Page 13 - The Western Horizon #12

Huzoor’saa Visit to Jamia
(E n g l i s h R e p o r t )
October 23rd was a memorable and remarkable day for
Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada. For the first time in its
history, Jamia Canada was blessed to have a class with
Huzooraa, and even more, a lunch graced with his presence. On
camera, the proceedings of the day appear smooth sailing as usual,
and yet, they were preceded by multiple levels of organization and
practice. What we had in our midst was a chance for Jamia to be
up front and personal with Huzooraa, a chance to finally gain the
beneficence from his company that we had longed for.
In preparation, the class with Huzooraa dominated much of the
discussion, and multiple staff meetings were held to discuss the
theme of the class. Professor Ghulam Misbah Baloch (in charge
of the class preparation) states that since the Canadian Jama’at
was celebrating its 50th anniversary, it was decided that the theme
should be the establishment of Islam and Ahmadiyyat in North
America. Even the venue was discussed; the MTA team suggested
that the class be held in the Masjid like other classes. Although the hall, commencing our class.
assembly hall of Jamia was a bit narrow, we desired that Huzooraa
bless the halls of Jamia with his presence, and so it was chosen as
the venue.
Two speech topics were handed out to the two chosen speakers.
On an individual level, the two students would deliver perhaps
their most important speech to date, carrying out a level of
responsibility unknown to them before. Collectively, we saw them
as the image Jamia would present in front of Huzooraa, a depiction
of the student body and its capabilities. Even the group photo was
thoroughly planned. All students’ heights were measured and laid
out on an Excel sheet. From there, each student and staff member
was carefully placed in specific locations that allowed for their
exposure to the camera and create balance within the picture.
When Huzooraa arrived in Canada on October 3rd, 2016, classes
ended and students began their assigned duties. For the next
month, we would toil through long days and nights of work. The
festive and spiritual environment only boosted our spirits more, as
we eagerly waited for our day with Huzooraa.
A few days before the class, we ran a rehearsal. We also practiced
our exit from the hall and picture setup when Huzooraa would
depart from Jamia towards the Hifz School. We received a little
surprise when we learned that individual class pictures with
Huzooraa had been approved. A picture with 70+ students could
potentially dilute the intimacy you would rather feel when it is just is the responsibility of a Murabbi?” We received a humorous
your classmates. Even so, any instance and moment near Hazrat
Khalifatul-Masih is a blessing worth relishing.
Page # 12
By: Syed Adil Ahmad (3rd Year)
Finally, the day of October 23rd arrived, when Jamia Ahmadiyya
would hold its first class with Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih since
its inception 13 years ago. All students had excused themselves
from duty this day and could not wait to get the day started. The
morning was busy and bustling. We took turns vaulting to the
ironing boards to make our uniforms crisp and neat, trimmed up
our beards, and tried to get our hands on whatever shoe polish we
could find. We then arrived an hour early into the assembly hall
and sat down class-wise in wait of Huzooraa. The slow trickle of
the MTA and security crew heighted our jitters, while the staff,
clad in a white shalwar and beige waistcoat uniform, waited at the
elevator for the arrival of Khalifatul Masih Vaa. Suddenly, when
the Hifaazate-Khaas volunteers at the assembly hall doors became
upright and exchanged glances, we knew that Huzooraa had
arrived. He proceeded with Musafa (handhshake) with the staff
and after a quick tour of the Exhibition, arrived into the assembly
The class started with Tilawat by Hafiz Faras Ahmad from the
Hifz School. After noticing that there was no one for translation,
Huzooraa called Farrukh Tahir Sahib (3rd year), who was sitting
in front, to come and do translation. Muslehdin Shanboor Sahib
(7th year) recited a Hadith followed by a Nazm of the Promised
Messiahas presented by Farrukh Tahir Sahib. After this came three
speeches, “The Establishment of Ahmadiyyat in North America
in the Promised Messiah’sas Era” by Omar Farooq (4th year), “The
Establishment of Ahmadiyyat in North America in the era of
Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya” by Labeeb Shah (4th year), and finally
“The Importance of Memorizing the Holy Quran” by Ayan Miyan
(Hifz School).
After the presentations, the moment that any Jamia student in any
Jamia around the world, in fact any Ahmadi youth in any class,
desperately waits for, a question and answer session. For a Jamia
Canada student to have a personal Mulaqat requires a ticket to the
U.K, and if you’re lucky, you can get a few extra minutes. Even
through a letter you would have to wait a few weeks for the reply.
The class was the perfect opportunity for us to air out all of our
questions and confusions and receive an instant reply. We took full
benefit of this rare chance, walking away with a treasure trove of
guidance and advice.
Remarkably, Huzooraa actually asked us the first question; “What
response from a 7th year student that the job of a Murabbi is to
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