A Journey of 1111
Safeer Bhatti
August 27, 2008 - 1111: Sitting on the bench before my Sadr Majlis Khuddam ul Ahmadiyya USA and my brothers in Islam, I looked around and heard how our Allah Tallah has blessed us with a beautiful Ijtema. I looked around and I saw sleep deprived overworked yet relieved and happy faces of our Ijtema staff.

I looked around and heard the chants of Majlis Khuddam ul Ahmadiyya, USA and the affirmation of Zindabad! Miraculously, I looked around and I saw angels on the fore corners of the stage. As I my head drooped to my chest, my eyelids became heavy. I tried to lift them up, but alas I could not and began to shed water down the slope of a Khadim’s face; down the mountain of an Ahmadi’s neck into a place so special and precious on the left side of my chest reserved to me as my heart.  I struggled, but I eventually looked up and heard from our Sadr “If the same God can bless us with everything at this Ijtema, he can definitely bless us with this…..” That this will serve a memory; an history of brotherhood shared; a lifetime of friendship endured; and a new dock to which we embarked at: 1114.

1114: A journey along a divine path of success. This journey was to be achieved not as a Khadim from one majlis; not as a Khadim from one region, but as Majlis Khuddam ul Ahmadiyya from the nation of the United States of America. We, together wanted the historical moment to see the power of brotherhood. “Will YOU be the one”, was a common question everyone had and all 1114 wanted to be part of. They wanted to be part of not only some number, but the show the true thread of brotherhood and the true passion of unity and show the world about the leadership of Khilafat e Ahmadiyya. 1114: these Khuddam showed the world the strength of Khilafat e Ahmadiyya and the power of brotherhood shared in Islam through Majlis Khuddam ul Ahmadiyya. It was no more the work of a team brought together by Nazim e Ala Abdul Hadi Ahmad; it was no more of a determination by Registration, Ziafat, Waqar e Amal and departments of Ijtema; it was the work and the blessings of Allah and that is how each Khadim was able to answer to himself that yes, I was the one; I was the one part of a brotherhood experienced and pushed for in 2008. The ONE was also the person who was looking for God for fourteen years; came as a guest to our National Ijtema and left as a Ahmadi. We worked so hard to keep this thread strong that our determination and motivation surpassed our unified goal of 1111 and went to 1114 at before closing session and closed officially at 1116 at the end of closing session. 

1116: Everyone has their own journey of brotherhood, but it was universally endorsed that only brotherhood was the instrument towards an historical goal never achieved since the first Ijtema in 1969 with less than 20 people. My journey of brotherhood to achieve 1111 comes in four parts of ones……
One: Driving to school one day, my silent cell phone was ringing. I picked it up and listened to the angel over the other line- all I understood was “1111- Can you do it?” I accepted the challenge and began the initiative in late June and early July. Along with my Naib Nazim e Ala, Mirza Harris Ahmad, together we formed a team that would contact Qaideen every week encouraging their Khuddam and Atfal to register. My team members were responsible of different regions and they would email, call, and remind people to register online. The numbers started slowly at 100 and then it picked up.

One: On the 11th hour, I was on the phone with Regional Qaid Masood Ashraf Sahib, Zeshan Hamid Sahib, Mansoor Shams Sahib and Mirza Anas Ahmad, pushing to see what more we could do. Already, I have informed them that Southwest is bringing more than 66 Khuddam and Atfal from their region. The registration closed and we were at 1064. My Naib Nazim II Omar Latif Sahib said, “Allamdulliah, we made it!” After checking duplicates, my Naib Nazim I Fahad Karamat Sahib text messaged me and said we are at 1035- Mashallah!  All 188 people flying in have sent their data to Mahmud Farukee Sahib replied by Naib Nazim III Salaam Bhatti Sahib. We were on that path towards the strength of Khilafat e Ahmadiyya. Majlis Khuddam ul Ahmadiyya just made history by registering a record number of 1,035 Ijtema participants online- something never done in over forty years of National Ijtema History.

One: While on site, the responsibility for our team was to get all 1111 registered. Beginning August 21st, 2008, my team and I worked diligently setting up the system and preparing for the wave of registrants on Friday. By the grace of Allah and with the  IT skills of my colleague Ayauddin and Harris Sahib, we opened registration at 11:30pm August 21st 2008. On this day, we had over 100 registrations. Friday was tough because we were preparing for buses and a whole host of majalis coming tired, hungry and energetic. We worked through our system enhancing the program and ended Friday evening with close to 700 registrations. We began seeing Angels flutter on Saturday night after 9:45pm when we were at the number 952 and Sadr Sahib said, “let us get every Qaid and every Regional Qaid to check who is here.” Working throughout the evening until 2:30 in the morning and contacting Qaideen and Regional Qaideen, we beat our goal from last year 1008 and stopped at 1092. I called to the Miracle Man and Shani Biye replied with both eyes nearly shut and barely enough energy to stand, “don’t worry, you will have over forty people tomorrow.” I relieved myself and went to bed repeating those magical words. In the morning, I awoke and attended Majlis e Shura, got ready and saw my registration team. I looked at their overworked faces and still saw smiles. My friend Ahmad Shah Sahib told me after cracking some jokes, ‘Today is going to be a good day.’ I looked around and looked at how every single Khadim worked hard to achieve this 1111 number; worked hard to achieve this ellipsis of identical numbers for the strength of brotherhood and said to my self, “It is all on God now!”

One: Still kind of unsure of what the final number will be, I walked inside and seated myself next to Nazim e Ala sahib and Mansoor Shams and the entire Ijtema crew. I saw how each Khadim won a prize for achieving brotherhood in their subjects. I heard the sad, but wonderful story of a Tifl standing guard on Traffic duty despite his foot being run over by a minivan. His only worry was, ‘I am worried that I won’t be able to do duty anymore.’ I listened to how powerful and merciful Allah Tallah is and how much blessings He has given to all of us. I smiled at our newest convert. Suddenly, the tears in my eyes began to roll down urgently and my worrisome face could not take the burden. The tears washed away all my sadness and brought me immense happiness when Sadr Sahib uttered, ‘This same God can bring us this- I saw the huge bar graph of 1114 and wept like a child. People asked, “Are you sad?” I replied, no, I am very happy and this is all I show my happiness. After hugging and crying with others, I cleaned some things at Ijtema, went home and now discovered that we are at 1116. Working to achieve 1111, our brotherhood became so powerful that we beat our goal and achieved 1116. Brotherhood is now officially preserved for the next 100 years in Majlis Khuddam ul Ahmadiyya, USA- Zindabad!