Tahir Bhatti,
Correspondent, Germany
Jalsa Salana is an over-a-century-old tradition of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. Its speciality is that its foundations were laid by the saced hand of the Promised Messiahas under the Divine command of Allah the Almighty. Its system was developed under the blessed supervision of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas and then its departments and needs continued to expand under the blessed guidelines of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya.
In principle, wherever in the world the Jalsa Salana is held, it is thought to be a branch of the same tree, but its importance is multiplied manifold when Khalifatul Masih graces the event with his blessed presence.
This year, Jalsa Salana Germany was held on 7-9 September, 2018 at Karlsruhe, Germany. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa arrived in Germany on 1 September and stayed at Bait-us-Sabuh.
On the evening of Thursday, 6 September Huzoor’s convoy arrived at Jalsa Gah, where Huzooraa led the prayers and inspected the arrangements of Jalsa Salana. After the inspection, Huzooraa addressed the gathering of volunteers and blessed them with instructions and guidelines on how to deliver their duties.
The very next day, the formal inauguration took place with the flag hoisting ceremony by Huzooraa. With that, Huzooraa inaugurated the Jalsa Salana and then proceeded with his Friday Sermon that was followed by the first session of Jalsa Salana later that afternoon.
The second day was the most occupied day as Huzooraa delivered his speech in the ladies Jalsa Gah and afterwards addressed a large gathering of German and other foreign guests of Jalsa Salana. This has become a regular feature of Jalsa Salana Germany where German guests and dignitaries participate with equal passion of love and dignity for the Jamaat and the Head of the Ahmadiyya Community.
The third day of Jalsa has a Bai‘at ceremony, and that is a scene equally adored by Ahmadis and non-Ahmadi visitors. The submission and sincerity that fills the air during this ceremony is something of a really rare sight for the media and general public. A human-chain, shedding tears of purity at the hand of a man of God is a unique spiritual experience, even for onlookers.
Followed by this ceremony, Jalsa Salana Germany 2018 was concluded by the address of Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa and the concluding silent prayer.
Administratively, Jalsa Salana on the men’s side has 60 departments in which the total number of volunteers this year was above 8,000. Some of them started their duties about ten days before Jalsa and wind-up teams would close their duties in one week after Jalsa.
The total number of participants was 39,710 and delegations from more then 100 countries participated in this sacred gathering. This year, the electric supply system was also handled and organised by Jalsa Salana administration and volunteers. A new initiative this year was the fire-proof under-lay beneath the carpets of the sitting area which facilitated the seating arrangements for the public. The Langar innovated a self-designed air-conditioning system for kitchen and cooking tents which reduced the temperature by about 15 degrees from the normal temperature. It helped workers in the cooking area and enhanced their working capacity. Jalsa Gah department arranged for an audio system that enabled the proceedings of Jalsa Salana to reach all departments. Workers in all departments, however distant from the Jalsa Gah, were able to benefit from this system.
In the translation marquee, there was a regular arrangement for translation of the proceedings of Jalsa in more than 20 languages. Registration section smoothly functioned with walk-through gates and card scanning teams. All was well coordinated with security and Khidmat-e-Khalq department. Private residence tents and guests staying in the general accommodation arrangements in Jalsa gah were provided with washrooms and WCs near their places of residence.
A total number of 8,000 guests stayed daily at the Jalsa premises and were provided with bedding by the Jalsa administration. This year the ladies dining hall was setup separately and their bazaar area was also provided with secured marquees. A huge warehouse served the purpose of day-to-day supplies and this is maintained throughout the year by local and overseas purchases by office of Jalsa Salana.
For delegations, Jamia Ahmadiyya building, nearby mosques and hotels were booked for residence, and transport department smoothly transported all guests to Jalsa Gah each day. Other than the regular proceedings and activities of Jalsa Salana, an exhibition of Tabligh department and History of Ahmdiyyat in Germany was organised near the main entrance of the Jalsa Gah. This exhibition attracted a large number of visitors from the media, and the German public found it very thought-provoking and inspiring.
The Langar prepared three meals daily for the near-forty-thousand guests, also catering separately for international guests according their taste and needs.