Ibrahim Ikhlaf, National Secretary Tabligh, Jamaat UK
The National Tabligh Conference UK was held on 8 February 2020. The attendance was 268 and this comprised of Presidents, local tabligh secretaries, Da‘ian ilallah, members of the local tabligh committees and Khuddam.
The purpose of the National Tabligh Conference was to bring together all those engaged in tabligh and train, motivate and enthuse them to take tabligh to new, higher levels. All attendees were given a copy of the National Tabligh Plan. The conference covered a wide variety of tabligh matters including the National Tabligh Plan, how to use the media [in the field of tabligh] to engage the public and how to respond to allegations.
One of the new features of the National Tabligh Conference was the use of the Slido app. Through this we were able to engage with the audience and obtain live feedback on a variety of matters. One of the questions the audience was asked was whether they found the Conference productive. 94 percent responded by stating that they found the National Tabligh Conference to be beneficial.
The day commenced in the morning with the opening welcome session, which was chaired by Muhammad Ibrahim Ikhlaf Sahib, the National Secretary Tabligh UK. The recitation and English translation of the Holy Quran was carried out by Regional Missionary, Tahir Khalid Sahib. After this, Ibrahim Ikhlaf Sahib addressed the gathering and spoke about the persecution faced by the Holy Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and how he endured great suffering. Nonetheless, he did not waiver in his faith and continued to convey the message of Islam. He said that we should convey the message of Islam Ahmadiyya, even if we face persecution and we should never suffer from an inferiority complex.
After this, Muhammad Sharif Odeh Sahib, Amir Kababir addressed the conference in Arabic (a translation was also provided). Naseem Bajwa Sahib, Regional Missionary, spoke and gave his advice to the attendees.
During the opening session, the following presentations were delivered:
1.Tabligh plan by Nadim Vanderman
2.Leafleting campaign by Mia Abdul Wahab
3.Local strategies for Jamaats by Daniyal Zia
4.National campaigns by Muzaffar Shah
The session concluded with a question and answer session.
After Zuhr and Asr prayers and lunch, the conference re-commenced with a session on “Engaging the Public” [in the field of tabligh]. This session was chaired by Usman Ahmad Sahib. As part of this session, Bilal Atkinson Sahib spoke about how he accepted Islam and the inspirational role played by Dr Hameedullah Khan and his family in introducing Islam to many English people. The following presentations were delivered during this session:
1.“How to engage the public” [in the field of tabligh] by Usman Khan from Markaz Press & Media
2.“The use of social media” [in the field of tabligh] by Umar Nasser (instead of Tahir Nasser who had to leave the Conference as a result of an emergency), Raja Ataul Mannan and Muhammad Ouiss Soudi.
3.“Case Study: The True Islam course” by Zafar Bhatti
The next session was on allegations in which Abdul Quddus Arif Sahib, Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK addressed the audience and said that in other parts of the world we are denied the rights to carry out tabligh. However, in the West, we have these freedoms and so we should not be afraid to carry out tabligh and we should always be active in it.
The presentations given during this session were:
1.“Resources available to Jamaat members” by Umar Nasser Sahib – During this talk, Umar Nasser Sahib showed the wealth of information on the True Islam website regarding allegations and how to respond to them.
2.“Practical strategies to tackle allegations” by Abdul Rauf Lodhi Sahib, Mohtamim Tabligh, Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya and Mudabbir Din Sahib.
The panel answering the questions were Muhammad Ibrahim Ikhlaf Sahib, Naseem Ahmad Bajwa Sahib, Raza Ahmad Sahib, Usman Ahmad Sahib and Tahir Nasser Sahib. In addition to questions asked from the microphone, the attendees had sent questions using the Slido app and these questions were also responded to.
Mansoor Shah Sahib, Naib Amir UK and Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib, Naib Amir and Missionary in charge UK arrived in Tahir Hall towards the end of the question and session and they also participated in responding to questions.
The closing session was chaired by respected Mansoor Shah Sahib, Naib Amir UK. After the recitation and English translation of the Holy Quran by Naseem Bajwa Sahib, a report of the National Tabligh Conference was delivered by Usman Ahmad Sahib, the Naib Secretary Tabligh UK.
After this, the Missionary in charge addressed the gathering and gave advise to the audience on the importance of tabligh and how to carry it out. He spoke about the responsibilities of office holders and said that prayer was our most important weapon. Mansoor Shah Sahib, the Naib Amir UK gave the concluding address.
The conference was brought to a close with a silent prayer. Dinner was served to all attendees.