeandIwasshakenandmovedby
theexperiencetotheextentthatitwasduringtheJalsathatIfirmlycame
to accept and believe in the existence of God. Once I came to this
24
realisationIwantedtoknowhowIcouldbecomeclosertomyCreator.
Thiswasthefirststageofmybelief.”
Jonathancontinued:
“IcontinuedtoprayandtoreadtheHolyQuran,aswellastheBibleand
thescripturesofothermajorreligionsaswell.Ialsostartedtoreadthe
EnglishtranslatedbooksofthePromisedMessiah(as)andwhatstruck
mewashowhesaidthatallreligionswerefromAllah.Thispointwas
uniqueandbeautiful.
In December 2010, I came to the realisation that the Holy Prophet
Muhammad(sa)wasthetruemessengerofAllahandthiswasthesecond
stageofmybelief.ThethirdandfinalstageofbeliefoccurredinJuly2011
whenIacceptedtheclaimofthePromisedMessiah(as)anddidBai’at.At
eachstage, I felt thatAllahHimselfwaschangingmyheartand I saw
dreamsthatguidedmetoIslamAhmadiyyat.”
Jonathan told me that during his initial period as an Ahmadi he still
consideredtheideaofhavingareligiousleaderassomewhatchallenging.
Jonathansaid:
“The biggest challenge for me in accepting Ahmadiyyat was the 10th
condition of Bai’at. To obey God is one thing but to pledge to obey a
humanbeing,asweareaskedtodointhe10thcondition,issomething
elseentirely.”
25
Jonathancontinued:
“Idistinctlyrememberthatoneday,shortlyafterdoingBai’at,Ilistened
toHuzoor’sFridaySermonandatthestartofthesermon,Ifeltasthough
Khilafatwasverydistantfromme.
However,duringthesermon,Huzoorspokeof theexperiencesofsome
converts toAhmadiyyatandeach incident increasedmy faithandas I
listened I felt a change in my heart that was happening beyond my
control.
There and then I bowed down before Allah in prostration and wept
beforehim,asIfeltasurgeofloveforKhilafatentermyheart.Thatwas
the moment when I realised that Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya truly was a
Divineinstitution.”
AsJonathansharedthisverypersonalstorywithme,hebrokedownintears
andeachtimehewipedawayhistears,morewouldflowfromhiseyes.
Afterafewmoments,Jonathancomposedhimselftoanextentandsaid:
“IhavebeenluckytomeetHuzoorandtolistentohimonmanyoccasions
and in the early days, I sometimes tried to see if I could find any
weaknesses or flaws in his character. Yet, all I ever found were the
higheststandardsofmoralityandHuzoorhasonlyevergivenmeasense
ofcompletepeace.”
26
Jonathancontinued:
“My love forKhilafat isnot,God forbid,any formof shirk (associating
partnerswithGod).WeknowthatHuzoorisahumanbeingbutatthe
sametime,IbelievethathehasbeensentbyAllahHimselfasasignfor
usofGod’sexistenceandasameansforustobecomeclosertoAllah.
IstillremembermyfirstproperMulaqatwithHuzoorafterIdidBai’at
and during thatmeeting, Huzoor toldme our faith was like a never-
ending journey through a vast ocean and so there always remained
scopetobecomeclosertoourCreator.”
Asourmeetingended,Jonathansharedsomepersonalmemorieshehadof
hisexperienceswithHuzoor.
Jonathonsaid:
“WhenI firstbecameAhmadi, Iusedtositofteninapositionnearthe
frontoftheMosquewhereHuzoorwouldseemeandIusedtosmileat
him.Later,whenImetHuzoorinMulaqathesaidsomethingthattouched
myheartandfilledmewithgreatemotion.
HuzoorsaidthathealwayssawmesmilingathimintheMosqueandhe
wassorrythathecouldnotsmilebackbutatthesametimehehopedI
wouldcontinuetosmileathim.”
27
Jonathancontinued:
“Huzoor’scommentwasbeautifulandprofound,wherebyheappreciated
my gesture but at the same time he maintained the decorum of the
Mosque.”
Marriageadvice
TheotherincidentJonathannarratedreferredtohisweddingtoaSpanish
convert,Marissa(Maria)sahiba,whichHuzoorgraciouslyattended.Atthe
weddingreception,HuzoorwasseatedtoJonathon’s left,whilsthis father
wastotheright. Jonathansaidthatwhilsttheywereeatingtheirmeal,he
wasanxiousthateverythingproceededsmoothly.
Duringthisperiodofanxiety,Jonathan’sfatherwhisperedtohisson:
“CanyouasktheKhalifawhatthekeytoasuccessfulmarriageisbecause
aFrenchphilosophersaidthatthekeytomarriageisthatthehusband
shouldbeblind,deafanddumb.”
Uponthis,JonathansaidhewouldaskHuzoorthefirstpartbutwouldnot
quotetheFrenchphilosopherbecausehedidnotthinkitwasanappropriate
commenttosharewithHuzoor.
JonathanturnedtowardsHuzoorandsaidthathisfatherwasaskingwhat
wasthekeytoasuccessfulmarriage.
28
Huzoorsmiledandsaid:
“The key to a successfulmarriage is that both the husband and wife
shouldbedeafandblind!”
ExplaininghisfeelingswhenheheardHuzoor’sresponse,Jonathansaid:
“When I heard Huzoor’s answer all I could say was ‘Alhamdulillah’!
HuzoorhadnotheardanyoftheconversationIhadwithmyfatherand
sowhenI toldmyfatherwhatHuzoorhadsaidhewas leftcompletely
speechless!Here,Iwasworriedaboutmyfathermakingtheatmosphere
light-hearted and on the other hand, Huzoor made such a beautiful
commentthatshowedmethattherewasnothingwrongwithlaughing
orsayingsomethinglight-hearted.Thatonecommentputbothmyfather
andmeattotalease.”
Jonathancontinued:
“That incident showed me that nothing ever phases Huzoor and he
alwaysknowshowtohandleeachsituation.Later,myfathersaidtome
that ‘Jonathan, you are so serious – why can’t you bemore like your
Khalifabecauseheisalwayssmiling!’”
MyconversationwithJonathanendedashesaid:
“BeforeAhmadiyyatIwasnothingandevennowIconsidermyselftobe
nothing,howeveratleastnowIhaveapurposeinlifeandwherebefore
Iwasspirituallydead,nowIamalive.Inourlives,theanswertoallour
29
problemsliesinKhilafat-e-Ahmadiyya,Huzoorisourshiningstar.The
loveofKhilafatislikeanunstoppableTsunamithatcanneverbestopped
andcontinuestogrowandspread.”
Arighttoprivacy
A fewdaysbefore JalsaaphotoofHuzoor, takensome time in the1990s
begancirculatingontheinternet.ItwasaphotoofHuzoorwithsomeother
men taken at Islamabad in the UK and was a very nice informal photo.
However,byitsnature,itwasaprivatephotoandsoIwassurprisedtosee
itonline.
IhadoriginallyfirstseenthephotowhenHuzoorshowedittomeafewdays
earlierandsowhenitsubsequentlycameonlineImentionedittoHuzoor.
Atthatpoint,ithadbeenpublishedbysomeindividualAhmadisandwhilst
Huzoordidnotseemparticularlypleasedhedidnotgiveanyinstructions.
However, a day or two later, Huzoorwas informed by someone that the
officialJamaatTwitteraccountforJalsaUKhadpublishedit.
Uponthis,Huzoortoldmetotellwhoeverrantheaccounttohaveitremoved
andsoIcontactedthepeopleresponsibleanditwasremoved.
TheysaidthattheyhadonlyposteditonlineafterseeingsomeAhmadishad
posted it. I explained that there was a difference between individual
AhmadispostingthingsandofficialJamaataccounts,becausethelatterwas
akintoa‘sealofapproval’fromtheJamaat.
30
Thenextday,IinformedHuzoorthephotohadbeentakendownandthatit
hadbeenpostedbytheJalsaUKaccountonthebasisthattheyhadseenthat
otherindividualshadposteditalready.
Uponthis,Huzoorsaid:
“Do the office-bearers not have the wisdom to make decisions for
themselves? Justbecausesomeoneelsehaspostedsomethingdoesnot
meanthatJamaathastofollow.”
Huzoor’spointwascompletelyright.TheofficialJamaataccountsonsocial
mediashouldactasarolemodelforindividualAhmadis,asopposedtothe
otherway.
ThephotoitselfwasveryniceandoneIamsurethatHuzoorliked,giventhat
hehadshownittomehimself.
However,atthesametime,anypersonhastherighttodecideiftheirimage
ispublished,especiallywhereitisinaprivatesettingorhistorical.
ItissadthatsomeAhmadisandevenoffice-bearersseektoremovethisbasic
rightofprivacyfromKhalifa-WaqtwhoisourbelovedImam.
