Jalsa Salana
The Qadian Jalsa remains central to much of the community even now but lost in status as the international Ahmadiyya Muslim Convention in the year 1947 after the Indo-Pakistani partition.
Khilafat, the most venerated and universally accepted institution of authority moved to establish the community's International headquarters in the newly founded town of Rabwah.
Meanwhile, national branches of the community outside the Sub-Continent began holding administratively separate Jalsas across the world with direct permission from Khilafat.
With the arrival of Dictator Zia-ul-Haq and the infamous mandate of Ordinance XX the convention was banned in the year 1984 and has not been held in the country since then.
The last convention held in Rabwah, in 1983, saw nearly 250,000 faithful Ahmadi Muslims attending and seeing one last time the face of their Khalifa in Pakistan.
Its attendance in 1989 was recorded at 14,000 and increased gradually to a maximum of 40,000 in the Khilafat centenary year of 2008 – the largest Muslim gathering in the UK.
It has developed to become an international scale event in the community with the Ceremony of Allegiance (Takreeb-e-Bait) held at the hands of the Khalifa on the third day.
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad intended to enable Ahmadi Muslims in specific and foreign masses in general to use the Jalsa Salana as an event for spiritual and moral advancement, beneficial social interaction and most importantly to increase personal relationship with God.
Among its secondary benefits is that this congregational meeting together will promote mutual introduction among all brothers, and it will strengthen the fraternal ties within this Community...It is essential for all those who can afford to undertake the journey, that they must come to attend this Convention which embodies many blessed objectives.
May He grant him freedom from every single hardship and lay open for him the ways of [achieving] his cherished goals, and raise him up, on the day of Judgment, among those of His servants who are the recipients of His blessings and Mercy.
After the ceremony, members of Khuddam-ul Ahmadiyya will stand in front of the two flagpoles in order to symbolise the honour and defence of the nation and faith.
The program continues until Sunday evening with several speeches on spiritual and moral concepts, by the Khalifatul Masih, but also from the National president, Imams and other Islamic Scholars.
The television station of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, MTA records most of the speeches and broadcasts them live, usually only if the Khalifatul-Masih is present.
The initial venue remained in Qadian, India for many years, as the community became international in its scope, such conventions began to be held elsewhere.
Both the migrants and converts from abroad have come to establish a strong presence in many countries which now hold their respective Jalsas, sometimes attracting large crowds when visited in person by the supreme head of the community, the Khalifa.
Many participants were reported to have travelled long distances from many of the surrounding countries, some in difficult conditions by bicycle or foot.
Jalsa Salana Nigeria is held on a site known as "Hadeeqate-e-Ahmad" (Garden of Ahmad) an 85-acre (340,000 m2) stretch of land approximately 40km from the Capital, Abuja.
In 1989 Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, initiated the construction of 100 mosques in Germany during his attendance at the Jalsa.
Since 2011 has the community held its annual gatherings at the largest mosque in Nordic region, Baitun Nasr in Furuset, Oslo.
In 2004 from 3 to 5 September, the 22nd Jalsa Salana was held in the presence of Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in the multi-purpose hall of Forch near Zurich.
Since then, because of rising visitor numbers, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK bought another site near Alton of an area of 208 acres (0.84 km2), named as 'Hadiqatul-Mahdi'.
Its venues have varied over the years initially held in various small-scale rented facilities and later moving to the AMJ national headquarters in Maple, Ontario near the Baitul Islam Mosque.
AMJ Canada has future plans to move the convention to a privately owned and developed property located near the small town of Bradford West Gwillimbury a half-hour drive north of the city of Toronto.
Its locations have varied over the decades but is currently held in Harrisburg, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center .
The 2006 Australia Jalsa Salana was broadcast live on MTA International as this was the year Mirza Masroor Ahmad visited.
