Sadr Lajna Imaillah, UK
Jalsa Salana UK now has an importance of its own. As our beloved Imam resides here, the Jalsa is a markazi or international Jalsa in many respects. One aspect that makes this Jalsa special is the direct guidance by Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masihaa which is the key to making this Jalsa successful.
Jalsa preparations on the Lajna side start many months in advance. The main structure of nizamats (departments) was constructed about ten months before Jalsa, after which work on the list of requirements and the Jalsa-site map began, followed by compilation of duty lists. On the Lajna side, there were almost 4000 duty holders.
Many meetings were held prior to Jalsa, sometimes with key workers and at other times with heads of departments. The main focus of these meetings was to provide ease and comfort for our guests at all times, for example we purchased 15 folding beds for guests not able to sleep on the floor. 400 new beddings were donated by Lajna from all four regions in London for Jalsa guests who resided in Baitul Futuh, Morden.
Lajna Imaillah UK is extremely blessed that Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa mentioned the guidance given to them on Jalsa inspection which was to keep smiling and praying and to only rely on prayers. Alhamdolillah – all praise be to Allah – special attention was paid to ensure that the majority of our workers offered their prayers in congregation behind Huzooraa.
The weather was hot and it brought additional challenges. Marquees were air conditioned under Huzoor’s guidance which helped immensely, but because the weather was very hot, the system sometimes did not cope well. Workers performed their duties in this heat with passion and dedication, cleaning toilets and the site, giving security duties, driving buggies and serving food to guests. The most amazing sight to watch was that of Nasirat who were constantly giving out water which was in great demand in this heat. The tea stall also made cold drinks such as Rooh Afza (concentrated squash drink) and lemonade to be served to guests in this heat for free. Ladies also ran the Lajna food bazaar which is very popular among guests. Frying pakoras in the searing heat was not easy but it did not deter the organisers at the bazaar.
Lajna press and media team was exceptionally busy this year as many journalists wanted to interview the ladies and were interested to know how we run the Lajna side.
Many guests commented on the smiling faces and good manners of duty holders which was of course a direct result of the guidance given by Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa.
As Jalsa came to a conclusion, workers started to focus on winding up in Hadiqatul Mahdi. For Lajna, this mainly involved leaving the site clean and packing all the things required for next year. The focus of Jalsa then shifted to Fazl Mosque where all the guests continued to gather to offer prayers behind Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa and the teams on duty in Fazl Mosque continued to serve them.
May Allah bless all the workers and the guests alike and may Allah enable us to bring the spiritual revolution within ourselves as is the purpose of this Jalsa. Amin.