HuzoorgivestheJamaateverypossiblemomentofhistimeandsoitisan
obligationonAhmadistoaffordHuzoorandhisfamilyatleastsomebasic
levelofpersonalprivacy.
31
ExperiencesofJalsadelegates
Eachyear,HuzoorinvitesmembersoftheJamaatfromRabwahandQadian
andalsofromcertainothercountries,toattendtheUKJalsaSalanaasofficial
delegates.WhilstthisincludessomeseniorofficebearersorJamaatofficials,
italsoincludesgeneralofficestafforworkers.
Occasionally, people askwhy suchdelegates are invited andwhether the
costofinvitingpeopleisjustified.Inthisregard,thefirstpointtoremember
is that the delegates are all invited under the direction and guidance of
KhalifatulMasihandsothereareundoubtedlyblessingsandbenefitsthat
outweighanyfinancialconsiderations
Ontheonehand,thereareseniorofficebearerswhoattendandwhilst in
London, apart from reaping the spiritual blessings of Jalsa, they have the
opportunitytomeetHuzoorandtotakehisdirectguidancefortheiroffices.
TheyarealsoabletoattendvariousJamaatmeetingsandtolearnfromthe
experiencesofothersandthisisinaccordancewiththeobjectivesofJalsa
Salana,asthePromisedMessiah(as)said:
"AmongstthebenefitsofJalsaisthefactthatthecomingtogetherofthe
members of the Jamaat will increase the introduction of Jamaat
members amongst each other and it will strengthen the Jamaat's
contactswithoneanother.” (Majmoo'aIshtiharat,volume1,pages340-41)
Further,Ihavemetdelegates,whohaveworkedfordecadesinofficesand
have never had the opportunity to travel to meet Khalifa-Waqt or to
participateinaJalsaSalana.
32
Undernormalcircumstances, theywouldneverbeabletoaffordtotravel
andsoattendingtheJalsaisaonceinalifetimeopportunityandissomething
that is cherished and remains a source of pride for their families for
generationstocome.
Thus,duringthedaysaroundJalsaSalana, I tooktheopportunity tomeet
someofthedelegatesandtoheartheirexperiences.
OneofthedelegatesthisyearfromRabwahwasTahirAhmadShams(37),a
NationalAmilamemberinMajlisKhuddamulAhmadiyyaPakistanandalso
theVicePrincipalofJamiaAhmadiyyaRabwah.
ImetTahirsahibshortlyafterhemetHuzoor,whichwasthefirsttimehe
hadmetanyKhalifainhislife.
SpeakingabouthisMulaqat,Tahirsahibsaid:
“SeeingHuzoorinpersonisacompletelydifferentexperiencetoseeing
himonMTAandIfeelasthoughnowIknowwhatlifeisandthatbefore
Iwasdead.ThosemomentswhenIwasseatedbeforemyKhalifawere
indescribable,thoughtheywerealsotingedwithsadnessbecauseIkept
thinkingthatIamoneofthefortunateonesbuttherearestillthousands
andthousandsofAhmadisinRabwahwhoaredeprivedofseeingtheir
Khalifa.”
AnotherofficialJalsadelegate,meetingHuzoorforthefirsttimeinhislife,
wasNadeemAhmadMubasher(33),whoservedinWaqf-e-JadidRabwahand
HumanityFirstPakistan.
33
MomentsafterhisMulaqat,Nadeemsahibsaid:
“I cannot believe what just happened! I feel as though I am living a
dream.Huzoor’s faceradiatesnothingbutpure light! I cannotbelieve
thatjusttwodaysagoIwasinRabwahinmynormalroutineandnow
twodayslaterIaminLondonhavingjustmetthepersonIyearnedto
meetallmylife.”
Nadeemsahibcontinued:
“Letmetellyousomethingveryspecialthatoccurredinmylifeyesterday
–IwasabletoprayallfiveprayersbehindKhalifa-Waqt!Howfortunate
amI!Forme,myonlydesireandmyonlyobligationduringthisvisitisto
praybehindHuzoorasmuchaspossible.Itrytoarriveanhourbefore
theprayertimessothatIgetaplacenearthefrontoftheMosquesothat
hopefullyHuzoorwillseemeandIcanseehimfromnear.”
IalsometadelegatefromQadian,SheikhMujahidAhmadShastri(39), the
EditorofBadrMagazine(Hindiedition).
ExplainingthefeelingsofAhmadisinQadian,Mujahidsahibsaid:
“InQadian,wearealldesperatethatHuzoorcomesandblessesusonce
again. Uncontrollable tears adorn our prayer mats as we pray that
Huzoorisabletovisitusagain.Everythingisready,everyoneiswaiting
andwepraythatwedonothavetowaitlong.”
34
AsMujahidsahibsaidthesewords,IthoughthowQadian’sdesireforHuzoor
to visit is actually thedesire of the entire Jamaat. Personally, I cannever
forgetHuzoor’svisittoQadianin2005.
Atthetime,IwasastudentandtravelledtoQadianforjustoveraweekto
attend the Jalsa and each day is imprinted inmymind as though it was
yesterday.Theway the crowds flocked towardsHuzoor andhowHuzoor
wouldsmile,waveandmeetthethousandsofAhmadiswholinedthestreets
whereverhewent.Theyweretrulyunforgettabledays.
InspectionofJalsaSalanaUK
Aspertradition,theinspectionandofficialinaugurationofJalsadutiestook
placeonSunday,23July2017.
After spending themorning in his office, Huzoor departed from the Fazl
Mosque at 3.25pm. The inspection was conducted at three different
locations,firstlyattheBaitulFutuhMosque,secondlyatJamiaAhmadiyya
andfinallyatHadeeqatulMahdiitself.
At Baitul Futuh, Huzoor inspected the Langhar khana (kitchen), the
bookshopandvariousadministrativedepartments, suchas thosecharged
with managing Jalsa registration and car passes. Thereafter, Huzoor
proceededtoJamiaAhmadiyyainHaslemere,wherehearrivedat4.45pm.
Whilst,Huzoorwas at Jamia the heavens opened and the rain thundered
down.ThedutyworkersatJamiahadkeptastockofumbrellasandhanded
themtousaswearrivedbuttherainwassostrongthateventheumbrellas
35
hardlymadeanydifference.Yet,thisdidnotstopHuzoorfromconducting
the inspection and, so after lifting up his shalwar a few inches, Huzoor
walked through the Jamia grounds until he entered the Jamia building,
where he was greeted by dozens of Arab Ahmadis who raised naaray
(slogans)welcomingHuzoor.
As the Jamiapartof the inspectionconcluded,severalyoungMissionaries
lineduptowaveatHuzoorbeforehedeparted.
Uponthis,Huzoorsaid:
“Youshouldoffergreetingsofsalamwithyourmouthandnotjustwith
yourhand!”
Thiswasa lessonformetoobecauseIoftenhavethehabitwhenHuzoor
walkspasttowaveathim,whilstwhispering,almostinaudibly,thewords
‘AssalamoAlaikum’.
InspectionatHadeeqatulMahdi
OnthewaytoHadeeqatulMahdi,IwasseatedwithAhmadBhai(Muhammad
Ahmad)fromHuzoor’ssecurityteamandhetoldmethatitwaspossiblethe
inspection could be doneby car atHadeeqatulMahdi due to the adverse
weather.
However,withtheGraceofAllah,andinspiteofthegloomyweatherforecast,
therainsubsidedandthesunshinecameoutbythetimeHuzoorreached
HadeeqatulMahdi.Thegroundremainedmuddyandwetandso the cars
36
were ready but Huzoor said hewould conduct the inspection on foot as
normal.
Huzoor visited the different Nizamats (departments) of Jalsa Salana,
spendingmoretimeinspectingthelangharkhana(kitchen),rotiplantand
securityarrangements.
As Huzoor walked through the langhar khana at each station the duty-
workerseagerlypresentedHuzoorwithwhateverfoodtheywerecookingto
taste.Thus,whilststandingup,Huzoortastedaloogosht(lambandpotato
curry),daal(lentils)andzarda(sweetrice).
AfewminutesafterHuzoorvisitedthelangharkhanahisyounggrandchild
Saadapproachedmeandsaidhehadnoticedthatinthelangharkhanathere
wasalargesignthatsaid‘JalsaSalan’insteadof ‘JalsaSalana’.As‘salan’is
theUrduwordfor‘curry’welaughinglywonderedifthiswasanaccidental
37
omissionorwhetherthoseinthe langharweretryingtohighlightthefact
thattheywerecookingalotofcurries!
Huzoorvisitedthe‘stores’departmentandwavedatthedutyworkerswho
werelineduptogreethim.
AtonepointHuzoornoticedaseverelydisabledboy,Talmeez,whodespite
hisobviousdisabilitieswasalsolinedup,sittinginawheelchair,andproudly
displaying a Jalsa ‘Muavin’ badge. When Huzoor saw this young boy, he
stoppedandverylovinglypattedhimonhischeek.
