By the grace of Allah, between the dates of July 24th to A ugust 5th 2024, khuddam from Canada traveled to the United Kingdom to perform Waqf Arzi for Jalsa Salana UK 2024. A total of 450+ khuddam registered for this blessed trip during the days leading up to Waqf Arzi, with most khuddam opting to stay with the larger group within the accommodation marquee located at the Jalsa Gah site.
As Canadian khuddam arrived in the UK, shuttles were arranged by UK teams to transport khuddam from the airports to the Jalsa Gah site. Upon arrival at the Jalsa Gah site, khuddam had to go through the required security checks before making their way to the accommodation marquee that was specifically setup for Canadian Waqf Arzi khuddam. The accommodation marquee was lined up with mattresses, pillows and blankets, and as khuddam arrived, they picked their sleeping spot and settled in.
On the evening of Thursday, July 25th, Khuddam were overjoyed when they learned that Khalifatul Masih (aa) would be gracing the Jalsa Gah site with his presence for Jalsa Gah inspection. It was a moment of immense blessings and happiness for Khuddam when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih (aa) specifically mentioned the presence of Canadian Khuddam who had arrived for Waqf Arzi, Alhamdolillah. Khuddam were also provided with Jalsa Salana UK Waqf Arzi jackets, which they wore during the Jalsa Salana inspection.
During the three days of Jalsa (Jul 26 – 28), Canadian khuddam enjoyed the blessed proceedings of Jalsa Salana UK, participating in extremely spiritually uplifting events such as the International Bai’at Ceremony, and experienced emotions as the Jalsa came to an end on July 28th, Alhamdolillah. During the Jalsa, khuddam had the opportunity to visit the various exhibitions (particularly Makhzane-Tasaweer), the bazaar, and various other stalls that were setup. Khuddam also availed this opportunity to meet with Ahmadis from around the world who had come to attend Jalsa Salana UK, and really got to see the diversity of the Jama’at.
After the Jalsa concluded on July 28th, Canadian khuddam eagerly began the windup, working late into the night to try and get maximum windup completed. The windup ensued in the coming days, whereby each day different tasks were given to the various teams that were formed. A team of khuddam, dedicated to providing refreshments for their brothers supplied drinks (water, lemonade, rooh-afza and milk). The refreshment team also served samosas and fries on one of the days, and fish and chips on another day, in addition to the regular breakfast, lunch and dinner services.
On Monday, July 29th, upon completion of their day’s work, a sohbat-e-saliheen session was conducted with respected Fareed Naveed sahib, who is currently serving as principal Jamia Ahmadiyya Ghana, Africa. Similarly, another sohbat-esaliheen session was conducted with respected Naseem Bajwa sahib, who is currently serving as Imam Baitul Futuh in London, UK. During the days of windup, khuddam also got an opportunity to travel to Islamabad to offer namaz behind beloved Huzoor (aa).
On the morning of Friday, July 30th, right after Fajr khuddam performed one final windup of their accommodation marquee, and made preparations to travel to Islamabad to offer Friday prayers. It was another emotional day for Canadian khuddam as Hazrat Khalifatul Masih (aa) specifically mentioned khuddam from Canada and the windup that they were performing during the Friday sermon, Alhamdolillah. After Jumah, khuddam were shifted to Baitul Futuh, where they stayed for the remainder of the days, visiting relatives, sightseeing in London, and eventually catching flights to come back home to Canada.
On Saturday, Jul 31st, it was another day of immense blessings and happiness for the Khuddam as they got an opportunity to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih (aa) and in groups of 50, took a picture with Huzoor (aa). Some members who had performed Waqf Arzi could not join in for the photographs as they were not feeling well, however, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih (aa) walked over to those khuddam and spoke to them for a few minutes which was a moment of immense joy and happiness for those khuddam as well, Alhamdolillah.
At the conclusion of the trip many khuddam recalled the experience they had (the challenges, the emotions, the moments of blessings, the presence of Khalifatul Masih (aa), etc.) and expressed their overwhelming joy and emotions from this blessed trip. Perhaps the most defining moment of the trip for all Khuddam was the message from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih (aa) at the conclusion of the trip:
