The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Germany held its first Jalsa Salana on 28 December 1975 at the Fazl-e-Umar Mosque in Hamburg. The editorial board of Akhbar-e-Ahmadiyya Germany reached out to some attendees of this historic event to reminisce about this memorable Jalsa, which marked the beginning of the large-scale annual conventions we have today. This was a time when the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Pakistan was facing persecution and being declared “not Muslim” for political reasons. Amidst this climate of oppression, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Germany initiated its Jalsa Salana with modest arrangements. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, this event flourished over time. Today, it attracts massive crowds, filling the large halls of Germany. The attendance has grown from 70 to over 45,000, and the budget from a few Deutsche Marks to millions of Euros. Alhamdulillah!
To gather insights into this historic event, Irfan Ahmad Khan Sahib interviewed Maulana Haider Ali Zafar Sahib (missionary), the first chief organiser of Jalsa Salana Germany.
Question: The first Jalsa Salana in Germany was held in Hamburg in 1975, where you served as a missionary. How did the idea of holding this Jalsa come about?
Answer: “I arrived in Germany in 1974 and was stationed in Hamburg. That same year, the Pakistani National Assembly made the foolish decision to declare Ahmadis as ‘not Muslims.’ This led to an increase in Ahmadis migrating from Pakistan. Initially, people would arrive in Frankfurt. When the local city administration started sending people to Zirndorf, where the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees was located, our friends preferred to settle in Hamburg. Later, those who went to Zirndorf were sent to various other cities in Germany. Maintaining close ties with the Jamaat was an integral part of our lives. There was no division based on which city members resided in. At that time, there were only two missions: one in Hamburg and the other in Frankfurt. In 1977, for the first time as Amir and Missionary In-charge, I made the division that Ahmadi members residing in cities with postal codes from 1000 to 4000 would be under the Hamburg Mission, while those in cities with postal codes from 5000 to 8000 would be under the Frankfurt Mission. Thus, the Ahmadi members residing in Germany came into regular contact with their respective missions. A newsletter was also published to keep in touch with the members, which was published as needed. In addition to this, I used to visit the members and meet them. During this time, I felt the need to bring people together from a training perspective. The main purpose of Jalsa Salana is the spiritual training of the Jamaat. Keeping in mind the purpose for which the Promised Messiahas had initiated Jalsa Salana, it was started at the Hamburg Mission level. We used to visit and motivate the members of the Jamaat in their homes and local chapters, urging them to gather at our mission house to strengthen the bond of mutual love and brotherhood and to listen to the words of Allah and His Messengersa. At that time, it was named Jalsa Salana Hamburg, for which permission was formally sought from Maulana Fazl Elahi Anwari Sahib, the Amir and Missionary-in-Charge. He delivered both the opening and closing addresses at the Jalsa. Rai Qamar Ahmad Sahib had the honour of reciting the Holy Quran in the opening session. It was a one-day event, which included academic competitions and prize distribution in addition to the speeches. In addition to Hamburg, people came from Bassum, Düsseldorf, Bremen, Wesel, Dülmen, Schermbeck, and Dormagen, as far as I can recall. There must have been attendees from other places as well. Mr Svend Hansen and Shaukat Sahib, Danish Ahmadis, had also graced us with their presence from Denmark. The speakers included Adang Suhendar Sahib (Commercial Attaché of Indonesia) and Kaleem Adebayo Sahib (Ghana), who was a student at the University of Hamburg. The aforementioned Danish Ahmadi was our guest speaker.”
Question: The early annual conventions were held in Hamburg. Which of these Jalsas did you have the opportunity to organise? What was the initial administrative structure like?
Answer: An Ahmadi’s connection with Jalsa Salana begins in childhood. Now, thanks to MTA, one can be a part of the Jalsa from anywhere in the world. But previously, even if you couldn’t attend the Jalsa, the mention of Jalsa and its proceedings would somehow reach your ears. In this way, a heartfelt connection with the Jalsa started alongside the journey of life. At the age of eight, I saw my late father, Chaudhry Rustam Ali Sahib, and Chaudhry Abdul Momin Kathgarhi Sahib, travelling from Nasirabad Estate to Rabwah for Jalsa and bringing back oranges and tabarruk upon their return. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, before coming to Germany, I had the opportunity to attend eleven annual conventions. I also served as a volunteer and had the privilege of attending Jalsa Salana Qadian. After arriving here, I would read about Jalsa Salana in magazines from other countries, especially bulletins from the UK. The first Jalsa Salana in Germany took place in 1975. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh visited Germany in 1976, and members gathered on this blessed occasion. Hence, the Jalsa that year was held in January 1977, and the third Jalsa took place in December 1977. I had the privilege of overseeing these three annual conventions. The 1978 Jalsa was also held in Hamburg, but Laeeq Ahmad Munir Sahib was the missionary here at the time. The tradition of inviting a guest of honour to Jalsa Salana began in 1975. For the second Jalsa Salana, Mr Kamal Ahmad Krogh was invited from Denmark, and for the third Jalsa, I invited Noor Ahmad Bolstad Sahib (Norway) as a guest speaker. The regular publication of Akhbar-e-Ahmadiyya also started with the 1977 Jalsa, which published the details of the Jalsa. As far as the administrative structure is concerned, the food department had been functioning since the first Jalsa. However, in line with the Jalsa Salana format, duties were assigned, and a duty chart was prepared in 1976 on the occasion of the arrival of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh. When Huzoorrh inquired about administrative matters, the same chart was presented. In addition to private homes, accommodation was arranged in pensions.”