Witnessing this scene, which lasted no more than 5 or 10 seconds, was
extremelyemotional.Ontheonehand,wesawthedeeploveofKhilafatina
young disabled child, who was clearly suffering from a lifelong ailment,
whilstontheotherhand,wesawhowmuchlovetheKhalifa-Waqthasfor
themostvulnerablemembersofsociety.
AsHuzoorcontinuedtoinspectthedifferentdepartments,henoticedthat
FirstAidwaspositionednexttoRishtaNata,whichisthedepartmenttasked
withhelpingarrangemarriagesforAhmadis.
Uponseeingthis,Huzoorsmiledandjokinglyremarked:
“IthinktheJalsaSalanaadministrationhasverycarefullythoughtabout
the positioning of these two departments, whereby if Rishta Nata
recommendssomepoormatchesitcouldleadtopeoplefaintingandso
thatiswhyFirstAidisrightthereonhandtohelp!”
38
VisitingPress&Mediaexhibition
HuzoorwalkedpastthevariousexhibitionsthatwerebeingsetupforJalsa
SalanaandashecontinuedwalkingIsawHuzoorwalkinthedirectionofour
Press&Mediaofficeexhibition.
Ourexhibitionwasrelativelysmall,certainlysmallerthanthosesetupby
theReviewofReligionsandMakhzan-e-Tasaweer,however,alotofefforthad
goneintothisyear’sexhibition.Hence,thefactthatHuzoorwalkedtowards
ourofficewasagreatrewardandblessingfortheteam.
Standing outside our exhibitionwas amember ofmy team,whowas in-
chargeofsettinguptheexhibition.AsHuzoorapproached,theteammember
welcomedHuzoorandinformedthatthisyearwehadaddedtwo‘games’to
ourexhibitionforpeopletoplay.
Ashesaidthesewords,ImustadmitIwasslightlyconcernedthatHuzoor
maywonderwhywewerearranging‘games’atJalsaSalana!
One of the games was a giant Jenga set, where each brick had different
componentsofworldpeace labelled.The topbrick itselfwasemblazoned
‘world peace’, whilst the supporting bricks below had labels comprising
different issues highlighted by Huzoor in his various addresses such as
‘justice’,‘tolerance’,‘morality’,‘humanrights’andmanyothers.
Thepointofthegamewasthatwhenpeoplepulledoutabrick,theentireset
became more unstable and eventually collapsed. Thus, the game was
39
designedtoshowhowmanythingscontributedtoalackofworldpeaceand
madetheworldlessstable.
The other game was a series of statements, such as ‘women’s rights’ or
‘religiousfreedom’,whereparticipantswereinvitedtodecideiftheywere
‘Islamic’ornon-Islamic.
Alhamdolillah during Jalsa, both ‘games’ provedpopularbut I did ask the
teamtorefertothemas‘educationaltools’ratherthangamestostayonthe
safeside!
Huzoor’saddressatJalsaInspection
After theconclusionof the inspection,Huzoorentered themain JalsaGah
andaddressedthevolunteersofJalsaSalana.
Duringhisaddress,Huzoorsaid thevolunteersanddutyworkersof Jalsa
SalanaUKwerenowverywelltrainedafteryearsofexperienceandhowhe
hadevenseenyoungchildrendoingdutiesveryresponsibly.
Atthesametime,Huzoorremindedthevolunteersthattheyshouldalways
manifestthehighestmoralsandneverdisplayanydiscourtesy.Huzoorsaid
thateveniftheirpatiencewastestedortheyfeltfrustratedthedutyworkers
shouldmaintainasmileontheirfaces.
Huzoorsaiditwasafactthatshortcomingswereoftenhighlightedbythose
who suffered any discomfort or problems. Huzoor said very few people
wrotetohimtopraisetheworkersatJalsaSalana,eventhoughmostpeople
40
hadverypositiveexperiences,whilstthosewhohadproblemswouldoften
write to him with their complaints and the most common complaint he
receivedwasinrelationtotheserviceoffood.
Hence,Huzoorsaiditwasveryimportantthateachpersonwasservedtheir
mealswithgraceandkindnessandnomatterhowmanytimestheycame
backformorefoodtheyshouldneverberefused.
Followingtheformalsession,Huzoorattendedadinnerwiththevolunteers
of Jalsabefore leavingHadeeqatulMahdiat8-pmandreturningtoMasjid
FazltoleadtheMaghrebandIshaprayers.Thiswasincontrasttoprevious
yearswhen the inspectionhad continueduntil later so thatMaghreband
IshawereofferedatHadeeqatulMahdi.
Ispoketopeopleafter,whohadlongjourneyshomeaheadofthem,andthey
werepleasedithadconcludedearlierthistime.Iwaspersonallygladthat
HuzoorwasabletoreturnhomebyMaghrebandIsha,ratherthanextremely
lateatnightashadbeenthecaseinrecentyears.
41
Iamsurethereisagoodreasonwhytheinspectionisconductedlaterinthe
day,butitdidoccurtomethatifitwasheldearlierinthedayandconcluded
in the afternoon with lunch, rather than evening dinner, it might be
preferabletopeoplewhohadtotravellongdistanceshome.
Anyway,asItravelledbacktomyhomeaftertheinspection,ittrulyfeltas
thoughJalsaSalanahadnowbegun.
ObservingHuzoorwork
OnMonday,24July,IwentinforMulaqatwithHuzoorinthelateafternoon
aspermynormalroutine.AsIentered,IsawthatHuzoorwasbusywriting
onaplainA4pieceofpaperplacedhorizontallyonhisdesk.
I could tell that Huzoor was writing one of his Jalsa addresses and so I
remainedsilentandkeptmyheaddownsothatIdidnotdisturbHuzoorin
any way. As he wrote line after line, I kept thinking to myself how this
seemedlikeamomentwhereAllahtheAlmightywasinspiringandguiding
Khalifa-Waqt.
Aftertenminutes,HuzoorputdownhispenandforthefirsttimesinceIhad
enteredhisoffice,helookedupandsmiledbeforesaying:
“ThoughtswerecomingfreshintomymindandsoIthoughtitwasbetter
tocontinuetowrite,whilstthewordswerecomingtome.”
42
HuzooraskedmeabouttheJalsainspectionthedaybeforeandIresponded
bysayingwewereluckythattherainstoppedbythetimeHuzoorreached
HadeeqatulMahdi.
Uponthis,Huzoorremarked:
“Evenifithadcontinuedtorainitwouldnothavemattered!Iwouldhave
continuedtheinspectionintherainaswell.Whyshouldalittlerainstop
usfromourwork?”
Huzoor’swordsremindedmehowmostpeopleallowinsignificantissuesto
slowthemdownortoproveanobstaclebutwhenitcomestofulfillinghis
duties,Khalifa-Waqtdoesnotletanythingstandinhisway.
Meetinganoldfriend
AsIleftHuzoor’soffice,IsawShirazAhmadsahib(50)whohadcomeasan
officialJalsadelegatefromQadian.
Forthepast11years,ShirazsahibhasservedasNazirTaleem(Directorof
Education) in Qadian and is now also the AdditionalNazir-e-Ala Qadian
(DeputyChiefExecutive).
ShirazsahibandIbecamefriends in2007,whenHuzoorsentmeandmy
wifetoQadianforthreemonths.Atthetime,Shirazsahibhadbeenserving
asaWaqf-e-Zindighi (lifedevotee) for justoverayearand Ihadalso just
startedservingasaWaqf-e-Zindighiandsowehadsomethingincommon
fromthestart.
43
Anothercommonfactorwasthat,apartfromme,Shirazsahibwasprobably
theonlyperson inQadianwhopreferred to speakEnglish and so twoor
threetimesaweek,Iwouldgotohisofficeandspendtimeinhiscompany.
MyabidingmemoryofthoseconversationswithShirazsahibwashowhe
wouldalwaystalkaboutKhilafatandquotethewordsofKhalifa-Waqtfrom
differentoccasions.
Givenourfriendship,Iwashappytomeethimafteralongtimeand,withmy
car substituting for his office, we revived the memories of our old
conversations.Justasin2007,everythingShirazsahibsaidrelated,directly
orindirectly,tohisexperienceswithKhilafat.
SpeakingaboutmeetingHuzooracoupleofdaysearlier,Shirazsahibsaid:
“Alhamdolillah,twodaysagoIhadthatopportunitytomeetHuzoorand
it was like experiencing heaven on earth. Huzoor is the living
representativeofAllahandsotobewithhimisbeyondcomparison.”
Shirazsahibcontinued:
“BeforeyouenterHuzoor’sofficeyouarefilledwithnervesbutassoon
as youenterand see the lookof kindnessonHuzoor’s faceall of your
nervesand fears instantlyvanish likemagic!Despitehisgreat status,
Huzoorspeakstouslikewearehisfriendsandundoubtedlynoonecan
haveabetterfriendthanHuzoorbecausehemakesyouforgetallyour
troublesandproblems.”
