Voice of British Muslim Women

Shumaila Iftikhar, London

With the grace of Allah, his year’s annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the UK, begins today.

The Jalsa Salana is a three-day event filled with speeches from key figures from within the Community as well as outside, including politicians, philanthropists and others from around the world. This year, in light of post-pandemic measures, Jalsa will only be open to Community members from the UK. However, the keynote addresses of the worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper) will indeed be the highlights of the event.

Another aspect of the event is that it draws members of the Community together in an exemplary symbol of peace and unity – displayed vividly during the flag-hoisting ceremony, where the flags of countries in which our Community has been established since its founding, encircle its flag. Or through the crowds that form over the three days, and the voluntary work carried out diligently by members of the Community, young and old, to ensure the convention runs smoothly.

Throughout the event, members of the Community from various kinds of backgrounds and walks of life, congregate to listen to the same teachings, establishing a sense of togetherness that many others outside the Community yearn for.

An annual convention that, in the UK, breathes life into rural Hampshire, and pre-COVID-19 hosted an approximate number of 35, 000 people from the world over, this year’s event will look a little smaller, to incorporate COVID-19 precautions. But the purpose of the spiritual event remains the same: bringing all under the banner of one common faith. This sense of community, at a time when the world is embroiled in divisive politics and individualism is becoming a pervasive force, is few and far between to find elsewhere. Yet it is the pinnacle of Islamic principles.

The Holy Qur’an states: “And hold fast the covenant of Allah all together and be not divided; and remember the favour of Allah upon you when you were enemies and He united your hearts in love, so that by His grace you became as brothers;…”1

This verse clearly states the importance of holding together as a community is a necessary means to avoid being pulled into darkness and disorder, and the favour bestowed on believers by Allah after those who came before did not obey. The oath-of allegiance taking (or Bai’at) ceremony is a visual example of this. The chains that form as members of the Community recite the oath of allegiance after our Khalifa or Caliph, and this recitation is echoed in various languages simultaneously, exemplify the notion this verse exhorts, to remain firm on the agreement made between a believer and Allah and to do so reflecting unity.

The unity and sense of community displayed in the annual convention, from the preparations that come before it, to the various duties that are integral in ensuring the success of the event, exemplify the true meaning of Islam because they symbolise a single unit working to spread a message of peace.

1. Holy Qur’an chapter 3, verse 104