To have a conversation with some members in Hamburg who attended this first Jalsa Salana, Syed Iftikhar Ahmad Sahib, a member of the editorial board, arrived at Fazl-e-Umar Mosque in Hamburg on 29 June 2024. He had a short meeting with the members and recorded their memories of the Jalsa by speaking to them one by one. During this conversation, the members kept reminding each other of various incidents that happened during the Jalsa, which helped gather a great deal of information. Alhamdulillah!
First of all, Mumtaz Ahmad Butt Sahib said that he came to Germany in November 1975, and the Jalsa was held the very next month. On this occasion, he was assigned the duty of registration and prepared the list of all attendees, which is still preserved in our records. His signature is present at the end of this list. In addition to the approximately 63 members on this list, some other members also attended the Jalsa, which were identified by the attendees present at the meeting, but their names were not recorded for some reason.
Butt Sahib said he was delighted to attend the Jalsa and that even this small number of attendees seemed like a large gathering because such a large gathering had never taken place here before. No one could have imagined that this Jalsa would one day become so grand that thousands of people would gather.
Khwaja Hameed Ahmad Sahib said that he did not remember anything about this Jalsa, except that the food was brought in Khurshid Ahmad Sahib’s Ente car, which he was driving himself.
Khwaja Abdul Jaleel Butt Sahib said that he came to Germany in November 1974. The following year, on 28 December 1975, when the Jalsa took place, it snowed heavily. The guest of honour was Mr Svend Hansen from Denmark. There was no formal system of duties; everyone worked together in a very pleasant and friendly atmosphere. The food was prepared and brought from a firm where a few Ahmadis worked. We spoke to the owner of our firm, and he gladly allowed us to prepare the food. So, we bought the ingredients and prepared alu gosht (meat and potato curry) and zarda (sweet rice) in the firm’s kitchen. The attendance was around 70, and we witnessed such a large gathering of people in the mosque for the first time. Everyone was full of enthusiasm. There were several speeches at this one-day Jalsa. Later on, sports activities became part of the Jalsa.
Naseeruddin Butt Sahib said that he had accompanied Abdul Jaleel Butt Sahib.
Habeeb Ahmad Umar Sahib said he indeed attended this historic Jalsa, but all he could remember was that Maulana Fazl Elahi Anwari Sahib had come, Haider Ali Zafar Sahib was making arrangements, and there was extraordinary enthusiasm and joy among everyone. It was the first large-scale event after arriving from Pakistan. The Jalsa was planned in a short span of time. I was not assigned any specific duty. The grand Jalsas in Pakistan were on our minds, and this was nothing compared to them. However, we felt that something should be organised here as well, in line with the format of Jalsa Salana. But we had never imagined that this would one day become such a large-scale event. This Jalsa created a desire to meet one another; there was sincerity and a sense of love and belonging in everyone. Short speeches were delivered at this Jalsa. The food was served in the back of the mosque. It was cooked very well. In short, it was a very memorable Jalsa.
Bahadur Khan Khokhar Sahib said that he lived in Dormagen, near Cologne, and had come to Hamburg to attend the Jalsa. He was assigned the duty of reporting. Likewise, he made announcements during the Jalsa. In particular, following the style of the Rabwah Reception Department, he repeatedly welcomed the guests who arrived for the Jalsa. Regarding the proceedings of the Jalsa, he shared that the late Malik Shareef Ahmad Sahib recited the Holy Quran in one of the sessions. The late Mubashar Cheema Sahib recited a poem, while Anwari Sahib, Haider Ali Zafar Sahib, and Hansen Sahib delivered speeches. Accommodation was arranged in the mosque. However, those who had relatives here went to their homes. He expressed great joy at seeing so many people attending the Jalsa.
Fazl-ur-Rahman Anwar Fazli Sahib said that he didn’t remember the Jalsa proceedings, but he did recall that preparations had begun many days prior. They would gather at the mosque daily and rehearse. During the preparations, the question of food arose, and someone suggested preparing it at the mosque. For this, they needed a large cooking pot and stove, which they didn’t have. Someone was tasked with finding out the cost, but the price quoted was beyond the Hamburg mission’s budget, so the idea was dropped. It was then suggested to prepare the food at the firm where several Ahmadi members worked. They enquired with the owner, Mr Mannfred Heidorn, who readily agreed. The firm’s name was KATZ. May Allah reward him.
He further shared that as the food was being transported, the vehicle met with an accident near the mosque. Another vehicle collided with it, causing one of its tyres to come off. Khwaja Hameed Ahmad Sahib was present nearby and witnessed the incident. When the news of the accident reached the mosque, everyone naturally became worried. I saw Maulana Haider Ali Zafar Sahib immediately close his office door, spread out his prayer mat, and offer nawafil (voluntary prayers). Within minutes, news arrived that the vehicle wasn’t severely damaged, the food was safe, and it had reached the mosque. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
He added that there was no negative reaction from the neighbours. In fact, people were generally indifferent back then. As a result, they never faced any difficulty or trouble from the neighbours. Alhamdulillah!
If there are any other members who attended this first Jalsa Salana in Germany, they are requested to write down their memories and send them to Akhbar-e-Ahmadiyya Germany. Jazakumullah.
(Akhbar-e-Ahmadiyya Germany, August 2024, p. 27)