44
Speaking of his experience of working under Huzoor’s guidance and
supervisionformorethanadecade,Shirazsahibsaid:
“Huzoorisextremelyencouragingandhemotivatesusinwaysthatno
oneelseisableto.Hisstyleissuchthatyouwanttoworkevenmoreand
totrytoimprove.”
Shirazsahibcontinued:
“In2006,HuzoorgavemetheopportunitytoserveasNazirTaleemand
he wrote me a two-page letter replete with instructions and his
expectationsofourdepartment.Thatletterwassocomprehensivethat
eventhoughIwasthousandsofmilesawayfromHuzooritwasveryeasy
totransitionintomynewroleanditwasnotasthoughsomebodyhad
justleftmetolookattheoldfilesandtolearneverythingmyself.Rather,
itwasasthoughHuzoorwasholdingmyhandandguidingmeateach
step.”
In2007,ShirazsahibwascalledbyHuzoortoattendtheUKJalsaandhehad
theopportunitytohavehisfirstdaftari(official)MulaqatwithHuzoor.
Recountingthatexperience,Shirazsahibsaid:
“IexpectedthatHuzoorwouldonlyhaveafewminutes,yetthatMulaqat
lastedfor28minutesandduringthattimeHuzoorremoved,onebyone,
anylingeringdoubtsorsenseofconcernsIhad.Ipresentedmorethan
30 issues toHuzoor thatdayandheclarifiedeachandeveryone.The
45
guidance I received became a charter for our office, which we have
continuedtofolloweversince.”
Shirazsahibcontinued:
“FollowingtheMulaqat,IwrotedownallofHuzoor’sguidancepointby
point and sent the document back to Huzoor for his final written
endorsement. I was flying back to Qadian the next day and so before
departing,IwenttoaskthePrivateSecretaryifhecouldfaxmethenotes
onceHuzoorhadcheckedthem.
IassumeditwouldtakeHuzoorsomedaysorweekstogothroughthem
becausehewasverybusystillmeetingtheguestsofJalsa.Hence,youcan
imaginemyastonishmentwhenthePrivateSecretaryhandedmenotes
backandsaidthatHuzoorhadalreadycheckedandendorsedthem!Ihad
onlyhandedtheminthenightbeforeanditwasaverylengthydocument
andyetHuzoorhadsomehowbeenthroughthemalready!”
AgifttoIndia
Shiraz sahib informed that under the instructions of Huzoor, the Indian
Jamaatwasprovidingthemeansofeducationforthousandsofchildrenand
studentsfromdeprivedbackgroundsinallpartsofIndia.
Speakingaboutthevastproject,Shirazsahibsaid:
“HuzoortoldmethatwhenhecametoQadianin2005,hesawthatthere
was still somuchpoverty in Indiaand thatpeoplewere struggling to
46
provide education for their children. Thus, he instructed our office to
establishapropersystemofprovidingfortheeducationofboysandgirls
whootherwisecouldnotaffordschooling.Whatabeautifulgift to the
IndiannationbestowedbyKhilafat-e-Ahmadiyya!Alreadythroughthis
scheme,thousandshavebenefitedandsomeolderIndianstudentshave
qualifiedasdoctors,engineersandinmanyotherfields.Similarly,there
aremanysmallchildrenwhoareabletoreadandwriteandhaveregular
educationallthroughtheblessingsofKhilafat.”
Shirazsahibcontinued:
“Through this educational scheme, Huzoor has established a lasting
revolutioninIndia,wherebyhemadeitclearthatpovertyshouldnotbe
thereasonthatanychildisdeprivedofeducation.”
GuidanceofKhalifatulMasih
IwasalsointerestedtohearabouthowHuzoorguidedtheJamaatinQadian
andwas left astonished as I heard fromShiraz sahib the extent towhich
HuzoorwasdirectlyinvolvedineachJamaatdepartment.
Shirazsahibsaid:
“Huzoorlivesthousandsofmilesfromusbutineverymatter,nomatter
howsmall,wearerecipientsofHuzoor’sguidance.Honestly,sometimes
itfeelsasthoughHuzoor’sofficeremainsinQadian.Tobefrank,wehave
stopped thinking for ourselves and send every issue to Khalifa-Waqt
becauseweknowthereareimmenseblessingsinhiseverydecision.Our
47
heartandmindisKhalifa-WaqtandasfarasIamconcerned,ouronly
dutyistoactashislimbsandimplementhisdecisions.”
Shirazsahibcontinued:
“NeverdoesHuzooraskuswhywesendhimsomanyquestionsandnever
doeshefailtorespond.Ifwesendalettertohimtodaythenwithoutfail
wereceive thereply,withHuzoor’shandwrittenguidance,by thenext
day.
Speaking just for myself, I often send 16 or 17 reports to Huzoor
regardingthedepartmentsIamresponsibleforandifeverthereisany
delayincorrespondenceitisfromourendandneverfromHuzoor.We
arejustoneJamaat,andwhenyouconsiderthereareover200Jamaats
worldwidewhichHuzoorguides,yourmindboggles.
Huzoor’scapacityofworkisinmyviewasignoftheexistenceofAllah
becauseonlywithAllah’sHelpcansomeonemaintainsucharelentless
scheduleandcapacityforwork.Huzoorhasbeenworking18or19hour
daysnon-stopforover14yearsnowanditseemshisworkloadisgetting
heavierandheaviereachyear.”
Asourconversationended,Shirazsahib:
“Whenwesendareport toHuzoorseekinghisguidancewe feelgreat
anticipationknowing that tomorrow itwillbe returnedwithHuzoor’s
notesandguidance.Icannotdescribethehappinessandexcitementwe
feelwhenwegetthereportsbackbecauseitfeelslikewearehavinga
48
dailyMulaqatwithHuzoor!Iamwitnesstothefactthatarevolutionis
takingplaceinourIndiaJamaatbecauseineverysinglefield,whether
internal or in terms of public relations or dealing with the media,
everythingisbasedontheinstructionsofKhalifatulMasih.”
EmotionsofAhmadis
AftermeetingShirazsahib,IwenttospeaktosomeotherAhmadiswhohad
theopportunitytomeetHuzoor.
Oneperson,ImetwasChaudhryMunirAhmad,an87-yearelder,whowas
servingasateacherstillattheNusratJahanCollegeinRabwah.Hehadcome
asanofficialdelegateinwhatwashisfirsteverJalsaSalanaUK.
ChaudhryMunirsahibsaid:
“AteacherinRabwahhasonlyasmallallowanceandsoIcouldnever
affordtocometotheUKmyselfandsoitisthepuregraceofKhalifatul
MasihandtheJamaatthatIamhavingthisopportunity.”
IwassurprisedthatChaudhryMunirsahibwasstillworkingasateacherand
hadnotyetretired.Uponmyenquiringaboutthis,hesaid:
“Whenmymotherdied,HuzoorwasNazir-e-AlainRabwahandhekindly
cametomyhousetoofferhiscondolences.Atthattime,Iwas72andsoI
mentionedthatperhapsthetimehascomeformyretirement.Inreply,
HuzoorsaidsinceIwasaWaqf-e-ZindighiIshouldbereadytoserveuntil
the Jamaatneededme.Thatwas15or16yearsagoand Ihavenever
49
asked for retirement since and I feel very lucky to have been able to
continuemyservice.Eventoday,duringmyMulaqat,Huzooraskedmeif
Iwasstillwellenoughtocontinuetoteach.”
AsmybriefmeetingwithChaudhrysahibconcluded,heturnedtomeand
confirmedmyname,beforesaying:
“Abidsahib,mayGodblessyouandIprayyouarestillservingtheJamaat
whenyoureachmyage.”
ItwasaprayerIwasextremelygratefulfor.
AnotherpersontomeetHuzoorthatdaywasKhalidAhmad(52),whowas
employedby the Jamaatasa full-timedriver inPakistan.He toldme that
before Khilafat, he had the opportunity to serve as Huzoor’s driver on
variousoccasionswhenHuzoorwouldvisitSindh.
Khalidsahibsaid:
“I cannot express how I am feeling at this moment. When I entered
Huzoor’s office he recognisedme instantly and it felt like I had been
transportedbacktothoseblesseddayswhenIwasabletoserveHuzoor.”
Khalidsahibcontinued:
“IwillneverforgetthewayHuzoorusedtotreatuswithsuchloveand
regard.Hewouldneverconsiderhimselfsuperiortousandwouldoften
eatwithusandputfoodonourplateswithhisownhands.”
50
ThateveningIalsometAftabAhmedPatel(65)whowasservingtheJamaat
asa localMuallam (religiousteacher) inavillage inSindh.Hewasborna
HindubuthisfatheracceptedAhmadiyyatandhissonsoonfollowed,whilst
othermembersoftheirfamilyremainedHindu.
