Tahir Ahmad Machengo, Kenya Correspondent
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kenya held its 55th Jalsa Salana at the Jamaat headquarters in Nairobi from 10 to 11 December 2022. The theme for this year’s Jalsa was “Service to Religion is a Blessing from God.”
After the flag hoisting by Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kenya, Tariq Mahmood Zafar Sahib, the Jalsa Salana commenced at 10am with the recitation from the Holy Quran and a poem. The highlight of the Jalsa was the faith-inspiring message from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. The following message was read to members by Amir Jamaat Kenya.
“Dear members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Kenya,
“Assalaam aleikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
“I am very pleased that you are holding your Annual Jalsa Salana on 10th and 11th December 2022. It is my prayer, may Allah bless your Jalsa with great success and may all of you receive countless spiritual benefits and gain innumerable blessings by participating in this unique and special holy gathering.
“Every Ahmadi Muslim knows that our Jalsa Salana, in whichever country it is held – and for which you have gathered once again in Kenya – is not a place for materialistic gains or recreation. Rather, our aim is to partake of its spiritual atmosphere and to strive for the sake of our moral reformation. We should endeavour to learn much more about the wonderful religion we believe in – that is, Islam – and try to appreciate the finer points of our faith, and seek to act upon its beautiful teachings by fulfilling not only the rights of Allah but also the rights of mankind. The Promised Messiahas has said:
“‘The key purpose of this convention is to enable every sincere individual, to personally experience religious benefit, to broaden their knowledge and to deepen their understanding of Allah the Almighty, by the grace and opportunity given by Him. Apart from this, the other benefits are to have an escalation of acquaintanceship among all brothers and this will strengthen the loving relationship within the community….’ (Ishtihar 27 December 1892, Majmua-e-Ishtiharat, Volume 1, Page 360, Edition 2019)
“So, you should listen carefully to the speeches of various scholars of the Jama’at. Remember that the speakers put in a lot of hard work in preparing their discourses – so it is important to listen to them attentively. It is Allah’s sheer Grace upon us that our scholars do research and base their presentations not only on the word of Allah which is the Holy Qur’an, and the Hadith and Sunna of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, but also on the enlightened expositions of the Promised Messiahas, and convey that wisdom and knowledge to us.
“Therefore, your sole reason for attending the Jalsa should be for the purpose of becoming better Ahmadi Muslims, bringing about an extraordinary spiritual change within yourselves and striving to form a personal relationship with Allah Almighty, our Creator. In this regard, the Promised Messiahas has stated:
“‘The very purpose for which God Almighty has established this community is for the true comprehension of God, which has vanished from this world and for true righteousness and purity, which is no longer found in this day and age, to be established once again.’ (Malfuzat, Vol. 7, pp. 277-278)
“You must also try to fully realise the importance of the divine institution of Khilafat-e Ahmadiyya which is the source of countless blessings. You should form a deep and personal bond with Khalifatul Masih and always remain loyal. Keep in mind that the solution to the problems of the world and indeed, the attainment of international peace can only be achieved by adhering to the system of Khilafat. In this regard, I advise every Ahmadi to watch MTA often and benefit from it. In particular, you should listen regularly to my Friday sermons and addresses on other events and occasions. Remember, MTA is certainly an ideal platform that links all Ahmadis directly with Khilafat.
“Preaching is essential for every Ahmadi Muslim so you should remain active in your Tabligh efforts and be always exploring new ways and means of conveying the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat to the people not only of Kenya, or the African continent, but indeed the whole world.
“May Allah enable the participants of your Jalsa Salana to fulfil its aims and objectives, and may He enable you to achieve a genuine transformation in your lives towards more piety, good behaviour and the dedicated service of Islam and humanity. May Allah enable you all.”
Four speeches were delivered on the first day. Sheikh Abdallah Hussein Juma Sahib spoke on “Blessings of Khilafat”, and enumerated some of the blessings attained by Jamaat during the period of Khilafat, how Allah the Almighty blessed the institution and made sure that Jamaat – despite challenges from the enemies and adversaries – was able to pass through by the sheer mercy of Allah.
After some announcements, the members offered Zuhr and Asr prayers.
The second speech was delivered by Sheikh Yusuf Obatt Sahib, on “The Holy Prophetsa is the Best Example for the Whole of Mankind”. He elucidated incidences of the blessed character during the life of Holy Prophetsa.
The third speech was about the advent of the Promised Messiahas, by Sheikh Basharat Malik Sahib.
The last speech of the first day was delivered on “The Best Ways to Use Social Media”, by Sheikh Muhammad Adnan Hashmi Sahib.
After Maghrib and Isha prayers and dinner, members converged in the Jalsa Gah for a question and answer session. In this session, answers were given to questions asked by members on different topics. It was an interactive session that proved to be fruitful. This marked the end of the first day.
The second day started off with Tahajjud, Fajr and dars-e-hadith. Five speeches were delivered in two different sessions.
The first speech was on “Nizam-e-Jamaat”, by Sheikh Nasir Mehmood Tahir Sahib.
The second speech was about the blessings of financial sacrifices, delivered by my humble self, Secretary Ishaat Jamaat Kenya.
The third speech was on “The Truth of the Promised Messiahas”, by Sheikh Sadam Rajab Sahib.
The fourth speech was presented by Sheikh Faheem Ahmad Lakhan Sahib on “The Holy Prophetsa: the Best Example”.
Another speech was delivered by Sheikh Muhammad Afzal Zafar Sahib on “Service to Religion is a Blessing from God”.
Thereafter, Amir and missionary-in-charge Jamaat Kenya, Tariq Mahmood Zafar Sahib gave the concluding address. He urged the members who were in attendance to step up and do what is required of them as Ahmadis. He said that we should sacrifice not only in terms of wealth, but also in terms of time to come and help the Jamaat of the Promised Messiahas.
Alhamdulillah, for the first time, this year’s Jalsa was live streamed via Jamaat Kenya’s official YouTube channel and members who, for various reasons, could not come to Jalsa were able to virtually follow the proceedings.