Manahil Khan
Virginia, USA
The Ahmadiyya Jamaat of Virginia Central and Virginia North conducted their annual Sirat-un-Nabi Jalsa on January 27 as they remembered their chief and master, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The event took place in Masjid Mubarak and was attended by a large and diverse group of members of the Jamaat, totaling more than 250 participants.
The common goal set by all the participants and guests was to hear the word of Allah, gain knowledge about the admirable life of the Holy Prophetsa, and most of all, to attain as much inspiration as possible to lead a path similar to the one set by the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa himself.
The event commenced with a reading from the Holy Quran followed by an Arabic poem written by the Promised Messiahas expressing his great love for the Holy Prophetsa. An addition to the Jalsa this year was the successful attempt to include the younger members of the local Jamaat.
The young members of Tahir Academy gave three different yet very insightful presentations about the life of the Holy Prophetsa, including topics such as The Childhood of the Holy Prophetsa, The Holy Prophetsa as a Father and The Holy Prophet’s Marriage with Hazrat Khadijara. All of the presentations were knowledgeable and moving for all in attendance.
Another addition to the event this year was an essay competition. The English and Urdu Essay writing competition was conducted as an open-ended invitation to all, including Atfal, Nasirat, Khuddam, Lajna and Ansar, with The Holy Prophetsa – the Exemplary Worshipper of Allah as the general topic for all. As a result, 16 submissions were received for the English essay competition and two for the Urdu essay.
The essay competition itself proved to be a very innovative and stimulating experience for all the participants, while also giving an opportunity to learn about the life and countless qualities of the Holy Prophetsa first hand.
The winning Urdu and English essays were also read out during the event and will be published later in the Ahmadiyya Gazette of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya USA.
Subsequently, a brief video was presented through MTA resources, displaying the excellences of Holy Prophetsa, based on narrations included in Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V’saa Friday Sermons.
To end the event, the regional missionary Faran Rabbani Sahib delivered a speech on A Day in the Life of the Holy Prophetsa. The heart-warming and poignant speech gave the listeners multitudes to think about, analyse their own lives and motivate themselves to start an expedition to follow the course set through the ideal practices by the Holy Prophetsa himself.
The Jalsa was then concluded with silent prayer led by Faran Rabbani Sahib, followed by the Zuhr and Asr prayers and lunch served to attendees.
The event was a refreshing way for Jamaat members to glance within their souls, step away from the materialistic aspects of the daily hustle and bustle, and enliven their faith that might have been lost somewhere within the temporary sparkle of the secular world.