And so as another year passes the days that have been long awaited by the member of the Jamaat finally arrive. For it is once again time for the faithful to gather at the hand of the khalifa to participate in a 3 day event which will inevitably alter the course of their spiritual lives. The event which draws people in the thousands to the open green fields of Alton, Hampshire holds great significance not only for Ahmadi Muslims around the world but also for Non Ahmadi-Mslims and the British population in general as it is the largest Muslim conference in the United Kingdom. The Jalsa salana hosts people from a hundred different nations making it ‘The’ place to be.
In the weeks prior to the Jalsa thousands of Ahmadi Muslims living outside of Britain prepare themselves for a spiritually enlightening journey to meet with their Khalifa. While many are blessed with such an opportunity, most do not get that chance. However for those who are left behind show no lack in devotion but rather commit themselves to fully participating in the Jalsa through mind and soul if not through body. They do this because of the blessing of MTA that was bestowed upon us as one of the many blessings of Khilafat. And so for three days straight many families sit religiously in front of their TV’s glued there, out of pure devotion and commitment to their faith and a longing to be part of the blessed event. And through these three days because of the blessing that is MTA, they are constantly connected with their Ahmadi brethren.
Living in the Jamaat headquarters of Rabwah, during the days of Jalsa UK the whole city seemed to forget about the cares of the world rather they choose to spend time at home with their family watching the proceedings of Jalsa. The streets would go empty especially during Huzoor’s atba’s khitab. People would close their shops and limit business hours. If you had the misfortune of having to go out during Huzoor’s khitab you would barely see a soul on the street. And which ever street you would visit you could hear a melodious symphony of Nazms coming from each house. You could hear Huzoor’s voice echoing along the the streets of Rabwah. Even shop owners or people who could not afford to leave their business had a TV installed on which every customer could see MTA streaming. Thus the devotion towards Jalsa and Khilafat is not limited to those who attend it but it is something spread throughout the Jamaat. To that note all this is possible because of the blessings of Khilafat in the form of MTA.