Tahir Ahmad Machengo, Kenya Correspondent
Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya and Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya Kenya held their annual ijtemas on 25 – 27 August 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. The theme for this year’s ijtema was “The Power of Durood Sharif”.
On the first day, the department of Khidmat-e Khalq organised a blood donation drive, and all members openly donated blood to assist those in need of it. After the Jumuah and Asr prayers, all members gathered in the mosque to watch the live Friday Sermon of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa on MTA. This was followed by a flag hoisting ceremony led by Amir and missionary-in-charge Kenya, Tariq Mahmood Zafar Sahib, after which he led a silent prayer. After this, all khuddam and atfal proceeded to the Ahmadiyya Hall for the opening session, which was chaired by Shabir Ombango Sahib, Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Kenya.
The session began with the recitation from the Holy Quran with its Swahili translation, an Urdu poem, and the Khuddamul Ahmadiyya pledge. An address was delivered by Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Kenya, who welcomed all members, praised Allah for the opportunity to hold an ijtema, and also thanked ijtema workers for their efforts to make it a success. He reminded everyone about the real purpose of ijtema, which is the tarbiyat of the members. He said every attendee should pledge to keenly listen to the speeches and also participate in the competitions, both academic and sports.
After concluding his address, Sadr Sahib led everyone in silent prayer to officially start the ijtema. Afterwards, two speeches were delivered, the first by Nasir Hadji Sahib about social vices and their impact on the youth in Swahili. The second speech was about the power of durood sharif by Sheikh Saddam Ombango Sahib. The first session having been concluded, all atfal returned to the mosque for their ijtema. On the other hand, khuddam remained in the Ahmadiyya Hall for the first part of the academic competitions. After Maghrib and Isha prayers and lunch, both khuddam and atfal proceeded to the Ahmadiyya Hall for a session on social vices and their impact on youth.
The second day began with the tahajjud and Fajr prayers, followed by dars of the Holy Quran. After breakfast, members proceeded to the NTTI field for the sports competitions.
There was also an interactive question-and-answer session with mu‘allimeen.
The third day also began with the tahajjud and Fajr prayers, followed by dars of the Holy Quran. After breakfast, academic competitions took place.
Having done with both sports and academic competitions, all khuddam and atfal gathered in the Ahmadiyya Hall for the closing ceremony of the ijtema. The session was chaired by Amir and missionary-in-charge, Tariq Mahmood Zafar Sahib. The session began with the recitation from the Holy Quran with its Swahili translation, followed by the Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya pledge, an Urdu poem, and the annual report. Two speeches followed afterwards, on the importance of watching MTA and the financial sacrifices made by the companions of the Holy Prophetsa. This was followed up with an awards distribution ceremony. Amir Sahib concluded the ijtema with his remarks and led everyone in silent prayer.
A total of 175 khuddam and 49 atfal attended, with all 12 regions represented.
