For a Jamaat constantly climbing the ladder of success and prosperity, the calendar is jam-packed. An event goes by and the enthusiasts of the Jamaat are seen geared up, preparing for the next event. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, undoubtedly, has had such a calendar all along and it has only gone from busy to busier.
With Eid only just gone by, Jamaat Ahmadiyya UK is geared up for Jalsa Salana 2018 which, Insha-Allah, is to be held on 3, 4 and 5 August. With Hazrat Khalifatul Masih based in London, the Jalsa Salana of UK has been the Markazi (central) Jalsa since 1984.
Making its humble beginnings from the Fazl Mosque, having moved to Mahmood Hall and its surrounding space, Jalsa Salana UK continued to make progress year by year. But in 1984, when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh migrated from Pakistan and settled in London along with his office and all major Markazi operations of the Jamaat, the Jalsa Salana UK entered a whole new phase of success and prosperity.
The first Jalsa after the arrival of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh in London was held in the hall of a leisure centre in Tolworth, London. Soon after, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh – foreseeing the rapid growth of this blessed institution – instructed the Jamaat in UK to purchase its own plot of land where marquees could temporarily be erected to house the Jalsa. A piece of land was soon found in Tilford, Surrey and, with the approval of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh, purchased as the Jalsa Gah. It was named “Islamabad”.
Having catered for the rapidly growing community for 21 years, the grounds of Islamabad in Tilford, that once seemed to exceed the requirements back in 1984, started to shrink; inversely proportional to the size of the marquees that grew larger and larger every year. Upon the instruction of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa, the UK Jamaat had to go out in pursuit of a larger plot of land to suit the needs of the expanding operations of Jalsa Salana. Oakland Farm – a lush green meadow in the heart of Surrey – was purchased as the Jalsa Gah. Hadiqatul Mahdi – as we know it today – is the name given to this blessed land by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa.
Aerial View of Hadiqatul Mahdi
It is in Hadiqatul Mahdi that marquees will soon begin to appear, one after the other, one bigger than the other, making up the “tent city”, as Huzooraa very fondly refers to it, to host the Jalsa Salana and the guests of the Promised Messiahas who will soon begin to flock in.
It should not be mistaken that the Jalsa preparation work is going to begin now. The preparation for the next Jalsa pretty much starts at the end of one. A list of office bearers is approved by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih around six months prior to Jalsa; this officially marks the start of Jalsa Salana UK groundwork.
This might sound a bit too brief, so we should inform our readers that we will Insha-Allah be bringing to you an Al Hakam Jalsa Salana Special on the blessed occasion of the annual Jalsa UK where more details about Jalsa Salana will be presented. In the meantime, we will try to keep you posted about the progress in Jalsa UK preparations.