As the sun starts to set and the temperature drops, crowds of Jalsa attendees head towards the car park, lost in their own thoughts, their hearts heavy. A low hum of disbelief echoes around Hadeeqatul Mahdi:
“How is Jalsa over already?”
“Those were the fastest three days ever!”
“I don’t want to wait another year to come back here!”
We cannot help to share the sentiments of our Ahmadi brothers and sisters, and the famous saying runs true: “time flies when you’re having fun.” Yes, the Jalsa has been a lot of fun.
We have been reunited with our families and friends, we have enjoyed the well-prepared Jalsa programme and the wonderful food prepared by our Langar Khana department.
However, this Jalsa has been a lot more than a bit of fun, so much more. We leave today, our pledge renewed, our faith stronger than ever, our hearts striving to attain a state of taqwa as described by our beloved Huzoor in his guiding speeches.
Most of us have been running on very little sleep and tonnes of adrenaline, both participants of the Jalsa and our hard-working volunteers. People have gathered from far and wide to reap the blessings of this spiritual gathering. The workers share an ache in their hearts to please their Almighty Creator, a strong passion for serving their faith and community and a commitment and love for their beloved Khalifa, that they may in some way ease his burden by assisting in the smooth running of this Jalsa.
The joy we feel at standing side by side in prayer, thousands of Muslims of different races, nationalities and ethnicities all united in the worship of our Almighty Allah. Tears have flown freely from our eyes as the rain has fallen in blessings from the sky.
Very few words can fully capture the feelings and emotions associated with this special annual gathering. The slightest crack in our Khalifa’s voice renders cracks amongst the hearts of all Ahmadis around the world. Our nearness to the Almighty has never felt stronger. May Allah accept all our prayers and enable us to stay strong in our faith until the next Jalsa. Our JalsaConnect team would like to thank you all for your contributions. Have a safe journey home, until next year, inshaAllah.
