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AbuBakar Rana Jalsa Salana UK 2009
Jalsa Salana UK 2009
by Abubakar Mohammed Rana Queens, NY
My name is Abubakar Rana. I am a native of Bangladesh and 28 years old. I was born in a Sunni Muslim family and converted to Ahmadiyyat in 2002. This year I was fortunate enough to be selected as a delegate by Majlis Khudaamul Ahmadiya USA to participate in the UK Jalsa. It was my first time in London and the UK jalsa. It was an experience full of memories that I will remember for a long time. There were three other Bengali Ahmadi brothers that accompanied me from NY. Our flight left from NY on the night of July 22nd and reached London Heathrow Airport next morning.
The Jalsa transportation team received us at the airport and dropped us off at the Baitul Futuh mosque. Upon arrival at the new beautiful Futuh Mosque I felt excitement in the air like the day before Eid. We had lunch and did our prayers at the mosque and strolled around the surrounding environment until our shuttle van service was ready to take us to our permanent location. We were housed at a university dormitory with many other guests that arrived from the USA to attend the Jalsa. Upon arrival at the dormitory a team of young Khuddam was ready to take care of our every need. Their hospitality was amazing and their dedication to service left a deep impression on us all. It is something that we can all learn from and adopt during our turn to serve guests in the U.S. Since we were guests and delegates from the USA, we were treated with VIP service and had lunch and dinner at the VIP tent. Needless to say, the food was very delicious!
On the first day of Jalsa during the middle of the Friday Jummah service it was raining very hard. The sound of rain pouring on our tents made it difficult to hear Huzor’s voice. At the conclusion of his Kutba Huzoor prayed to Allah for better weather condition so that the guests are not inconvenienced. Amazingly by Asr prayer the rain stopped completely. The sun came out and everything outdoors started to dry up. This was an example of Allah’s Grace and Mercy due to the prayer of His Kalifa who was present among us. The Jalsa atmosphere was electric and charged with such excitement. The large gathering of people from all over the world were under one marquee with mutual love for each other. Everyone showed such discipline as it can only be done for the true love for Allah and His Messenger. In between the Jalsa programs we had the chance to visit the book store and the chain of small shops cooking and selling all types of foods. The air was filled with aroma of freshly grilled kababs and delicious fried foods. On the last day of Jalsa during the international bait renewal ceremony I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in the front section and had a close up view of Huzur. It was so much more exciting to watch Huzur in person rather than watching him on MTA.
On the fourth day we had the much anticipated Mulaqat with Huzoor. It was my first individual mulaqat with his holiness and at first I was very nervous while waiting for my turn. But after I entered his office I felt very clam as he started asking me questions about my first experience at the UK Jalsa. After a brief chat the next thing I knew was that the time was over but I was able to have a picture taken with Huzoor.
The next day we had an opportunity to go for sightseeing around London. We safely returned to USA on the night of July 29th. I was filled with great memories and memorable experience that I will cherish for a long time. To compare the UK jalsa to the USA jalsa without Huzoor’s presence is like comparing the light of the Sun and the Moon. The UK Jalsa was everything more than what I had anticipated. I thought I would get lost in the large gathering of people but it was the opposite. The events were beautifully organized and everyone on duty was very receptive and courteous. I hope that this program to send new converts and Khudaam to UK Jalsa continues every year. I want to thank Majlis Kudaamul Ahmadiyya for selecting me and giving me the opportunity to attend such a blessed gathering.
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