Aftabsahibsaid:
“Today,wasthemostblesseddayofmylifebecauseIwasabletotouch
theblessedhandofthatpersonwhoseeveryFridaySermonIlistentoand
whichisthemeansbywhichItrytolivemylife.IheldHuzoor’shandfor
afewsecondsandIwishIcouldholditforever.”
Speaking of his experiences since converting to Ahmadiyyat, Aftab sahib
said:
“MostofourfamilyremainsHinduandovertheyearstheyhavetriedto
boycottmeandcausevariousproblems.However,thisneverweakened
myfaithandifanything,itincreasedmycertaintythatIhadmadethe
rightdecision.NowwiththeGraceofAllah,amongstmyownprogenyare
JamaatMissionaries.”
Aftabsahibsaid:
“IserveinadeprivedvillageofPakistanwhereoftenthereisnoaccess
towaterbutitdoesnotmatter,asouronlyobjectivesaretofollowthe
teachingsofthePromisedMessiah(as).Thus,weshowlovetotheentire
village,whether theyareMuslim,Hinduorofanyotherbelief. I try to
51
sharewithotherswhatAhmadiyyathasgivenme,whichispeaceofmind,
contentmentandaboveallthetruth.”
Huzoor’sreassurance
ThateveningIalsometImtiazAhmad,ayoungMissionaryfromCanada,who
hadspentthepastfewyearsservinginOttawa.Hetoldmethatrecentlyhe
receiveddeaththreatsduringtwophonecallsreceivedathishome.
The person making the threats said that his brother had been killed in
Afghanistanandsohewasnowdeterminedto‘takerevenge’.
IcouldseefromthelookonthefacesofImtiazsahibandhiswifethatthey
hadbeenunsettledbythesethreats,asanyonewouldbe.Imtiazsahibsaid
thathehadrecordedthecallsandtherecordingswerewiththepolice,who
weretakingthematterseriously.
However,despitethepolicereassuringthem,truepeaceofhearthadbeen
giventothemonlymomentsearlierwhentheymetHuzoor.
Imtiazsahibsaid:
“I told Huzoor about the death threats and he listened very carefully
before praying thatmayAllah protect us. Then, in themost beautiful
way,HuzoorlightenedthemoodbysayingthatIhadnowbeenreposted
toadifferentcityandsoIshouldbesafe!Uponthis,Huzoorsmiledand
bothmeandmywifelaughedandenjoyedHuzoor’skindhumourandwe
feltextremelyreassured.”
52
Huzoor’smediaguidance
WehadreachedTuesday25JulyandIwasbecomingconcernedaboutalack
ofmediainterestintheJalsaSalana.
WiththeGraceofAllah,ourPress&MediaOfficehadalargerteamthisyear
andtheyhadbeenworkingdiligentlyoverthepastmonthreachingoutto
journalistsandmediaorganisations.Certainly,theteamhadputinalotof
hoursbutaswegotclosetoJalsa,therewasasenseoffrustrationatthelack
ofresults.
Hence, that afternoon, duringMulaqat, I soughtHuzoor’s prayers for our
media efforts and informed him that so far, we had not received many
positiveresponses.
Uponhearingthis,Huzoorsaid:
“Donotworry,thereareover30journalistscomingfromabroadandso
theywillcovertheJalsaevenifthelocalonesarereluctant.”
With these fewwords,Huzoorputmymindateaseandprovided instant
comfortandreassuranceinthewaythatonlyhecan.
Somemediaoutletshadsuggestedtheirlackofinterestwasduetothefact
thattheJalsawasan‘annualevent’,whichwehadinvitedthemtoinprevious
yearsandsotheyasked‘whatwasnew?’andiftherewerespecificreasons
theyshouldcomethisyear.
53
WhenImentionedthistoHuzoor,hesaid:
“YoushouldtellthejournaliststhatiftheywishtofindoutwhetherIslam
reallyisareligionofextremismandterrorismtheyshouldcometothe
Jalsa.Iftheywishtofindouttherealitythenitistheirdutytocoverit–
puttheballintheircourt!”
Huzoorthensmiledandsaid:
“Youcanalsotellthemtherewillbenewthingsatthisyear’sJalsaand
thattheywillonlyfindoutmorewhentheycome!Youshouldnotgiveall
thedetails inadvance, ratheryoushouldkeep the journalists insome
suspenseasitmightarousetheircuriosity!”
Apart from putting me and my team at ease, Huzoor’s advice itself was
extremely valuable. For the next few days, our media team followed
Huzoor’sadvicewhenapproachingjournalistsandtheresponsewasmuch
morepositive.
Several journalists confirmed their attendance, whilst others said that
thoughtheycouldnotattend,theywouldpublishreportsaboutJalsaandthe
majorityfulfilledtheirpromises.
Alwaystakingnote
OnethingIhavenoticedduringmytimeservingKhalifa-Waqtisthateven
whereHuzoordoesnotspecificallycommentonsomething,hetakesnoteof
it.
54
Forexample,afewweeksbefore,IhadinformedHuzoorofamediastoryin
Sweden,whereawomanhadstatedthattherewasaneedtohold‘women-
only’musical festivals becausemen couldnot be trusted after a series of
rapesandincidentsofsexualabuseatrecentfestivals.WhenIpresentedit,I
thoughtHuzoorwouldtake interest in thereport,butHuzoordidnotsay
anything.
However,weekslater,thatevening,Huzoorbroughtupthereporttoconfirm
thecountrythestoryreferredto.
Huzoorsaid:
“IneededtocheckasIamgoingtomentionthisincidentinmyaddress
toLajnaattheUKJalsa.”
Thereafter,Huzoorsaid:
“Today,myplanwastocompletemyLajnaaddress,howeverafterlunch,
Iclosedmyeyeswiththeintentionofsleepingforjustafewminutesbut
Iendedupsleepingalittlelongerthanplanned.Asaresult,myspeechis
notyetready.”
I was very happy that Huzoor had been able to rest a little longer than
plannedandinresponse,Isaid:
“Huzoor, it isverygoodthatyouwereabletorestbecausewhenJalsa
comesyouareevenmorebusythannormalandhaveevenlesstimeto
sleep.”
55
Huzoorsmiledandsaid:
“Allahenablesmetoberefreshedevenafterjustafewminutesofsleep
andsothereisnoneedtoworryaboutmyrest.”
Notanordinaryholiday
AsIwasleavingHuzoor’soffice,heenquiredifIhadmetsomeoftheguests
whohadcometoattendtheJalsaandwhowerestayingnearMasjidFazl.
IsaidthatIhadnotreallyhadtimetomeetthem.
Withaserioustone,Huzoorsaid:
“Ifyougetachance,youshouldaskiftheyhavecometoattendtheJalsa
oriftheyhaveonlycometosocialiseandholdlatenightdiscussions.”
As Huzoor said thesewords, it occurred tome that perhapsHuzoor had
receivedsomereportsorhadnoticedforhimselfsomething.
Anyway,itreinforcedthepointthatpeoplewhocomeforJalsashouldensure
that the Jalsa remains their priority and they should seek to use every
opportunity to increase in spirituality and become closer toAllah, rather
thantreatingtheexperienceasanormalfamilyholiday.
EmotionsofAhmadis
56
Laterthatday,ImetKhalilMubasharsahib(72),theMissionary-in-chargein
CanadaJamaatmomentsafterhehadmetHuzoorandhetoldmeaboutsome
ofhisexperiencesduringhislongservicetotheJamaat.
KhalilMubasharsahibsaid:
“I served in Africa for 24 years and the love for Khilafat and for the
JamaatamongsttheAfricanAhmadiswasextraordinary.Togivejustone
example,oncewhenIwastheNationalAmirofSierraLeoneJamaat,an
elderlyAfricanAhmadicametomeandaskedmetoputmyhandonhis
head.
Naturally,IfeltveryembarrassedbutIwasmovedbyhiswords.Hesaid
thatbecauseIhadrecentlybeentoLondonandhadtouchedthehandof
theKhalifa-Waqt, hedesired forme to touchhisheadwith that same
hand.Hesaidhedoubtedifhewouldeverhavethechancetomeetthe
KhalifaashewasoldandsopleadedwithmethatIdidnotrefusehis
request.”
ThateveningIalsometwithayoungPakistaniMissionary,ShahabAhmad
(27)whohadrecentlybeenpostedinTanzania.
MomentsaftermeetingHuzoorforthefirsttime,Shahabsaid:
“IhadwrittenawhileagotoHuzoorthatIwastryingtolearnSwahili
andsotoday,assoonasIenteredHuzoor’sofficeandmethimforthefirst
time,heaskedme‘HowisyourSwahilideveloping?’Iwasawestruckat
57
Huzoor’s memory as he receives thousands of letters and yet he
rememberedmine!”
