Bushra Huma Bhatti, Hounslow North, UK
Jalsa Salana, the annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, serves as a spiritual experience for Ahmadi Muslims and a chance to enhance their sense of belonging to the Creator and among the members of the Jamaat. However, Ahmadis are not the only ones who can benefit from this pious occasion; our guests can also witness such faith-inspiring incidents.
On the last day of the Jalsa, as soon as I entered the Jalsa site and passed through the scanning marquee, a lady, who at first seemed to be a guest, approached me and asked where she could find the information tent. I tried my best to guide her, but she seemed confused and went on to mention that she was alone and needed a lift home after Jalsa. I informed her that I am from London and have space both in my heart and car, to which she had tears in her eyes and hugged me, saying, “I have seen so many miracles in this Jalsa, and here is another one.” I then came to know that the lady was a new convert from Uzbekistan. Later, she shared with me that during this Jalsa she had wholeheartedly felt the truth of the Promised Messiahas and his Jamaat. Emotionally, she shared, “I feel as if I am in the era of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.”
We set out on our journey back to London after the final session and du‘a. The parking volunteers kindly guided everyone. As we left Hadeeqatul Mehdi, my car’s engine suddenly stopped, forcing me to halt using hazard lights. In that moment of concern, my main worry was for the guest who accompanied me. However, within minutes, a couple of cars pulled over to lend a helping hand.
I tried once again by reciting bismillah to start my car’s engine, and it started working by the Grace of Allah. As we set off, the lady asked who these young men were who came to help us, and I told her that we only knew them as members of the Jamaat. Upon this, she was in tears again and said that she had lived her life amongst other Muslims and unfortunately had not observed such good behaviour of Muslim men towards women. She realised that this was the one aspect she did not notice as she was on the ladies’ side during the Jalsa.
With this little incident, she had a first-hand observation of how not one but many people, who saw that a car with ladies had faced some problems, came immediately to help. All praise belongs to God Almighty, who made us a part of someone’s faith-inspiring and uplifting experience. The whole journey home included a discussion on various topics, including the array of difficult events she faced leading up to Jalsa. When she left, we had been united by the strong bond of sisterhood.
