Waqas Ahmad, Sadr MKA Australia
As soon as it was announced that Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Brisbane would have the opportunity meet Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa in a virtual mulaqat on 19 June 2022, preparations began immediately and an organising committee was soon established by my humble self, where regional qaid Queensland was appointed in-charge of the arrangements.
The organising committee accordingly held its first meeting on 6 June, where key departments and their responsibilities were discussed. Subsequent meetings were held online and in-person as required in the days leading up to the event.
Initially, an external venue was booked for this meeting, but due to some unforeseen circumstances a week before the event, it was decided that the venue would be the Mubarak Mosque in Camp Hill. This turned out to be a huge blessing for everyone as it gave us the freedom and flexibility to manage our preparations as appropriate.
Rehearsals were scheduled and held on 18 June 2022 where the participants and organisers were given feedback and advice on various logistics and production-related elements essential for the success of the event.
Finally, the meeting with our beloved Huzooraa was held at 9 pm (Australia time) on the appointed day, where a total of 128 khuddam were able to meet Huzooraa virtually and seek guidance from him on various matters pertaining to life and religion.
This event was the first of its kind for khuddam in Queensland. Participants and attendees were all quite enthusiastic about the opportunity to spend precious, memorable moments with their Khalifa. A selection of their sentiments captured after the event is presented below:
Kashif Shahzad Sahib said:
“It was a wonderful experience. Huzooraa answered many questions and we received spiritual training and guidance from him.”
Rana Usman Sahib said:
“Praise be to Allah. We were fortunate to be able to attend the meeting with Huzooraa while remaining in Queensland. I cannot express how grateful I am. Huzooraa gave the answer to things that were on my mind that I could not express before him, and this can only happen through the Almighty’s Will and Support. Who can say that this was a virtual mulaqat? Despite the distance of thousands of kilometres, this relationship is so strong and we are all grateful to God from the depths of our hearts that despite the distance, all of us who were sitting here could feel his presence.”
Zainul Abideen Sahib expressed:
“I did not in my wildest dreams ever think that Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa would come where I and the rest of us were and meet us virtually and give us so much time from such a busy schedule. May Allah the Almighty accept his prayers in our favour.”
Ahmed Ibrahim Sahib said:
“[It feels] amazing, one of the best feelings I have ever had in my life! I have never personally met Huzooraa unfortunately so far, so it was a big occasion for me to see him live face to face, being able to communicate with him and insha-Allah, I am looking forward to seeing him soon in the UK. The feeling was just amazing.”
Shabil Iqbal Sahib said:
“I did not expect to feel this way. As soon as I saw Huzooraa on screen, it seemed as if we were literally sitting directly across from him. I felt as if Huzoor’saa face was lit up through nur (divine light). The emotions I was experiencing were so overwhelming that I found myself unable to look at Huzooraa directly on screen. We consider ourselves lucky to have had the opportunity to meet Huzooraa in this way.”
Foad Munir Sahib said:
“I feel like I just had a dream. I waited so long for this event and I have been counting the days and I almost missed it because I was sick. It was a blessing of Allah that I was able to make it. Moments before Huzooraa appeared, the screen was black and we were there waiting and anticipating. It was hard to describe what you feel at that time. It was just a dream come true. I cannot believe that I was a part of it and I got to ask a question.”
Abdus Salaam Sahib said:
“I was very excited to meet Huzooraa. I met him in 2013 when he arrived in Australia. It is always an exhilarating feeling and I am looking forward to meeting him again.”
Labique Abro Sahib expressed:
“I had a mulaqat with Huzooraa for which I was very excited because this opportunity comes once every few years. I have met Huzooraa in person, but due to the Covid-19 restrictions, this was the best we could do right now.”
Ahmed Daud Sahib said:
“We just finished the virtual mulaqat with Huzooraa and I feel an overwhelming sense of relief and also feel incredibly honoured to be given this opportunity to speak with Huzooraa. Huzooraa gave me some advice on how I could educate my parents on my Islamic beliefs and I will forever remember what he said to me. He reminded me that I have a very long way to go to become a good Ahmadi Muslim. I am very honoured and take everything he said on board.”
Affan Mahmood Zia Sahib said:
“I am feeling kind of relieved, glad and satisfied that I got to talk to Huzooraa for some time and that he has answered my question. It was an informative mulaqat and now I am satisfied that I have got the answer to my question.”
Muhammad Ismail Sahib said:
“At first, as we got closer to the time for our meeting with Huzooraa, we were all reciting Durood Sharif. Then as soon as I saw Huzooraa on the screen, I was grateful to Almighty Allah that we were able to witness this day. I had tears in my eyes and prayers in my heart. And I felt very calm after our meeting with Huzooraa. All the arrangements were very well done and the programme was well organised.”
Naveed Abro Sahib said:
“It was very nice to meet with Huzooraa. I met him for the second time. I first met him in 2013 when he visited Australia back then. It felt great and I learnt a lot from the mulaqat.”
Rahab Siddiqui Sahib expressed:
“I was extremely happy to meet Huzooraa. I felt as if Huzooraa was actually sitting next to us. I had tears of joy and it was an excellent feeling to meet him this way.
“Alhamdulillah, the arrangements were very good and everyone worked very hard to make this programme a success.”
Daniyal Ahmed Sahib said:
“I am feeling very relieved. Although I did not get a chance to ask a question, I believe that my questions were really answered through the questions that other people asked.”