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Report - 23rd National Ijtema (Annual Gathering)
Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, Australia 2006

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The 23 rd National Ijtema (Annual Gathering) of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Australia was held between Friday, the 8 th of September and Sunday, the 10 th of September 2006 at Bait-Ul-Huda Mosque in Sydney.

This gathering of the young mens' auxiliary organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Australia is one of the most anticipated events of the year and by the Grace of Almighty Allah this year's gathering was another successful one, even though we were faced with non-stop rainfall during the whole weekend. Members of the organisation from Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra were all present in Sydney for this youth gathering.

Flag Hoisting Ceremony

After Friday prayers on the 8 th of September 2006, everyone gathered outside the mosque at 2pm for the flag hoisting ceremony. Both the Australian and the Khuddamul Ahmadiyya flags were hoisted, which was then followed by the Khuddam Tarana and the Australian National Anthem, sung by members of Atfalul Ahmadiyya, the young boys' auxiliary. Silent prayers ended the flag hoisting ceremony and then everyone made their way inside the mosque for the commencement of the opening session of the Ijtema.

Opening Session

The 1st session of the 23 rd National Ijtema was chaired by the President (Sadr) of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Australia, Amzad Habib Khan. The session began at 2:30pm with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Rana Qasim, which was followed by the Khuddam reading out the Khuddam pledge led by the President.

Azhar Khan then read a religious poem (nazm), which was beautifully delivered. Sadr Sahib, Amzad Habib then presented his opening address, in which he highlighted the purpose and importance of the Ijtema, both in spiritual and physical terms, including the strengthening of the bond of brotherhood. He further stressed the importance of prayers and then thanked all the participants for attending. In conclusion, he prayed that May Allah accept our sacrifices, bless the Ijtema, and may all the participants receive the true blessings and benefits of this spiritual gathering. The opening session came to an end with Sadr Sahib leading silent prayers at 3pm.

The 2nd session of the Ijtema consisted of religious knowledge competitions. The first competitions to be held were Qirat (Quran recitation) and Hifz-e-Quran (Quran memorisation), which were run simultaneously. The Qirat competition was judged by Khalid Saifullah Sahib, Naib (Deputy) Ameer of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Australia and Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman Sanori, while the Hifz-e-Quran competition was judged by Rana Qasim.

The next competition was the Religious Knowledge (Deeni Maloomat) Competition, which was conducted by Khalid Saifullah. Each team had 3 members and the questions were from the book “The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam” written by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. Khuddam had read and studied the book before hand, but after a very evenly contested contest, Majlis (Unit) Melbourne came out on top.

The final competition of the first day of the Ijtema was Bait Bazi (traditional poetry competition). This was conducted once again by Khalid Saifullah Sahib and after several rounds of verses from religious poems (nazms) rebounding off each other by the teams, Majlis Brisbane emerged victorious.

After these intense competitions, Maghrib and Isha prayers were offered in congregation and then dinner was served. Majlis-e-Shoora was conducted after dinner and this brought an end to an eventful first day of the Ijtema.

The 2nd day of the Ijtema began at 4:15am, with Khuddam waking up the call of Tahajjud prayer (early morning prayer). Then Fajr prayer was offered followed by a short Dars (talk with references). Breakfast was served next and then the first sports competition was held, which was the Marathon Race. This race was approximately 5kms long and the runners had to run through the early morning fog and a slight drizzle.

Despite the inclement weather, the cricket competition started as scheduled, with the first game being played on the new cricket ground made just recently adjacent to the mosque. Matches were also played simultaneously on the old cricket pitch as well in order to save time. Majlis Al-Noor and Majlis Adelaide ended up meeting each other in the final, where Al-Noor defeated Adelaide quite convincingly.

As midday approached, it was time for lunch. After everyone had re-energised themselves, Zuhr and Asr prayers were offered in congregation. Straight after offering prayers, Khuddam went back outside for the continuation of the sports' competitions. The Tug-of-War competition took place first and after intense tussles between the various teams, Majlis Al-Nasir overpowered everyone to emerge victorious. This was followed by the 100 metre race and then Khuddam continued to brave the wet and windy conditions by competing in the Volleyball competition. After some closely fought encounters, Majlis Adelaide served and smashed their way to victory. The Shot-Put competition took place at this time as well.

