Voice of British Muslim Women

Cemal Inam, Thornton Heath

It was at the 50th UK Jalsa Salana in 2016 when I cried during the Bai’at ceremony conducted by His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V. Bai’at literally means to sell yourself or to make a pledge of allegiance. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) said “To take Bai‘at means handing over your life to the Almighty Allah. It means, ‘Today we have sold our lives to the Almighty Allah.’ It is wrong to say that by treading the path of Allah, anybody can ultimately suffer a loss.”

I was lucky enough to have been born an Ahmadi Muslim, but it was not until my teenage years that I felt like I had truly accepted my faith. Taking the pledge of allegiance was a promise to myself to understand and learn more about the faith that I was born into. After taking the Bai’at that year I felt like a whole new person.

And that is exactly what Jalsa Salana is. For some, it can be the start of a spiritual journey, as they start acknowledging their faith and educating themselves about it. For me, on that sunny day in 2016, it was truly the start of my spiritual journey. His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the current Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has, several times highlighted to members within the community the importance of learning and understanding our religion and not simply inheriting it. True love for Islam comes from learning about it. And that was my exact goal leaving the Jalsa Salana site six years ago.

Since then, Jalsa has been about reconnecting again to my faith. Many say the hardest part of one’s spiritual journey is to keep the momentum going because we all lead very busy lives and sometimes our faith can be lost in it. Our faith can become second to worldly pursuits when we have other priorities to focus on. But when Jalsa Salana comes around thousands of Ahmadi Muslims gather in the countryside away from our worldly interests to come together to attempt to reignite the spark in our spiritual journey, it is our source of keeping our momentum going. It is said in the Holy Qur’an, in Chapter 43 Verse 63 “And let not Satan hinder you. Surely he is to you an open enemy” . Satan hates to see us consistent within our spiritual journeys; his main objective is to ‘hinder you’. Jalsa Salana thus is a tool to help us not let Satan’s goal be successful.

This is mentioned by His Holiness too, in his inspiring address at the occasion of Jalsa Salana Germany 2021, he stated “The objective of the Jalsa is to increase Taqwa (righteousness) in the participants whilst spending time in a spiritual environment. If this is not the case, then organising the Jalsa is a futile pursuit. When the Jalsa Salana takes place and one spends time in a religious and spiritual atmosphere, meeting one’s brothers and sisters and exchanging good and pious ideas, it creates a spiritual and religious rejuvenation.”

The observation of congregational Prayer, a significant part of the annual convention, is one way to rejuvenate our spiritual journey. It is the one time during the busy weekend when the whole site goes silent. We all stand shoulder to shoulder with our heels aligned and pray together behind His Holiness. The way we simply Pray unites thousands of strangers from all around the world together and that is the best feeling. Praying with others helps to rejuvenate our faith, we support each other in our spiritual journey because everyone’s spiritual journey is our spiritual journey.

Six years ago, I started my spiritual journey at Jalsa Salana and since then the annual convention continues to serve as the source to keep that spark alive in my journey. Those who pray persistently to find the means to connect to Allah the Almighty are guided by Himself.

References

Malfuzat, Vol. 7, pp. 29-30

The Holy Qur’an, 43:63

Jalsa Salana Germany 2021 Concludes With Faith Inspiring Address