It’s harvest time in the countryside, as the Annual Convention (Jalsa Salana) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK takes place in the south of England. Over 38,000 participants from more than 100 countries will attend to promote a sense of peace in society and eradicate all forms of Islamophobia.
Eminent speakers discuss a range of religious topics and their relevance to contemporary society. Parliamentarians, civic leaders and diplomats from different countries will also address the gathering and underline the conventions objective of enhancing unity, understanding and mutual respect.
A special feature of this convention is that it is blessed by the presence of His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He addresses the convention over each of the three days, providing an invaluable insight into religious teachings and how they are a source of guidance for the world today.
Those attending (including approximately 1000 from Africa) are converting a Hampshire farm into a 3 day mini village. The event has a real festive feel to it with its on-site Bazar, exhibitions (including one on the Turin Shroud!) Britain’s largest kitchen and a roti making factory. Sounds a bit akin to Glastonbury.
Interestingly a unique copy of the Quran will be showcased for the first time at this convention. The Al-Qalam (The Pen) project, founded by calligrapher and Islamic art collector Razwan Baig invited members of the public from all walks of life and with no prior experience of calligraphy to hand-write a single verse of the Quran in Arabic. This ‘crowdsourced’ Quran, has taken over five years to complete and the project, run by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, illustrates the importance of the Quran for the more than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.
Razwan Baig says:
“The Quran is a treasure of wisdom and knowledge for all. This is the message which resonates in the heart of the calligrapher while they are penning the sacred text, thus it is truly special for each one of us.
“This is the first copy of the Holy Quran in 1400 years which has been compiled by more than 6000 contributors – both Muslims and non-Muslims – who penned each verse and this will be preserved in history. Most important in the entire journey of the Al-Qalam Project was the contribution of His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Caliph and the worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who penned the opening chapter, Surah Al-Fatihah.”
There will also be a special exhibition hosted by The Review of Religions in collaboration with Razwan Baig, focusing on Islamic calligraphy and art by award-winning sculptor, Adam Williamson, creator of the HM The Queen Mother Memorial, who will be working on a new piece over the three days of the convention. Razwan Baig, one of the largest private collectors of Islamic artefacts in the UK, will also be displaying a selection of rare antiquities from his personal collection.
The Review of Religions, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s official English magazine, have managed the running of the Al-Qalam project worldwide.
www.pressahmadiyya.com/jalsauk/
Images courtesy of Noor Hadi