Jalsa Salana UK 2021, Various Aspects of Life in the Perspective of Peace

The Jalsa Salana UK grand event has just been held by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from 6–8 August 2021 at Hadeeqatul Mahdi. Before the pandemic, jalsa salana was always held regularly once a year by this community, in various countries in the world. For information, Ahmadiyya is now spread in more than 200 countries in the world.

Remarkable progress for a Muslim community. Moreover, if we remember the series of history, how this congregation is still often treated unfairly, persecution, and intolerance. Not a few state authorities have openly banned the existence of the Ahmadiyya, forbade them from worshiping, sealed their mosques, and silenced their voices.

Jalsa Salana as a Means of Achieving Humility

The holding of the Jalsa Salana event is the first grand event since 17 months of the pandemic. During that time, the Caliph only greeted each of his members through virtual mulaqat (meetings). Thus, holding this event is an emotional moment that is very touching.

The Ahmadiyya Caliph conveyed the important purpose of holding the Jalsa Salana event, namely to establish a special relationship with Allah (praise to God, The Exalted). Furthermore, with this closeness, each individual will achieve self-revolution.

In the opening speech of this event, the Ahmadiyya Caliph Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad conveyed a lot of extraordinarily profound advice. This advice, when examined, is not only for the good of the Ahmadiyya congregation. Rather, for all human beings in the world who wish to live in peace, it is very important to contemplate it.

The Caliph reminded that Jalsa Salana is currently being held within limitations. His majesty also prayed that normal conditions would soon arrive, and the grand event could be held again with its splendor. However, true splendor will not be achieved if there is no effort for change in oneself.

Self-change that is very important to do is by simple behavior and sacrificing lust. Against evil, one should not simply stay away, but repel bad desires vehemently.

This does not mean that humans should only think about spiritual matters. Islam does not forbid a person to seek worldly things. In fact, worldly needs are also important things to be fulfilled. However, Islam strongly recommends the attitude of zuhud, which is to keep oneself from being complacent with the world.

It is very important to be zuhud to be trained and instilled because the pleasures of the world are indeed debilitating. Therefore, do not let what you want to achieve in the world, make people forget to fulfill the rights of Allah and the rights of fellow human beings.

Islam Teaches Tenderness of Heart

In line with the goal of self-revolution, there are other important things that are still very difficult for humans to achieve. It is being gentle and forgiving, even to those who have offended them. By being ihsan and holding back emotions or anger, surely peace will be created.

Islam recommends to its people to freely forgive. Don’t fight over trivial matters. It is also inappropriate to extend the matter to court. Instead of solving the problem, it will actually lead to hostility and division.

Those who hold back anger will get a reward in the form of love from Allah (praise to God, The Exalted). Being gentle and unemotional even in the face of bad treatment is a noble character.

This is what Islam teaches through the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and also by the founder of the Ahmadiyya congregation, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad alaihissalaam. So imagine, if this attitude of forgiveness spreads to all corners of the earth, of course, there will be a magnificent peace.

Women’s Rights in Islam

On the second day of the Jalsa Salana UK speech, the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Community gave a very clear explanation about women’s rights. Many people think that Islam overrides women’s rights with various rules. However, this is simply due to a lack of knowledge.

Islam actually teaches how to respect and honor women. A husband, it is said by The Caliph, will not achieve closeness to Allah the Exalted if he does not fulfill the rights of his wife and honor her.

Women also have the same thoughts and feelings as men. Therefore, excess power in men is not a reason to hurt women. Women have the same right to be consulted, especially when they want to get married.

In matters of marriage, there are also many false accusations against Islam, especially regarding polygamy. With the right knowledge, a man who wants to remarry is a mere form of emergency. However, the feelings of the woman or his wife still have to be prioritized.

If the wife is hurt by the second marriage, then undo it. Islam is not promoting personal interests by degrading other affairs. Respect women by asking for their permission. In fact, from the very beginning of marriage, women have the right to determine whether their husbands may marry other women or not, under any circumstances.

The Prophet set an example for stopping the “silencing” of women. This is because women have intelligence that will be useful for future generations. Women have the right to education because women will educate the next generation to be better.

Islam and Freedom of Expression

Not stopping there, Jalsa Salana UK’s speech also touched on freedom of expression from an Islamic perspective. The freedom to express opinions orally and in writing is highly appreciated by Islam, within certain limits.

The 4th Ahmadiyya Caliph once said that absolute freedom is a meaningless slogan. This means that although people have the right to an opinion and express themselves, there are rules that are regulated according to the view of Islam.

The first is that freedom of expression must protect the public interest. Islam teaches that people should speak well or be silent. That is, if the opinions expressed will only cause harm, then this is not a good form of freedom of opinion in the eyes of Islam.

Second, Islam also supports an environment for expression. As it is said that upholding good and forbidding evil, it is obligatory for Muslims. This means Islam teaches us to be sensitive to the environment. When there is something bad, then it is obligatory to express an opinion, in the context of reminding in an ihsan way.

Third, there is also a limit so as not to become a loss. Sometimes the opinions expressed, because they are too free to express themselves, actually become a weapon against themselves. So, it is very important to pay attention to what you want to say to the public.

Ahmadiyya’s Rapid Progress

The Ahmadiyya Islamic Community, perhaps one of the ones that still often experience intolerance treatment from many parties in various places. However, this did not dampen the enthusiasm for telling the truth. This is evidenced by the rapid progress of this congregation. Within a year, 211 new mosques have been built, 123 mission houses, translations of the Koran in various languages, books, and also the Ahmadipedia as an official reference for information about Ahmadiyya.