Voice of British Muslim Women

Rabah Nasir, Worcester Park

The 1928 Equal Franchise Act finally allowed women in the UK the same voting right as men, after a long hard fight and sacrifice of the Suffragettes. By then Lajna Ima’illah, the Ahmadiyya Muslim women’s auxiliary organisation was already 6 years old, at the cost of no blood and sweat of the female members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. In fact, it was a gift from His Holiness Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him), our second Caliph or Khalifa, to every mother and daughter of the Community. A safety blanket, a sense of belonging, an empowerment, and a place to be seen. 100 years later it is still exactly that.

Now that it is the largest Muslim women’s group, it is more important than ever to remember and constantly remind ourselves of the true intention and reason behind its formation. Understand our efforts needed for the Community, as His Holiness Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) had pointed out. Know our values and ability and use them for the betterment of the Community and the world, as we have been doing for the past century, by the Grace of Allah.

I think the proudest moment for me being a part of this auxiliary is Jalsa Salana UK, our annual convention. Every year, walking through Hadeeqatul Mahdi in Hampshire countryside where our Jalsa is held, from security to discipline to serving food to MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya), I stare and smile in admiration, at how every single thing on this half of the Jalsa, is run by women. From different walks of life, for those three blessed days, every Lajna member works together to fabricate a perfect Jalsa for the guests of the Promised Messiah (peace be on him), the founder of our Community. It does not matter what profession or field in the outside world you occupy, on that holy ground, you’ll find a housewife, a doctor, and a teacher all working collectively, with equal respect for each other. This was one of the reasons and founding principles of Lajna Ima’illah: regardless of social standing, to consider all women as sisters.

I feel pride in seeing Lajna come together from a diverse set of fields and use their expertise to better and help others. This directly mirrors the first of seventeen objectives that His Holiness Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) laid out for Lajna ‘Women should strive together to enhance their knowledge and spread the knowledge they have attained to others’. I see the fulfilment of this in two organisations working within Lajna, such as AMRA and AMWSA, which not help the community at large, but make sure to spread the knowledge and make others aware. Beyond these large organisations, helping your fellow Lajna often can be on just a one-to-one level. Personally, I can name many sisters of our Community, who have helped me during my difficult times, offering me valuable advice. Even though I have never met or seen them, they do this due to the invisible thread that ties all Lajna, which His Holiness Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) so kindly sewed for us.

And that sisterhood and the importance of uplifting each other, standstill in its centurion year. When asked upon how to commemorate this joyous occasion, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, our current Khalifa and worldwide spiritual head (may Allah be his Helper) stated “the most important way to honour and mark 100 years of Lajna Ima’illah is to ascertain the true standards of faith of your member”.

Now that I think about it, being Lajna and having this institution, which completely caters to me and my issues, is such an unspoken and underrated blessing. Maybe because it has always been there, its appreciation can lack at times. Upon reflection, I now am only starting to comprehend its value and significance in my life. From humble beginnings of only 34 members, to now, by the Grace of Allah, over 10,000 members in the UK only. Truly there is no other organisation as such, and eternally blessed are we to be a part of it. The past 100 years have seen triumph after triumph, after the hard work put in by our elders. Now the next 100 years depend on us, to be able to carry on with the successes of this auxiliary on our shoulders, with the same pride and strength in faith on which the initial brick of this institution was laid, by the blessed hands of His Holiness Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him). May Allah give us the opportunity and ability to paint a small stroke of blessing on this giant canvas that is Lajna Ima’illah.