Shahid Mehmood Khan, Missionary, DRC
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) celebrated Eid-ul-Adha on 31 July 2020 with zeal and fervor.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the government of the DRC banned all religious gatherings. So, every Ahmadi home became a mosque and people offered the Eid prayer at home.
In collaboration with Humanity First Germany, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya DRC sacrificed animals on all three days of Eid with individuals also contributing their share on this blessed occasion.
In nine regions of the DRC, a total of 17 cows and bulls and 372 goats were sacrificed. These offerings took place in more than 284 different locations benefitting about 5,984 families and 33,279 people comprising Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
As always, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya DRC distributed food items among the prisoners this year as well. The detail of these activities is as follows:
The prisoners along with the jail staff were served with the delicious food items. As required by the authorities, permission was taken from the provincial director of prisons Mr Bikoko Mwenga Joseph. A well-trained team of Khuddam under the leadership of Fareed Ahmad Bhatti Sahib, prepared food on the evening of 31 July, in the central mission house Bandundu region.
A delegation of the Jamaat took the food items to the prison. The menu contained beef curry, fufu, fruit juice and water. The jail administration happily called the delegation to distribute the food. More than 300 prisoners were served. During the distribution the prisoners kept on expressing their gratitude to Jamaat members.
The jail administration thanked the delegation, especially Mr Bikoko Mwenga Joseph, the provincial director for prisons, who said that the Jamaat distributed the joy among the prisoners every year and remained on the front line whenever there was a question of helping the prisoners. He also wrote a letter of appreciation to thank Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya for its services.
In the Inongo region, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya started a central mission in 2018. Muhammad Zaki Khan Sahib was appointed as a central Missionary. On Eid-ul-Adha 2020, the prisoners in the central jail and military camp were served. As the law requires, a formal permission was taken before the jail visit. All the necessary items were bought on 1 August, and a team of Khuddam arrived at the mission house. They burned their midnight oil to get the food ready by noon the next day. A menu of beef curry, Shikwang, fruit juice and water was served.
The delegation which distributed food consisted of Muhammad Zaki Khan Sahib, Central Missionary Inongo region, Qaid Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Inongo, Nazim-e-Aala Majlis Ansarullah Inongo and some local Khuddam. The director of the jail gathered all the prisoners in an auditorium and a brief ceremony about the introduction of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya took place. Verses of Surah al-Dahr were recited and the French translation was presented.
After this, Muhammad Zaki Khan Sahib spoke briefly about the introduction of the Jamaat. As the ceremony concluded, jail authorities welcomed the delegation to distribute food. About 120 prisoners, guards and staff members were served.
A prisoner, Mr Mbo Endelele said that it was an unprecedented event in the jail’s history that a religious organisation distributed such delicious food and also in sufficient quantity.
Another captive, Mr Djongolis Alias Adjedje said that may God protect Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya; they were never served such a delicious food before. The director of the prison also thanked the delegation for their services.
In the Kikwit region, a central mission was opened in 2018 and Ata ul Qayyum Sahib was appointed as the central missionary. Last year, the prisoners in the central jail were also served on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha. This year, however, the distribution took place at a larger scale owing to the efforts of Humanity First Germany. Here also, formal permission was taken before the ceremony of food distribution. Beef Curry and boiled rice were served to the prisoners. The delegation of the Jamaat comprised of Ata ul Qayyum Sahib, central missionary, Haruna Kongolo Sahib, local missionary, Idris Mupati Sahib, president of Kibengi Jamaat and some Khuddam. About 350 prisoners were served and with the permission of jail authorities, a brochure about Jamaat’s introduction was also distributed among them.
On 3 August 2020, a delegation of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Mbanza-Ngungu region visited the central jail Mbanzangungu. Maulana Rizwan Ahmad Majoka Sahib, central missionary, led the delegation and distributed food items among 400 prisoners.
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kananga region of the DRC, also contributed to the activities of Eid-ul-Adha. The Jamaat delegation led by Ramiz Ahmad Mahmood Sahib, central missionary, distributed food items in 3 prisons, situated in the region.
In Matadi region of the DRC Jamaat, there is a small town named KinzaoMvuete. The central missionary of Matadi region, Farhad Ahmad Kahlon Sahib, along with the local muallim, Abu Bakr Niyyat Sahib visited the Kinzao-Mvuete Jail on Eid-ul-Adha and distributed food items among 50 prisoners and the jail staff.
In the Kananga region, an orphanage and an old age home were also visited by the Jamaat delegation, led by Ramiz Ahmad Sahib. Food was served to 126 persons on the whole.
In the Kinshasa region, a Jamaat delegation led by the local muallim, Moosa Lele Sahib, visited an orphanage and distributed Eid Gifts among the orphans.
This year saw unprecedented media coverage of the Jamaat’s activities on Eid-ul-Adha. Many renowned newspapers of the country published news items about the Jamaat’s efforts, including Congolese Press Agency (ACP), Le Potential, Africa News, Le Courrier de Kinshasa and Forum des As.
Electronic media mainly comprising of the regional radio stations, also broadcast reports about the Jamaat’s activities. These radios included, FM Sadm, Congo 24, Rtvs1 (their TV channel also showed a news item), Radio Liberte and Radio Okapi.
Radio Okapi is a United Nations run radio. For the first time in the Jamaat’s history, this radio station published an article about the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya DRC on their website and social media app.
Apart from the above, many local websites also shared news items about the humanitarian services rendered in the DRC by the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya and Humanity First.
A few excerpts from the media sources are as follows:
Le Potential wrote in the issue of 3 August 2020:
“The members of Ahmadiyya Community sacrificed a lot of animals in the Bandundu region. The distribution of meat was not limited to the Muslims alone, but according to the principles of the Holy Quran, it was distributed to the poor and needy without discrimination of race, colour or religion, only to acquire Allah’s pleasure. Moreover, the Jamaat also distributed the meat in the distant villages of the Pygmies. In the province, more than 6,000 people benefitted from the services of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in collaboration with Humanity First.”
ADIAC Congo wrote under the heading of “Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Humanitarian Services in Bandundu” on their website:
“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community celebrated Eid by distributing food items among the poor and the needy. All this is the manifestation of the teachings of the founder of Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who taught us to take care of the poor and the needy.”
Congo Profond published an article on website which states:
“This year, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community celebrated Eid with the needy. In Kananga, about 60 orphans and more than 200 prisoners were served food on this occasion.”
Radio Okapi published an article on 3 August 2020, which states:
“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Inongo distributed food items among the prisoners at the occasion of Eid.”
Africa News wrote in the edition of 9 August 2020:
“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who believes in the Promised Messiah, celebrated Eid-ul-Adha in Kinshasa with 1,800 people. The Ahmadiyya Community in Kinshasa sacrificed 30 goats and six cows on this occasion and distributed their meat among the people … All these celebrations were made possible by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in collaboration with Humanity First Germany.”
May Allah the Almighty accept these humble efforts and make them a source of propagation of the message of the true Islam, Ahmadiyyat. Amin