As sunset approached, Maghrib and Isha prayers were offered in congregation and then Khuddam had a much-deserved dinner break after a long day of physical exertion.

The 2nd session of day two involved another round of religious competitions. Khuddam made their way back into the mosque at 7:30pm and the session began with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Syed Tariq Ahmed, who also presented the English translation. Then the Speech competition commenced, both in Urdu and English. The standard of speeches presented was quite high and the speakers kept the audience engrossed with powerful and interesting speeches. The final competition of the 2 nd day was the Nazm competition and this brought an end to a most busy and exciting day of the Ijtema.

The last day of the 23 rd National Ijtema began once again with Tahajjud prayers at 4:15am, followed by Fajr prayers and a short dars. Breakfast was served after this and then the Table Tennis competition commenced. The Message Relay competition was next and then Khuddam went outside for the Soccer competition. The soccer games were played in severe muddy and wet conditions, with the Al-Nasir versus Al-Noor semi-final being the match of the competition. It was a closely-fought encounter with both teams getting stuck in. Emotions were running high, but eventually Majlis Al-Noor edged out Al-Nasir 2-1 in extra time and Al-Nasir accepted the defeat in the true spirit of sportsmanship and brotherhood. Unfortunately, the final between Al-Noor and Al-Sadaqat could not be played due to the persistent bad weather and the two teams shared the first prize.

Khuddam then washed up, had lunch and after satisfying their hunger, offered Zuhr and Asr prayers in congregation.

The final session of the 23 rd National Ijtema was chaired by the Ameer and Missionary Incharge, Maulana Mahmood Ahmad. It commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Rana Ejaz, with the English translation presented by Malik Imran.

Amzad Habib, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya then read out the Khuddam pledge, with the Khuddam repeating the words after him. Next, Faheem Ejaz delivered a nazm in the most melodious tone, which was then followed by Sadr Sahib's speech. He thanked all the participants and organisers involved during the Ijtema and then presented the Annual Report of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Australia.

Following the annual report, the prize distribution ceremony was held. Atfalul Ahmadiyya carried out their Ijtema during these 3 days as well, so their prize distribution took place first. The Khuddam trophies and medals were then given out. After that, the main prize which all the Majalis work towards throughout the year, which is the Alm-e-Inami (the Flag) that goes to the overall best performing Majlis, was awarded by Ameer Sahib. This year Majlis Adelaide won the coveted Flag.

Finally, Ameer Sahib delivered his concluding speech, which covered a range of issues that are briefly highlighted below:

In conclusion, Ameer Sahib ended the successful and memorable 23 rd National Ijtema by leading silent prayers at 5pm.

The Wrist Wrestling and Long Jump Competitions could not be held during the Ijtema as per the program, due to persistent bad weather and hence, shortage of time

Qir'at
1st - Qasim Khan – Al-Nasir
2nd - Syed Tariq Ahmed – Al-Sadaqat
2nd - Rana Ejaz Ahmed – Al-Nasir
3rd - Faheem Ejaz - Brisbane

Hifz-e-Quran
1st - Faheem Ejaz - Brisbane
2nd - Syed Tariq Ahmed – Al-Sadaqat
3rd - Mashood Bajwa – Al-Nasir

Naz'm
1st - Faheem Ejaz - Brisbane
2nd - M.Shafiq - Adelaide
3rd – Syed Fawaz Ahmed – Al-Sadaqat

Urdu Speech
1st - Wadood Janud - Adelaide
2nd - Malik Imran - Melbourne
3rd - Faheem Ejaz - Brisbane

English Speech
1st - Syed Tariq Ahmed – Al-Sadaqat
2nd - Sarfraz Rahim – Al-Nasir
3rd - Ehsan-Ul-Haq Alvi - Brisbane

Marathon Race
1st - Syed Tariq Ahmed – Al-Sadaqat
2nd - Ajmal Khan - Al-Nasir
3rd - Ferzand Abdul Latif - Canberra

100 Metre Race
1st - Kalim - Melbourne
2nd - Waseem - Melbourne
3rd - Feroz Maqbool - Al-Nasir

Shot Put
1st - Ahmed Khan - Al-Nasir
2nd - Khalid Sharif - Adelaide
3rd - Zaik Khan – Al-Noor

Syed Tariq Ahmad, News Editor Gents
Ahmadiyya Australia website - 02.00pm, 30.09.2006