Mudassir Ahmed, Missionary, Madagascar
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Madagascar held its 16th Jalsa Salana in the capital city, Antananarivo on 23 and 24 September 2022.
A letter for prayers was written to Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa and then a Jalsa committee was formed and the regional missionaries, along with the local mu‘allimeen began educating Jamaat members on the importance of Jalsa Salana.
The programmes for the Jalsa were prepared in Malagasy as well as in the Urdu. In total, ten speeches were delivered in Malagasy and Urdu.
The Noor Mosque and the Jalsa site were decorated with different banners. Government officials, representatives of the print and electronic media, and some tabligh contacts were sent invitations to attend the Jalsa.
The Jalsa proceedings were held in both the men’s and women’s Jalsa Gah separately. The accommodation for the guests was arranged at the Ahmadiyya College. Some of the Jalsa guests had travelled around 1,050 km to attend this blessed gathering.
The first day of Jalsa Salana Madagascar commenced with the Tahajjud prayer, followed by Fajr prayer and Dars-ul-Quran in the Malagasy language.
In the afternoon, the flag-hoisting ceremony was held, which was followed by silent prayer. Some Arabic and Urdu poems were presented by Atfal, Khuddam, Ansar and Lajna separately.
Thereafter, all the participants proceeded to the Jumuah and Asr prayers, which were followed by lunch. The attendees listened to the Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa live and its Malagasy translation was also available.
The third session of the Jalsa commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran with Malagasy and Urdu translations, followed by two Urdu poems with their Malagasy translations.
This was followed by two speeches and two Urdu poems. After this, Maghrib and Isha prayers were offered, followed by dinner.
The second day of Jalsa Salana Madagascar commenced with the Tahajjud prayer, followed by Fajr prayer and Dars-ul-Quran in the Malagasy language.
In the morning, the fourth session commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran with Malagasy and Urdu translations. This was followed by five poems and three speeches. The fifth session started later in which some government officials, representatives of the electronic and print media and some tabligh contacts were invited. The Vice-Commissioner of the Anti-Terrorism Department, the Commissioner of the Airport Police, the President of the local municipality and some officials of the Education Department were among the guests.
The session commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, an Urdu poem and Arabic Qaseedah, followed by two speeches. Then, the principal of the Ahmadiyya College presented the annual report of the college, mentioning how it was endeavouring to impart knowledge and discipline to the deprived fractions of society and how the Jamaat is helping them.
Thereafter, the esteemed guests spoke to the gathering and expressed how they were influenced by learning the true peaceful Islamic teachings, which are full of good morals, fraternity, peace and cooperation. They expressed that they had found true Islam and Christianity to be close, and they thanked the Jamaat for inviting them.
Then, the national president and missionary-in-charge presented the annual report of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Madagascar.
After lunch, a press conference was held, at which two TV channels, five radio stations and seven newspapers were present. They asked about the peaceful Islamic teachings, how the Jamaat was helping its fellow citizens, the objectives of the Jalsa Salana, and how the Ahmadiyya College was working and serving the population.
The Jalsa Salana was attended by around 650 members and 27 guests. The Jalsa proceedings were covered by two TV channels, five radio stations and seven newspapers, and the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat reached an estimated 9 million people.