Published on Apr 20 2010 by Mubariz Ahmad Ahmedi

 

Pre-Ijtema Preparations:

By the Grace of Allah an Ijtema Committee was formed 7 weeks before the Ijtema ensuring we had ample time to prepare for the Ijtema. We had set realistic targets and ensured that the tasks were completed within the time scales. A principal we adopted this year was to work diligently and tirelessly in order to have a memorable Ijtema. We would have a meeting that would gauge the progress and how we could overcome previous shortcomings. Nothing could be achieved without sincere prayers, and as I am writing this report and reflecting on the days coming up to the Ijtema it is without any shadow of a doubt that there was a heavenly guidance with us all along the way.

 

We planned the event by taking all the pros and cons in retro respect, not forgetting to take into account previous Ijtema. A programme was finalised and a letter drafted by Qaid Sahib which was sent to all Khuddam and Atfal along with the Academic criteria. We also had a dedicated team calling upon all Khuddam to come and attend this blessed event. Local Nazim Atfal worked alongside the team to ensure that we had maximum attendance.

 

Refreshments were carefully enlisted and chosen for the event. The weather would not permit us to have any outdoor activities so we had put all our thoughts towards what we could do for sports, and by the Grace of Allah Almighty we managed to come up with some indoor activities.  

 

On the Day Ijtema (23^rd January 2010)

 

We started the day with Tahajjud Prayer which started at 6am, we had 5 Khuddam in attendance, we all prayed for the success of the event and by Allah Grace we saw the benefits. I had called Regional Qaid Sahib the night before and expressed my concerns in regards to the attendance, as the confirmed attendance of the Khuddam was very poor. But on the day I was amazed at the turnout - All Praise Belongs to Allah SubhanAllahu wa ta’la.

 

Fajr prayers followed with 6 Khuddam in attendance and 1 Ansar. Darsul Qur'an was delivered by Respected Sadr Sahib Asim Mumtaz from the Essence of Islam and the topic was ‘Istighfar’.

 

After a very inspiring couple of hours we started getting the mission house ready for the Ijtema. Breakfast was offered to those present and we were ready in good time, enough time to have another cup of tea as it was a cold January morning.

 

Our aim was to start on time and Alhamdulillah we started registration at 9:30am. The first session started promptly on the scheduled time. The recitation of the Holy Quran by Wasim Sahib was followed by the Pledge by Respected Qaid Sahib. A Nazm was recited by Abdul Shakoor Sahib followed by an opening address by Asim Mumtaz Sahib Sadr Cambridge. We had requested him to speak on the blessed scheme of Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya and I must say that it was a very well prepared speech which touched all who were present. We had 10 Khuddam present and 3 Atfal and 1 Ansar.

 

We started the Academics for Khuddam and Atfal 10 minutes earlier which was a benefit as the programme went on. We had requested an Ansar to judge the Khuddam competitions. We had 3 judges for Khuddam and 2 Judges for Atfal competitions. At that time we had 12 Khuddam and 8 Atfal in attendance. We also had 2 young participants who are not Atfal but prepared Sura Al-Fatiha and Azan as per the request of Nazim Atfal. We had good participation from Khuddam and Atfal but I would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that the Atfal were very well prepared for the events and executed their Tilawat, Nazms and Speeches very well making their parents and teachers very proud and the Qaidat as a whole Alhamdulillah.

 

We all joined the Khuddam when they were having the Speech competition which we all enjoyed. The floor was opened to Atfal to read out their speeches and to everyone’s surprise the youngest Atfal volunteered which was appreciated by all. We also had a young boy who is not an Atfal who mustered all his courage and recited Sura Al-Fatiha to all present.

 

After having a successful session we had Zikr-Habib by Habib Khokhar Sahib and convened for Zuhr and Asr prayers. We offered our humble thanks to Allah for enabling us to have a successful and inspirational morning session.

 

We then had lunch which was enjoyed by all young and old (figure of speech) - a delightful course of Chicken & Chips which I think is a favourite of all.  It was plentiful and I think we all had our fill, and as nature takes its course we were all sleepy and lazy.

 

The indoor sports made us all active again. We started off with an Observation test for Atfal and Khuddam separately and it is clear that Khuddam need a lot of Almonds to better their memory skills as per their performance they have a very short-spanned memory or maybe it was the lunch. I hope it was the lunch.

 

The Atfal enjoyed 30 minutes of Wii sports, and they really were pro-active and had a lot of team spirit - we enjoyed watching them as well. Khuddam indulged themselves with musical chairs which was enjoyed by all. We had an endurance test for the Khuddam which they were not aware of, we suggested they do push ups and the purpose was to see which Khuddam would be the last standing. This was a challenge for all who participated purely because they had eaten too much Chicken & Chips making it difficult to concentrate and, having put on some excess weight, it was difficult to do but we had a winner.

 

Regional Qaid Sahib and a Khadim from Stevenage Qiadat joined us at that moment. We introduced all the Khuddam and Atfal to Regional Qaid Sahib. We also gave an opportunity for the audience to interact with Regional Qaid Sahib and a few good questions were asked namely what Qaid Sahib was studying. Sadr Majlis had sent a speech that was to be read to all which was done at that point. Regional Qaid Sahib distributed the 2^nd Position certificates. We then prayed Maghrib prayers and thanked Allah for his Bountiful Mercy upon us.

 

The concluding session was in the presence of respected Naib Sadr Daud Khan Sahib. The session was started by Tilawat and the Pledge. Naib Qaid Cambridge read out the Ijtema report after being requested by Qaid Cambridge to do so. The certificates for the first position were distributed by Daud Khan Sahib. We also acknowledged Khokhar Sahib and Naeem Sahib for their support and gave them certificates of appreciation. Regional Qaid Sahib addressed us and reminded us all about the importance of the Ijtema and the importance to say ‘Labaik’ for such events and to have respect for the office bearers.  Daud Khan Sahib addressed the congregation with very inspiring speech stressing the importance of Ijtema, after which we had a silent prayer led by Sadr Sahib Cambridge.

 

We read Ishaa prayers in congregation after which Qaid Sahib had arranged a dinner for the guests and the organisers which went down a treat.

We managed to stay within our budget as well Alhamdulillah.

All in all the feedback by all Khuddam, Atfal and distinguished guests was that they all enjoyed themselves.

We will convene with the Red Book points to have a better event next year Insha’Allah.

 

Attendance Breakdown:

Total Attendance 12 Khuddam out of a Tajneed of 20 Khuddam.

Total Attendance 8 Atfal out of a Tajneed of 12 Atfal

2 young children who are not Atfal.

 

Qaid Sahib formulated an email that evening to thank all the committee for their hard work and that May Allah Bless all their efforts abundantly.

May Allah bless Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya, Sadr Majlis and all the Amila members and the Jama'at Ameen.  

 

 

Finally may Allah shower His endless blessings on Huzur Aqdas (atba) so that he may be able to guide us Ameen.

 

Shaheed Sheikh

Nazim-e-Ala Ijtema