By the grace of Allah, Jalsa Salana Qadian 2018 has commenced today and the Friday Sermon recently delivered by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa marks the official inauguration of the three day event. It was in Qadian that under divine inspiration, the Promised Messiahas first called members of the Jamaats, from all over the Indian Subcontinent, to convene in Qadian for a gathering that he named “Jalsa Salana”. Although only around seventy-five members could manage to attend, but who could have known that this handful of people would act as pioneers of an institution that was to spread, along with the message of Ahmadiyyat, to the corners of the Earth? The following Jalsas saw the number of attendees soar from this two-digit figure into four-digits, then five and then there came a time – when the Markaz had moved from Qadian to Rabwah – that the small town of Rabwah hosted an attendance that had soared to six figures.
As a tradition, Qadian is decorated during the days preceding Jalsa Salana. The same has been the case this year where colourful lights are seen hanging from the walls and rooftops of buildings. The Minartul Masih is lit up so beautifully that it serves as a feast for every eye that looks towards it.
Thousands of members of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat have flocked from various parts of the world to attend the blessed event. Jalsa Qadian is extensively reported in the press and media every year, which means a considerable presence of media-men in the town.
The three days will be traditionally filled with day-long schedules that kick off with the Tahajud prayer in the latter part of the night, followed by the pre-dawn Fajr prayer. The sunrise witnesses these thousands of attendees walking to Bahishti Maqbara to visit the last resting place of the Promised Messiahas, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, many companions of the Promised Messiah and a great number of revered personalities of the Jamaat. While breakfast is served under Jamaat’s arrangement, cafes, bakeries and restaurants are seen full of those willing to have something of their own choice. The rest of the day has in store a morning session and an afternoon session, punctuated by Salat, lunch and dinner.
All Jalsa sessions are packed with informative, faith-inspiring and motivational speeches, the topics ranging from the teachings of Islam, modern day challenges, biographical descriptions of the Holy Prophetsa of Islam and of the Promised Messiahas. Each session starts with the recitation of the Holy Quran while poetic verses of the Promised Messiahas and his Khulafa are recited in melodious tunes at the start and even between speeches.
The highlight of Jalsa Salana Qadian is the concluding session where Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa delivers his concluding address from London, relayed not only to Qadian but to all parts of the world. This address of Huzoor formally concludes Jalsa Salana Qadian. This concluding address of Huzoor enables all Ahmadis around the world to virtually be part of this blessed assembly. Millions of Ahmadis join their beloved Imam in the concluding prayer live via MTA. The seventy-five pairs of hands raised for supplication in 1891 have multiplied manifold into millions, raising before Allah the Almighty not only from the blessed hamlet of Qadian, but all over the world.
Huzoor’s concluding address to Jalsa Salana Qadian this year will be broadcast live on MTA on Sunday, 30 December 2018 at 10:30 GMT.