Shahabcontinued:
“AtfirstgoingtoAfricawasdifficultandIwasworriedbutIknewthatI
wasgoingthereontheinstructionsofKhalifa-WaqtandsoIwouldbe
goingwithhisprayers.
This knowledgehelpedmeadjust and settlewell. Also, I havealready
beenrewardedbyAllahbecause itwaseasier togetavisa for theUK
fromTanzaniathaniteverwouldhavebeenfromPakistan!”
After being composed throughout ourmeeting, suddenly Shahab became
overwhelmedbyemotion.Tearsbegantofallfromhiseyes,whichhewiped
awaywithhissleeve.
Shahabsaid:
“IamemotionalbecauseIcannotbelievethatKhalifa-Waqtknowsmy
nameandwhoIam!IcannotbelievethatjustaminuteagoIwasstood
withHuzoorandhowhemostlovinglyputhishandonmyshoulderwhen
wemet.
TheimpactoftodayisthatIamreadyforanytrialandanydifficultyfor
thesakeoftheJamaat.MyKhalifahasshoweredhisloveuponmeandso
Iamreadyforanysacrificeforhissake.”
58
AnemotionalKhadim
Duringthatweek,IspoketoaJamiastudentfromCanada,whoIhadbecome
friendlywithduringtheprecedingweeks.
Hetoldmehehadfacedsomedifficultiesandstrugglesduringhistimeat
Jamia,whichcontinuedtotroubletohim.
He said he had considered discussing the issues with Huzoor during his
Mulaqatbuthaddecidedagainstitbecausehedidnotwishtobeguiltyof
complainingorofincreasingtheburdenonKhalifa-Waqt.
Nonetheless, as hewaited outsideHuzoor’s office he felt a deep sense of
frustrationanditoccurredtohimthat‘Huzoorwillneverknowthetroubles
andproblemsIhave’.
TheyoungmantoldmethatwhenheenteredHuzoor’soffice,hefeltasense
ofdespondencyhavingmadethedecisiontoremainsilent.
However,hewasleftastoundedwhenHuzoorhimselfsaid:
“IknowyouhavesomedifficultiesinJamiabutdonotworrybecauseI
prayfortheyoungMissionarieslikeyou.”
Thestudent toldme thathewas left completely stunnedbecauseHuzoor
himselfmentionedalltheissuesthathadbeentroublinghimanditseemed
asthoughHuzoorkneweverythingalready.
59
Thestudentsaid:
“ThisMulaqatwithHuzoorconfirmedtomethatAllahtheAlmightyis
above all human superiors, and He informs His Khalifa about the
conditionofHisservants,evenwhenitisimpossibleforthemtotellhim.
Also,itprovedtomethatKhalifa-Waqthasthemeanstowashawayall
thepainandsadnessapersonfeelsinjustafewminutes,whereasifall
the world’s best therapists tried it would take them many years to
achievethesameresults.”
Notwhatitseemed
Ontheeveningof26July,Iwasveryhappy,as,duringmyMulaqat,Huzoor
gavemesomechocolatestotakewithme.
Ashehandedmethepacket,Huzoorsaid:
“IhopeyoudonotmindbutIhavealreadyopeneditandtriedoneofthe
chocolates.Theyweregood.”
Again and again, Huzoor’s humility leaves a person embarrassed and
amazed.
Inresponse,Isaid:
“Huzoor,knowingyouatefromthesechocolatesmakesthemevenmore
specialforme.”
60
IthenleftHuzoor’soffice,andasIwalkedout,astaffmemberinthePrivate
Secretary’sofficehandedmeaboxwhichhesaidwasagiftfromHuzoorfor
me.Itookthegifttomycarandwasverycurioustoseewhatwasinsideand
soratherthanwaitinguntilIreachedhome,Iopeneditthereandthen.
Inside,wasabottleofArabfragrance,whichwasverybeautifulandsome
small roundballswrapped inagoldenwrapper.Uponseeing them, Iwas
verypleasedbecausetheylookedlikeFerreroRocherchocolatesandIhad
noteatenforhoursandwasveryhungry.
Withoutpauseforthought,IunwrappedoneoftheFerrerochocolatesand
tookalargebiteoutofit.However,Ireceivedahugeshockasittastedbitter
and its texture was more like grainy powder than a chocolate. I knew
instantlythatitwasnotedibleandspatitout.
ItwasonlythenthatIlookedcarefullyagainatthecontentsandrealisedthat
itwasdhooni,aformofincensethatisheatedupwithcoalsandemanates
very attractive aroma. Thankfully, I had the real chocolate Huzoor had
handedtomehimselfwhichIatetotryandremovethebittertaste.
Anyway,IwasextremelygratefulthatHuzoorhadrememberedme,evenat
a timewhen hewas so busy and so later that evening I sent amessage
professingmythankstoHuzoorforthegiftandIalsoinformedofhowIhad
mistakenthedhooniforchocolate!
Thenextday,27July2017,wasthedaybeforethestartofJalsaandwhenI
enteredHuzoor’sofficeforMulaqatintheafternoon,IcouldseethatHuzoor
wasextremelybusypreparinghisnotesforoneofhisJalsaaddresses.
61
Yet,assoonasIentered,Huzoorstoppedhisworkandlookedupatmeand
said:
“Abidonlyyoucouldeatthedhooni(incense)!WhenIsawthewrapping,
IalsoassumeditwasFerreroRocherbutthenIopenedthewrapperand
thetexturewascompletelydifferenttochocolate!Youshouldalwaysbe
carefultoreadwhatsomethingisbeforeyouuseitorconsumeit!Now
youshouldtakesomeNuxVomicahomeopathybecauseeatingincenseis
dangerousandcanbepoisonous!”
Huzoor then smiled and used an Urdu saying which meant that ‘even
educatedpeoplesometimesdothemostfoolishandignorantthings!’
IhavetoadmitwhenHuzoormadethiscomment,Iwasquitepleasedtobe
includedintheclassoftheeducatedpeople,evenifIwasalsobeingclassed
inthefoolishandignorantatthesametime!
Sincethedaybefore,Ihadbeensufferingfromasevereheadcold,feverand
mythroatwasextremelysore.ItwasreallybadtimingconsideringtheJalsa
wasstartingandourdutieswereatapeak.
During the Mulaqat, Huzoor noticed and asked if eating the incense had
mademeill!However,IclarifiedthatIhadbeguntofeelunwellevenbefore
Ihadconsumedit.
Huzoor took out some homeopathy, which he gave to me and then also
handedmeaherbalremedyandsomethroat lozenges thathekept inhis
office.
62
Nodoubt,asaresultoftheblessingsandprayersofHuzoor,Istartedfeeling
better later that evening and by the time Jalsa started I was mostly
recovered.
FridaySermonatJalsaSalana
WiththeGraceofAllah,the51stUKJalsaSalanabegunon28July2017at
HadeeqatulMahdi,whenHuzoorledtheFridayPrayers.
Duringhisaddress,Huzoorspokeoftheresponsibilitiesoftheparticipants
ofJalsaSalana.
Huzoor remindedhowoneyear, thePromisedMessiah (as) cancelled the
Jalsa Salana in Qadian because of his displeasure at the conduct of the
attendeesatJalsa.
ThePromisedMessiah(as)saidtheparticipantshadtreatedtheJalsaasa
worldly event and were more concerned about their comfort than of
obtainingthespiritualblessingsassociatedwithJalsa.
63
Huzoorsaid:
“HereatHadeeqatulMahdiallofthearrangementsaretemporaryand
soitisnotpossibletoprovidethesamelevelofcomfortasisavailablein
permanentbuildingsorcentres.
Thus, despite the best efforts of the volunteers, there will be some
weaknessesandIhopethatinsteadofcomplainingtheguestsremember
thatthevolunteersarenottheirservants.
Rather,theyarehumblepeoplewhohavepresentedthemselvesforthe
serviceoftheguestsofthePromisedMessiah.Thus,Ihopeandpraythat
theguestsdisplaygraceandkindness.”
Nonetheless, Huzoor reiterated the importance of hospitality and in
particular the need to treat dignitaries and non-Ahmadi guestswith due
respect.HesaiditwasthepracticeandteachingoftheHolyProphet(sa)to
showrespecttoleadersandtofulfiltheirneeds.
Furthermore,therewereotherguestswhocametolearnmoreaboutIslam
andsoitwasthedutyofthehoststolookafterthemasperthepracticeof
thePromisedMessiah(as).
Meetingthemedia
During theafternoonbreakand the subsequentbreakperiodsduring the
Jalsa,IspentasmuchtimeaspossibleatourPress&Mediaofficeandmet
someofthejournalistswhocametoattendJalsa.
64
With the Grace of Allah, the Jalsa had a very positive effect on all the
journalistswhocameandmanystayedformuchlongerthantheyoriginally
planned.
