Jalsa Salana (Annual Convention)

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Jalsa Salana is the formal annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community initiated by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (May Allah be pleased with him).

Usually, the gathering spans over three days, beginning on Friday after the Friday Sermon. Typically, the flag hoisting ceremony is used to identify its commencement. Although there is a central, international Jalsa attended by Ahmadis from across the world, many of the countries hold their own national jalsas too, sometimes attended by the Hazrat Khalifatul Masih.

Objectives, Purposes & Blessings of Jalsa Salana, in the Words of the Promised Messiah (Peace be on him!)

Purpose of Jalsa Salana

“The primary purpose of this Convention is to enable every sincere individual to personally experience religious benefits; They may enhance their knowledge and –due to their being blessed and enabled by Allah, The Exalted- their perception [of Allah] may progress. Among its 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, Majmoo`ah Ishtiharat Vol. I, Page 340).

Not an Ordinary Convention

“It is essential for all those who can afford to undertake the journey, that they must come to attend this Convention which embodies many blessed objectives. They should disregard minor inconveniences in the cause of Allah and His prophet (peace be upon him). Allah yields reward to the sincere persons at every step of their way, and no labour and hardship, undertaken in His way, ever goes to waste. I re-emphasize that you must not rank this convention in the same league as other, ordinary, human assemblies. This is a phenomenon that is based purely on the Divine Help, for propagation of Islam.”
(Ishtihar 7 Dec. 1892, Majmoo`ah Ishtiharat Vol. I, Page 341)

Prayer

“I conclude with the prayer that everyone who travels for [attending] this Convention that is for the sake of Allah: 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 of His servants who are the recipients of His blessings and Mercy. May He be their Guardian in their absence until after their journey comes to an end. O Allah! O Sublime One and Bestower of bounties, the Ever Merciful and One Who Resolves all problems, do grant all these prayers, and grant us Victory over our opponents with scintillating signs, because You alone have all the prowess and power. Aameen! Aameen!!”
(Ishtihar 7 Dec. 1892, Majmoo`ah Ishtiharat Vol. I, Page 342)

The History of Jalsa Salana

From a mere attendance of 75 at the first ever Jalsa in Qadian to the unparalleled turnout of more than 30,000 in current years in the UK; the convention of Jalsa Salana has exceeded all expectations and achieved unbeatable milestones in the past 125 years. This tremendous progress is truly the product of the divine help from Allah the almighty and the bountiful blessings of Khilafat. Today many of us are accustomed to the various Jalsas that take place around the world but let us take a journey back to where it all began.

In May 1891 in a remote and unknown town in India called Qadian, under Divine inspiration Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) announced that he was the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi awaited by all Muslims. Later on the same year the Promised Messiah(as) decided to hold the first Jalsa Salana and from then on the divine conventions of Jalsa Salana’s began.

After the partition, the community grew in size and number and Jalsa Salanas continued to be held in the town of Rabwah. These steadily increased in size and influence as even more Ahmadi Muslims gathered with the shared purpose to enhance their spiritual knowledge and to reaffirm their dedication to their Khalifa. In 1984, Ordinance XX was introduced by the government of Pakistan which denied Ahmadi Muslims the right to practice their faith. Due to these circumstances, the fourth Khalifa Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(ra) left Pakistan and migrated to the United Kingdom, moving the headquarters to Fazl Mosque London. The last Jalsa Salana held in Rabwah, in 1983, saw nearly 250,000 faithful Ahmadi Muslims attending and seeing one last time the face of their Khalifa in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, under the guidance of Khilafat the community was spreading across the world. Countries such as Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, United States of America, Fiji, Bangladesh, Australia, Singapore and many more held their own separate Jalsas and are continuing to do so every year.