Mayar-e-Saghir Top Three Essays

1st Place Essay

Why I Like Coming to the National Ijtema

by - Salman Dawood Munir (Houston)

As of now, I have not attended any National Atfal Ijtema but I have attended a few Jalsa Salana in the U.S. and U.K. This year I am planning to attend my first National Ijtema,

Insha-Allah. I am sure the Atfal National Ijtema is like a mini Jalsa Salana of Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyyat and will basically serve the same purpose as the Jalsa Salana. The Promised Messiah (as) said:

“The Primary purpose of this convention (ijtema) is to enable every, sincere individual to personally experience religions benefits: May we enhance their knowledge. Among is secondary benefits is that this congregational meeting together will promote mutual introduction among all brothers and it will strengthen the fraternal ties within this community.” (Ishtihar 7, Dec 1892)

What is an Ijtema? From what I know, an Ijtema is where we gather and learn from each other about our religion, and we come together from all over the country to educate ourselves about Islam and Ahmadiyyat. An Ijtema is a beautiful thing: people coming from all corners of the earth to come as one to better their understanding and love of their religion. Going to the National Ijtema is a time for us to learn new things. We have the opportunity to go to different places and learn new things. We have this opportunity, so why not take this time to learn about religion and ourselves? This will motivate us all to do better and strive to do great things in the future.

Also, at the National Ijtema, we have the opportunity to pray in congregation with our brothers. Praying in congregation allows us all to stand, shoulder to shoulder and equal, regardless of what color our skin is and where we are from. This way, we can make a bond with each other, pray for ourselves and everyone for a good future. The National Ijtema also gives us an opportunity to meet elders from across the country. To learn from our elders, and to gain their wisdom is our virtue. We, as Atfal, should respect them for obvious reasons, but also listen to them because of all their worldly wisdom. They can tell us how things have changed over time; they have experienced things that we only read from history books. Who knows what kind of advice these wonderful scholars can grant us?

The National Ijtema is also a great way to spiritually uplift ourselves and to get motivated. So that we will listen to elders, read five daily prays separately, read the Holy Quran, and most importantly bring us closer to each other and bring us close to Allah. Only then, if we follow His obligation, we can become the righteous servants of Allah. This spiritual uplift will gift us in many ways, but importantly strengthen our religious belief.

This will be my first year to attend the National Ijtema and I can’t wait for it to start! I’m excited to learn about Islam and Ahmadiyyat, how to be a good Muslim American and to meet my fellow Ahmadi brothers from all over America. I’m also excited to participate in various games and sports, so that I may learn about team building and leadership. I hope this Ijtema experience will be an eye-opening opportunity for me and just one of many more great experiences I will have at the National Ijtema. At the end, I will conclude my essay with the prayer of the Promised Messiah:

“May Allah the Exalted be with him reward him in abundant measure have mercy on him ease up for him his circumstances of hardship and anxiety and eliminate his anguish and grief. May he grant him freedom from every single hardship and lay open for him the ways of achieving his cherished goals and raise him up on the Day of Judgment among those who are his servants who are the recipients of his blessing s and mercy. May he be their Guardian in their absence until after their journey comes to an end.”

2nd Place Essay

Why I Like Coming to the National Ijtema

by - Zohaib Khalid Ahmed(Chicago West)

I like coming to the National Ijtema because it is a great source of learning experience and a great fun too. The Ijtema has many benefits in it. I would like to emphasize the following important ones.

· Spiritual training

· Physical training

· Leadership developing

· Networking with other brothers

· Getting more knowledge

Though collective spiritual training starts as soon as we begin our Ijtema right after offering the Juma prayer and taking our pledge but individually we prepare ourselves all year long. We eagerly wait for the Ijtema. It is a great excitement to offer our prayers in congregation, especially the Tahajjud, with hundreds of other fellow brothers from all over the nation. I greatly educate myself by carefully listening to the speeches read by senior brothers (khuddam) and fellow Atfal; and try to learn from their experiences. Listening to melodious Reciting of the Holy Qur’an and Poems from different brothers gives me great sense of satisfaction and relaxation. It is very important for every Tifl to prepare for the future, as we have to fulfill the prophecy of Hazrat Masih Maood (as):

“I will cause thy message to reach the corners of the earth.”

The Ijtema provides us an opportunity to become a model Ahmadi Muslim.