Under Huzoor’s guidance, our teamwas assisted very ably by a team of
Lajna,whowouldtakethefemalejournaliststotheladiessideandspenda
lotof time indiscussionwiththem.Suchmeetingswere invaluableasthe
journalists saw for themselves thatourLajnawere completelyunlike the
stereotypicaldepictionofoppressedMuslimwomenconfinedtothehome.
Rather, they were able to see that Ahmadi ladies and girls were very
educatedandthatHijabwasnotforceduponthembymen,rathertheytook
prideinit.
Similarly, the journalists took interest in thedifferentexhibitions,suchas
the Review of Religions exhibition, which included a replica of the Turin
Shroud.
Aswasthecase inpreviousyears, the journalistsalsoverymuchenjoyed
visitingtheRotiPlantandseeing(andtasting)thefreshrotisthatwerebeing
bakedcontinuously.
InourPress&Mediaexhibition,oneofthethingswehadondisplaywasaTV
screenplayingvariousclipsfromHuzoor’saddressesandonefemaleMuslim
journalistspentalotoftimewatchingclipsfromHuzoor’sspeechesandalso
talkingtodifferentAhmadisandlearningaboutourteachings.
65
Afterconcludinghervisit,shetoldusthattheexperienceofJalsaSalanahad
aprofoundeffectuponher.Shesaidithadaffectedhermindandhearttothe
extentthatshewasconsideringacceptingAhmadiyyatandhadtakenaway
thebook‘ConditionsofBai’at’tostudy.
Anotherfemalejournalist,whohadjuststartedhercareer,said:
“AsawomanandasaguestIfeelIwastreatedwithenormousrespect
andkindnessandIwasmadetofeellikemyattendancewassomehow
reallyimportant,eventhoughIamnotaveryprominentjournalistyet.
Thehoststreatedmeasavaluedguestbutalsoasapartoftheirfamily.”
Iwasparticularlypleasedtohearhercommentthatshefeltasthoughher
attendancewas ‘important’ despite the fact shewas not yet a prominent
journalist.
WhenIfirststartedworkinginthePress&MediaOffice,Ibelievedthatwe
should target mainstream media or those journalists who were more
influential but, after some time observing my approach, Huzoor said
somethingtomewhichwasalessonthathasstayedwithmeeversince.
Huzoorsaid:
“Idonotcareifajournalisthasareachof25millionor25,000,weshould
seektoengagewiththemall.Ifthemessagereachesevenafewthousand
peopleitissomethingtobepleasedaboutandsodonotdisregardthe
smalleroutlets.Evenifajournalistdoesnothaveanyfollowing,atleast
heorshewillhavelearnedthetruemessageofIslam.”
66
ThatcommentthatHuzoormadetomeyearsagohadadeepimpactupon
mythinkingandIhaveseengreatwisdominfollowingthisinstruction.
Upandcomingjournalists,whomaynotbewellknown,areoftenmuchmore
receptive. Justasourguestat this Jalsahadnoted, theywerenotused to
beingtreatedas ‘important’,andsobeingtreatedwithrespecthadavery
positiveimpactonthem.
Further,theyoftenspendmoretimewithusandsoareabletolearnmore
about the Jamaat’s teachings than more prominent media figures who
normallyjustwishtocomeandtaketheirstoryandthenmoveon.
Also,therearesomejournalistswhomaynothavebeenwellknownwhen
weinitiallymeetthembuthavegoneontoforgesuccessfulcareersandare
nowwellawareoftheJamaatanditsteachings.
FirstSessionofJalsaSalana
At 4.25pm, Huzoor raised the Liwai-e-Ahmadiyyat (Flag of Ahmadiyyat)
beforeproceedingtotheJalsaforthefirstsessionofJalsaSalana.
Momentsbeforeenteringthemarquee,HuzoorbrieflymettheUK’sMinister
ofEducation, JustineGreeningandZacGoldsmithMP,whowereattending
theJalsaasguests.
Duringhisaddress,Huzoorspokeabouttheneedformoralreformationand
improvementandquotedvariousteachingsofthePromisedMessiah(as)in
thisregard.
67
Huzoor said that true and sincere love of Allah was selfless and pure,
wherebypeopleactedaccording toAllah’s teachingsdue to their love for
Him, rather than for a desire for reward. Huzoor contrasted this with
extremistsandterroristswhoconductedheinousactsinthenameofIslam.
Huzoorsaid:
“No matter what they claim, terrorists have no love for Allah the
Almightyandarenotmotivatedby Islambecause Islam teachesus to
loveallofhumanity.”
Laterinhisaddress,Huzoorprayed:
“MayallmembersofourJamaatprovetobetrueambassadorsofIslam
andtrueexamplesoffulfillingtherightsofAllahandofmankind.”
68
Huzoor also asked Ahmadis to especially remember persecuted Ahmadi
Muslims,whoweredeprivedoftheblessingsofJalsaSalana,intheirprayers.
Following the conclusion of the afternoon session, Huzoor visited the
langharkhana(kitchen)andtherotiplanttocheckthefoodbeingprepared
fortheguests.Huzoortastedfoodfromdifferentpansandseemedsatisfied
thatthefoodwasbeingwellprepared.
ImpactofJalsa
In theevening, I returned toourPress&Media officeandmetwithsome
moreguests.
Onefemalejournalistsaidshewasamazedatthefactthatmenwerecooking
thefoodforthewomen!
Shealsosaidshewas initiallyapprehensiveaboutthesegregationofmen
andwomenbutherconcernshadbeenremovedverysoon.Shesaid:
“When I first arrived I was worried that men and women were
segregatedbut,afterhavingatourofthewholeJalsaandtheladiesside,
I saw that segregation gave the women their own freedom and
enjoymentandmoreimportantlyitgavethemthepowertorunthings
basedonhowtheyfeltbest.”
Anotherfemalejournalisttoldusshefoundtheexperienceofattendingthe
Jalsatobeextremely‘humbling’.
69
Shesaid:
“At this event, everyone was working very hard, being helpful and
cooperativeandIcouldn'tbelievethattheywereallvolunteers.Inever
saw a single person or volunteer shout or get angry. If I could ever
imaginehowapeacefulworldwouldlooklike,itwouldbeexactlyhow
yourJalsawasandshesaidthiswastheonlywaytheworldcouldcome
topeace.”
Spiritofservice
TheweatheratHadeeqatulMahdithatfirstdaywasnotidealtosaytheleast.
Asafternoonturnedtoevening,thelightdrizzleturnedintoheavyrainthat
lastedmanyhoursandintothenight.
IkeepanotepadinmyhandandbecauseIamoftenwritingitisinconvenient
tokeepanumbrellaandsoIwasoneofthousandsofpeopletogetsoaked
thatevening.
Nonetheless,ifanything,suchdifficultiesincreaseaperson’senjoymentof
Jalsa,ifnotalwaysatthetime,thencertainlylookingback.Isawhundreds
of people doing duty in the pouring rain, many of whom did not have
umbrellasoradequateclothing,yettheinhospitableconditionsdidnotdeter
themintheslightest.
TherewasayoungKhadim,originallyfromKazakhstan,whobychanceIkept
walkingpastashedidsecuritydutyatagate.Whenever,Isawhimhebore
thewidestpossiblesmileandwelcomedmewithaloudgreeting‘Assalamo
70
Alaikum’andtherewasnosenseatallthathisdutywasdifficultorofany
fatigue.
Therewereotherpeople,whowerecleaningtoilets,adifficultdutyinthe
bestofconditionsbuttentimesharderwheneachpersonusingthefacilities
entered with wet and muddy shoes. Yet not one of the duty workers
displayedanysenseofworryorangst,onlypridethattheywereabletoserve
theguestsofthePromisedMessiah(as).Alhamdolillah,thespiritofservice
continuedtoamazethroughoutthethreedays.
Huzoor’sLajnaaddress
On the second day of Jalsa Salana at 12-pm Huzoor travelled from his
residence to the main Lajna marquee to address the members of Lajna
Imaillah.
In the most beautiful way, Huzoor explained the high status of women
accordingtotheteachingsofIslamandthehugerewardsgivenbestowedby
Allahinreturnforensuringthegoodmoraltrainingoftheirchildren.
Further,Huzoorsaidthat Islamhadinstructedmentoassistwomenfulfil
their duties within the home, however nowhere had Islam placed a
responsibilityuponwomentoassistmeninprovidingfortheirfamilies.
Huzoor also referred to the so-called ‘liberalMosque’ opened recently in
GermanybyaMuslimlady,whowishedtoopenmoreinothermajorcities.
Huzoor said that suchprojectswere the result of a failure to understand
Islam’s true teachings and due to an ‘inferiority complex’. He said such
71
schemeswereanattempttocreatedivisionanddiscordwithinIslamandso
wereameanstoweakenitratherthantostrengthenit.
