What is Jalsa Salana

Jalsa Salana (Urdu: جلسہ سالانہ‎) is the formal annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community initiated by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (May Allah be pleased with him).

Usually, the gathering spans over three days, beginning on Friday after the Friday Sermon. Typically, the flag hoisting ceremony is used to identify its commencement. Although Ahmadies attend a central, international Jalsa from across the world, many countries hold their own national jalsa too, sometimes attended by the Hazrat Khalifatul Masih.

History of Jalsa Salana

From a mere attendance of 75 at the first-ever Jalsa in Qadian to the unparalleled turnout of more than 30,000 in current years in the UK, the convention of Jalsa Salana has exceeded all expectations and achieved unbeatable milestones in the past 125 years. This tremendous progress is truly the product of the divine help from Allah the almighty and the bountiful blessings of Khilafat. Today many of us are accustomed to the various Jalsas that take place worldwide, but let us take a journey back to where it all began.

In May 1891, in a remote and unknown town in India called Qadian, under Divine inspiration Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) announced that he was the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi awaited by all Muslims. Later in the same year, the Promised Messiah (as) decided to hold the first Jalsa Salana, and from then on, the divine conventions of Jalsa Salana began. 

After the Indian sub-continent partition, the Ahmadiyya community grew in size and number, and Jalsa Salana continued to be held in the small town of Rabwah. The Jalsa steadily increased in size and influence as even more Ahmadi Muslims gathered to enhance their spiritual knowledge and reaffirm their dedication to their Khalifa. In 1984, Ordinance XX was introduced by the government of Pakistan, which denied Ahmadi Muslims the right to practice their faith. Due to these circumstances, the fourth Khalifa Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (ra) left Pakistan and migrated to the United Kingdom, moving the headquarters to Fazl Mosque London. The last Jalsa Salana held in Rabwah in 1983 saw nearly 250,000 faithful Ahmadi Muslims attending and seeing the face of their Khalifa in Pakistan one last time.

Meanwhile, under the guidance of the Khilafat, the community was spreading worldwide. Countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, the United States of America, Fiji, Bangladesh, Australia, Singapore, and many more held their own separate Jalsas and continue to do so yearly.

Jalsa Salana History: “The Big Jalsa”

During the first Jalsa Salana in 1891, the Promised Messiah (as) had announced that the newly initiated Jalsa would continue annually every 27th of December. Accordingly, in 1892, Jamaat members traveled to Qadian for the Jalsa Salana and partook of the Promised Messiah’s (as) blessed company.

“The Big Jalsa”

The Jalsa Salana of 1892 became known as “the big Jalsa” among those attending. Tareekh-e-Ahmadiyyat paints how this Jalsa was held next to the pond in Qadian. The stage was built from the mud collected from in and around the pond. The Promised Messiah (as) sat on a raised platform on which carpet had been laid, and jamaat members were seated around him on the floor.

Jalsa Salana Programme 1892

The historical proceedings of the 2nd Jalsa Salana.