51st Ahmadiyya Muslim Convention opens in UK
More than 30,000 Ahmadi Muslims from across the world have gathered in Alton, Hampshire in the United Kingdom for their annual convention, during which they have declared abhorrence for extremism and terrorism.
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The members of the Ahmadiyya Islamic movement are attending a three-day convention, also known in Islamic parlance as Jalsa Salana, the largest Muslim convention.
The opening was preceded by Juma prayers, led by the worldwide Leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, along with other leaders of the movement.
Ghana’s delegation to the 51st Jalsa Salana is led by the Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih.
Also in attendance are some politicians, journalists, leaders of civil society organisations, as well as diplomats from different countries, some of whom will address the gathering.
Sermon
Preaching the sermon to officially open the convention, His Holiness Ahmad asked Muslims to make the teachings of the promised Messiah a part of their lives to discharge the responsibilities bestowed on them by God.
He said a true believer should worship God purely out of love to create a paradise in the current life and the one to come.
The Ahmadi leader deplored terrorism and condemned the action which, he indicated, was often carried out in the name of religion, stressing that the sacrifice of a true believer was not self-destruction.
He indicated that the only thing terrorists were achieving was to completely violate the teachings of the Holy Koran and the Holy Prophet Muhammad
“We must understand the true objective of the coming of the Messiah and this can only be attained through love of the Creator,” he told the thousands of Ahmadis gathered.
Scrutinise your actions
He underscored the need for Muslims to scrutinise their actions because the exact time of death was unknown, adding that “we must discharge Allah’s dues and dues to our fellow human beings”.
His Holiness Masroor Ahmad asked Muslims to pray persistently and forgive people who offended them, just as God forgave sins, and hold fast to the rope of God.
Strength of movement
The Ahmadiyya movement has 129 centres across the UK, including the Baitul Futuh Mosque in South London, the largest in Western Europe.
The movement was founded in India in 1889, with a strong emphasis of peace over violence and tolerance over extremism.
The President of the UK Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Rafiq Hayat, told the media that the people attending the 2017 convention from over 90 countries came in the spirit of fraternity to give thanks for the security and freedom they had found in Britain.