SpeakingabouttheneedtostayfirmtoIslam’strueteachings,asopposedto
seekingto‘modernise’orhideourreligion,Huzoorsaid:
“Wecannotputourfootintwodifferentboatsotherwisewewillsurely
sinkandsowemustfollowIslam’soriginalteachingswithoutanyfear
orcomplex.”
Constantguidance
Afterhisaddress,Huzoorproceededtothemen’smarqueetoleadtheZuhr
andAsrprayers.BeforeenteringtheJalsaGah,HuzoorcalledtheManaging
DirectorofMTAInternationalandsaidthathehadbeeninformedthatthe
previous day the MTA live broadcast cut off for some time in parts of
Pakistan.
UponbeinginformedthatMTAwascommunicatingwithMTAinPakistanto
find outwhat the issueswere,Huzoor pointed out that theHead ofMTA
Pakistan, Syed Tahir Shah sahib was attending the Jalsa and so MTA
Internationalshouldspeaktohimdirectly.ItwasclearthatHuzoorwasnot
satisfiedthattheconnectionhadfailedandsopeoplehadbeendeprivedof
partakingintheJalsathroughMTAforsometime.
ThroughouttheJalsa,theOfficerJalsaSalana,NasserKhansahibandAmir
SahibUK,RafiqHayatsahibwouldspeaktoHuzooraftereachsessiontogive
72
areportoftheadministrativesideofJalsaandtoseekHuzoor’sguidanceon
anyproblemsthatarose.
Forexample,afterZuhrandAsrprayersonSaturday,Huzoorwasbriefed
aboutthewaterpressurebeingweakatcertaintimesoverthepast24hours.
Inresponse,Huzoorgavevariousideasandsaidthatifnothingelseworked
thentheyshouldnegotiatewiththewaterauthoritiessothatwaterusage
couldbeincreased.
Forthesakeofthecomfortoftheguests,Huzoorsaidthatifsomeextrafees
hadtobepaiditshouldbedone.
That afternoon, I spoke toAmir Sahib about the badweather,which had
causedvariousproblemsanddifficulties.
Inreply,AmirSahibsmiledandsaid:
“Huzoorhastoldusthatnomattertheweather,nomattertheconditions,
theJalsawillalwaysgoaheadandtakeplace!Hence,thereisnopointus
worrying about the difficulties, rather it is our objective to make
everythingassmoothaspossibleandtotryandlimitanydiscomfortto
theparticipants.”
Huzoor’s comment to Amir Sahib illustrated the vast importance of Jalsa
Salana.
73
Aconfusionremoved
Later, Huzoor graced the afternoon session of the Jalsa Salana with his
presenceanddeliveredthetraditionalreporthighlightingtheblessingson
ourJamaatduringthepastyear.
Huzoorannouncedthat,with theGraceofAllah,over600,000peoplehad
joineddoneBai’atoverthepastyear,themajorityofwhomwereinAfrica.
Furthermore, Huzoor also announced that the Jamaat had now been
establishedin210countriesoftheworld.
TheissueofnumbersofcountriesinwhichtheJamaatisbasedissomething
thathasbecomeslightlycontentious.Duringthepastyear,afewpeoplehad
approachedmeaskingaboutthis.Thepeoplewhohaveaskedmehaveall
saidthat,accordingtotheUnitedNations,therearelessthan200countries
intheworld,yetourJamaatisestablishedinanumberexceedingthistotal.
WhenImentionedthistoHuzoorafterJalsa,hesmiledandsaid:
“Wearenotapoliticalgroupwhochoosesto‘officiallyrecognise’some
countries, whilst deciding not to recognise others. There are many
Islandsintheworldthatconsiderthemselvesindependentcountriesbut
accordingtotheU.N.orofficialagenciestheyarenotindependent.”
Huzoorthentookabreakfromthemailhewascheckingandtookouthis
iPad,whichwasplacedonacabinetbehindhisdesk.Huzoorwentto‘Google’
andtypedin‘Howmanycountriesarethereintheworld?’.
74
IstoodbehindHuzoorashelookedattheresultsandheshowedmehowthe
U.N.hadits‘officiallist’butthattherewerealsodozens,ifnotmore,islands
orterritories,thatconsideredthemselvesasnations,eveniftheywerenot
officiallygiventhisrecognition.
Huzoorsaid:
“Now you can explain to peoplewho ask you this question and if you
remindmebeforenextyear’sUKJalsathenInsha’AllahIwillalsoclarify
itinmyreport.”
It sohappened thata fewdays later Iwas looking through theBBCSport
website and there was an article about an upcoming boxing match. The
article referred to the fact that the fight would be televised in ‘over 220
countries’.
Hence, the BBC, which is considered one of the most trustworthy news
organisations, also considers many countries that may not be officially
recognised!
Meetingswithdelegations
FollowingtheconclusionofHuzoor’saddress,hereturnedtohisresidence
forafewminutesbeforeproceedingtohistemporaryofficeatHadeeqatul
Mahdi.
75
Itwasatentdividedintothreesections.Ononeside,wasareceptionarea,
inthemiddlewasthePrivateSecretary’sofficeandontheothersidewas
Huzoor’soffice.
That evening, Huzoor held meetings with delegations from Greece,
Switzerland, Uruguay, Spain, Ireland, Holland and Sierra Leone. The
delegationsincludedpoliticians,dignitaries,journalists,non-Ahmadiguests
andnewAhmadiconverts.
TheGreekdelegationincludedajournalistwhoaskedHuzoorwhetheritwas
‘difficult’tospreadapeacefulmessageintheworld.
Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:
“Ourwork is to spread themessage of Islamand an inherent part of
Islamispeace.Today,thereisagreatdealofdisturbanceandconflictin
theworldbutthatwillneverstopusfromourmission.”
AyoungguestfromSwitzerlandaskedHuzoorwhyhewasreferredtoas‘His
Holiness’.Fromthetoneofhisquestion,itseemedthatheperhapsobjected
tothis.
Huzoorsaid:
“Ihaveneveraskedanyonetocallmethis,ratheritisthechoiceofthe
membersoftheJamaat.Outoftheirlovefortheirspiritualleader,they
desiretoshowrespect,however,ifsomeonewastoaddressmeasMirza
76
MasroorAhmadIwouldnottakeanyoffenceormind.Certainly,youare
freetocallmebymyname‘Masroor’.”
Upon this, any senseof objectionwas removedand the guest smiled and
said:
“Thatiswonderful!Thankyou.”
Amongst the Spanish delegation were some national Members of
Parliament.OneoftheminformedHuzoorthattheywereChristiansbyfaith.
Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:
“Itmakesnodifference touswhatyourreligion isbecausewebelieve
thatashumanityweareallone.Thus,nomatterwhataperson’sbelief
weshouldloveandrespecteachother.”
Huzoorcontinued:
“Therehasbeenalotofrainandthishascausedsomedifficultiestoour
guestsandforthis,Iapologisetoyou.”
The other Member of Parliament said she had really enjoyed Huzoor’s
addressesandlearnedagreatdealaboutestablishingreligiousfreedom.She
addedthatbeforetheJalsasheknewverylittleaboutAhmadiyyatbutnow
had a much clearer understanding of Islam and how it was completely
differenttothemediaportrayal.
77
WithintheSpanishdelegation,therewerealsosomeguestsfromArgentina,
includinganAhmadiconvertandsomeArgentiniannationaljournalists.
AnArgentine journalist askedHuzoorwhat the Jamaat’s responsewas to
terroristattacksconductedinIslam’sname.
Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:
“We always categorically condemn them andmake it clear that such
attacksarecompletelyagainsttheteachings.Ihavetravelledtodifferent
countriestogivelecturesinwhichwedonotjustcondemnbutwealso
give solutions to the lack of peace in the world based on Islamic
teachings.Ihavewrittentoworldleadersandwarnedthemaboutthe
risksintheworld.”
Huzoorcontinued:
“ThisverygatheringofourJalsaisalsoasymbolofhowweareshowing
Islam’s true teachings. Here there are thousands of people gathered
togetherforthreedaysand,duetotheweatherandthefactthatthisis
beingheldoutdoorsonafarm,meanstheconditionscanbedifficult.Yet,
you will only see smiles on the faces of the participants, there is no
disorder and everything is conducted smoothly and without incident.
ThisisallaresultofIslam’strueteachings.
Followingtheconclusionofthemeetings,Huzoorgracedadinnerreception
hostedbyWakalat-e-Tabshir,attendedbydozensofdignitariesandguests,
aswellashundredsofJamaatrepresentativesfromaroundtheworld.
78
Thereafter, Huzoor led theMaghreb and Isha prayers andwith that, the
seconddayofJalsaSalanaUKhadreacheditsconclusion.
However,wheretheJalsaonlyhadonedayleft,Huzoor’sJalsaactivitiesand
meetingswouldcontinueformanydaystocome.
EndofPart1
Anycommentsorfeedback:[email protected]