As is now a tradition, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa delivered a Friday Sermon on 10 August 2018 highlighting the proceedings and accounts of those visiting Jalsa Salana along with reflections upon the overall organisation.
After the sermon, before departing from Baitul Futuh Mosque, Huzooraa instructed Mohammed Nasser Khan Sahib (Officer Jalsa Salana) to hold a dinner for the volunteers.
After Huzoor’saa instructions, a committee was formed and plans were drawn out for this purpose which, along with the dinner menu, were presented to Huzooraa for approval with the proposed date of the dinner being 27 August 2018. Huzooraa graciously approved the plans after which letters of invitation were prepared. The invitees comprised of Officers, Naib Officers, Nazimeen, Naib Nazimeen and Muavineen, on both the men’s and women’s side. Moreover, the heads of central departments, along with staff, were also invited.
It was estimated that 5,500 volunteers would attend the dinner which was to be held at Baitul Futuh. Due to the limited space, two marquees erected in the car park of the Mosque were utilised along with Tahir Hall. Arrangements for men were made in one full marquee and half of the adjacent marquee. For Lajna, the entire Tahir Hall was set up with both seating and standing areas along with half a marquee with food also being served outside the marquee in buffets.
It was the instruction of Huzooraa that the same menu being served to the volunteers must also be served at the head table. The menu approved by Huzooraa comprised of chicken korma, dal and firni. As a contingency, mutton korma was also prepared which had to be utilised due to the large number of people present. In total, 50 pots of chicken korma, 10 pots of dal, 5,500 small containers of firni and 20,000 rotis were prepared for the dinner along with 4 mutton korma pots.
The dinner began with the arrival of Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa at approximately 7:40pm and ended with silent prayer at 8:20pm. Huzooraa then visited all the locations where volunteers, both men and women, were having dinner, namely the Tahir Hall and the two marquees and personally asked those present whether they had been served food.
After Maghrib prayer, upon the instructions of Huzooraa, an announcement was made in Urdu and English that those volunteers who had reached the dinner late and could not have food prior to Namaz would be served dinner immediately after the prayers and that there was to be no one who should leave without having had dinner.
According to the traditions of Jalsa, on this dinner, the Nazimeen and Naib Nazimeen served the food whilst the Muavineen were seated, a practice which was also carried out in the Lajna side.