There are interesting sports activities too: Soccer, Basketball, Races, and Tug of War. It is a great joy to participate in these games and to compete with other teams. It helps us to be physically strong and active. I like to have fun with my Ahmadi brothers, talking to them and staying over night with them. Also try to win medals and get encouraged by other Atfal. When I see them with three, four or more medals but I have only one then it certainly encourages me to try to do better in the next Ijtema, insha’Allah.

One of the most important things that I like by attending the Ijtema is building of leadership qualities. We are living in a very competitive society so we have to be at least step ahead of other fellow Americans. The Ijtema provides us that platform, when we compete with the cream of creams in speech, Tilawat, poem, quiz or spelling bee. No other religious, political or civic organization provides this type of training for kids of 7 years of age at national level in the United States. Masha’Allah, this is the only worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community who sincerely prepares their children to be leaders of the future, insha’Allah. Hazrat Musleh Maood (ra) said:

“Nations cannot be reformed without the reformation of youth.”

The Ijtema gives me an opportunity where I broaden my friendship with our brothers from other cities. I also meet old friends and we exchange our views, hobbies and different activities. It is a very good opportunity of socialization; I always look forward to meeting them again in the next Ijtema, insha’Allah.

The one more important thing that I want to talk about is “getting more knowledge.” You can get more knowledge by listening to other Atfal in their speeches, talking to them, and to learn the things that some Atfal do know but you might not know.

At the end, I would like to sincerely thank all the organizers of the Ijtema for their time and devotion to hold the Ijtema every year. May Allah Tabarak-o-Taa’la reward them for their good deeds, Amen.

3rd Place Essay

Why I Like Coming to the National Ijtema

by - Mubaahil Ahmad (Dallas)

The MKA National Ijtema is held annually where all Kuddam and Atfal in the USA. meet together in one area to compete in numerous types of competitions. At this Ijtema, we all gather together for the sake of our jamaat and to meet other Ahmadis in the nation. The reasons that I like coming to the National Ijtema could make an endless list, but the main reasons are brotherhood, competition, making new friends, religious experience and, of course, to have fun. These Ijtemas aren’t really all about who is better; it is about gaining knowledge and enjoying time with one another.

Brotherhood is the core of all of the reasons. It is why everyone comes to the Ijtema, to meet each other, to be with each other, and make friends. The Ijtema is a place you can meet relatives from somewhere else in the country. When we all Ahmadis meet, we all are in unity with each other.

Another reason I like coming is because of the competition. The competition in the local Jamat, for some people, might seem fairly easy, but when I go to the regional ijtema they have to work harder to get more prizes. But in the National Ijtema is where all your yearly work pays off. Here, you can see how you rank in such a big area. Here, you see if the past two Ijtemas paid off. And if you don’t win, this motivates you to try to do better next year, and with this motivation you gain more religious knowledge that you might need to know in the future.

Besides religious competitions such as the Recitation of the Holy Qur’an, Nazm, Speech, and all other competitions, sports is also one of the parts of the Ijtema. Most middle aged Khuddam, who have played Cricket since childhood, can see how they are in the world. They see if their little cricket games in their yard really helped. Also, for us Atfal, we grow around a world full of the game of basketball, relays, and sometimes even soccer. So, at the Ijtema, you can test all of these skills. You can also learn how to play the sports at the Ijtema. I participated in soccer last year even though I didn’t like soccer. I learned how to play it now even though I still don’t like it that much. The important thing though is that I had fun and we all enjoyed it and learned a new skill.

Besides competitions another reason I like to come is to make new friends. Last year at the Ijtema, I met a lot of new people. I met people of different cultures, people who are friendly, and even some relatives I didn’t even know to be my relatives.

Sometimes, these Ijtemas teach us different things and we can learn from other people. When most people hear the word Ijtema they think about competitions, and a lot of the people think about only the sports. Most of the people don’t take it very seriously. But those people need to understand that this event happens only once a year, and here memories can be cherished and new friends can be made.

I look forward to this year’s Ijtema because I know that I will have the experience of a life time. I’ll get to meet some relatives I haven’t seen in a year or so and just have fun and come out a better person. This being my second national Ijtema, I know what to expect and know that this year will be better, Insha-Allah But this year will be different because it is in a new location and a more people are coming from my Jama

at as well as all of America. The goal of having and attendance of at least 1,000 people will motivate more people to come. The National Ijtema is something I want to come to for as long as can because I know the experience will be great, Insha-Allah.