Elin Yunita KristantiDiperbarui 04 Agu 2023, 01:16 WIB
Liputan6.com, Jakarta –
The field belonging to the Ahmadiyah at Hadeeqtul Mahdi, Oakland Farm, England was transformed into the location for Jalsa Salana 2023. The event was held Friday-Sunday, 28-30 July 2023. Tents were set up, including two of giant size. One for men, the other for women only
Jalsa salana is the annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya community. More than 40 thousand congregations from around 100 countries attended. Participants boomed because this was the first event after the COVID-19 pandemic. The first day, the traffic to the event location was jammed. Not only triggered thousands of vehicles that lead to the same point. Road repairs make the situation worse. A journey that normally takes 40 minutes can take more than 5 hours. Instead of getting stuck, a number of participants chose to walk about 2-5 kilometers.
The Amir of the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation (JAI), Maulana Mirajudin Sahid emphasized that the jalsa salana is not a substitute for Umrah or Hajj. “Umrah and Hajj are going to Mecca. It is irreplaceable. Jalsa salana is a gathering momentum that shows the brotherhood of Islamiyah Muslims from all over the world,” he told Liputan6.com. After the Friday prayers, the flag-raising ceremony of the participating countries was held. That marks the official start of Jalsa Salana 2023.
in his opening speech, the Khalifah of Ahmadiyah V, Mirza Masroor Ahmad reminded the Ahmadiyya congregation to live a simple, humble life and stay away from anger which can give birth to arrogance. “Simplicity is a branch of true wealth,” he said.
What do the Ahmadiyya congregation do during the Jalsa Salana? There are lectures such as recitations, exhibitions, remarks from invited guests, shared meals, as well as congregational prayers. The difference is the bai’at ceremony which is held towards the end of the event.
The enthusiasm of the participants did not necessarily dim, even though it rained several times, especially on the second and third days. Not all of the land is covered with sheet metal mats. Solid soil turns to mud.
A number of Ahmadiyah members who participated chose to commute from home or hotel. Others stay in the tents provided. Nur Sayidatunnisa, one of them.
The Ahmadiyya followers stayed overnight in the participants’ tents. The reason is so that they can participate in the midnight prayer together which is held every 03.00 local time. He admitted that he took a sabbatical to attend the Jalsa Salana. “I am lucky to work in a very tolerant university. They know I am Ahmadiyah and I don’t need to hide myself,” said Nur.
Not easy to set up and provide for the needs of more than 40 thousand participants. For meals, for one thing, the organizers bake 10,000 flat rye buns per hour. Also available are biryani rice, pasta, chicken or mutton curry and lentil-based daal. Fruits, biscuits, potato chips and various drinks are served as accompaniments.
The menu is served free of charge, for all participants, regardless of strata, regular participants and VIP guests. Volunteers at the food tents are constantly making rounds, making sure everyone is getting enough to eat. “Can I help you? Is there anything else you want?” they asked.
The Jalsa Salana event involved thousands of volunteers, including drivers, cleaners, toilet attendants, security guards, disciplinarians, and those placed in the dining tents.
Not only adults, children also took part in passing paper cups to be filled with drinking water. In front of the women’s tent, a little girl picked up a scattered plastic bag of shoe covers and threw it in the trash. Volunteers are not paid at all. They come from various professions.
There are school teachers to those who have a position in their workplace. Abdul, a volunteer driver, admits that he works at the airport every day. “My work is related to aviation,” he said.
Whatever their duties at the jalsa salana, the caliph’s special message had to be heeded: they had to smile when serving others.
The bodyguards or bodyguards of the Ahmadiyya V Caliph, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, were no exception. They are very disciplined when opening and closing roads, no one is allowed to pass. However, the frightening face immediately softened when he opened the iron portals. “Sorry, we kept you waiting. Please pass,” said one of them.
Apart from the Ahmadiyya congregation, a number of people came as observers. This year is the first time that a number of journalists from Indonesia have been invited.
It must be admitted, it is not easy to carry out the task of covering the 2023 Jalsa Salana. The main obstacle is communication. Drop cellphone signal. You can’t even use WhatsApp, let alone send photos or videos. As a result, coordination with the press was also hampered, many events were missed. Taking photos in women-only locations is strictly prohibited, for privacy concerns.
Another reason, for security. Many of them come from countries where persecution of the Ahmadiyya community still occurs. The head of the Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB) of Central Java Province, Taslim Syahlan, was included in the list of invited guests. “As a non-Ahmadiyah, I witnessed two things.
The first is that our Ahmadiyya brothers and sisters clearly identify as Muslims. People from 100 countries share the creed. And, the creed is exactly what I say, the Koran is the same as what I usually read,” he said. The second thing, said Taslim, is the humanity shown by Ahmadiyah followers.
They are friendly and generous. “I witnessed, nothing misses Al Hujurat Verse 10. They are from all nations but can build a cool brotherhood,” he said. “Besides that, the speakers presented were not only from Muslims, but also non-Muslims. That is proof that Ahmadiyya is not exclusive.” Taslim said he was lucky to be able to meet or meet twice with the Ahmadiyya caliph. The first time as an invited guest, the second time purely by accident on Wednesday afternoon, August 2, 2023.
According to him, the caliph conveyed many things, one of which was the hope that Indonesian people would know Ahmadiyah. “At least 70 percent of Indonesian people know Ahmadiyah. It doesn’t mean that they have to join, the important thing is that they accept the Ahmadiyya as Muslims,” Taslim said, quoting the message.
Ahmad Najib Burhani, research professor at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) admitted that this is not the first time he has attended a jalsa salana. Three times in Singapore, once in Qadian in 2016, and many times in Indonesia. The most impressive, he said, is in Qadian, the birthplace of the founder of Ahmadiyah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. “It’s like entering a time machine, witnessing closely the historical locations where Ahmadiyah and Ghulam Ahmad were born,” said the Muhammadiyah academic.
Mashallah, the coverage of the UK Jalsa internationally is much better than in previous years, especially also in Indonesia.