Huge gathering of members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on Hampshire farm this weekend

Jalsa Salana, the UK’s longest running Islamic convention will be held in Worldham, near Alton, will see Ahmadi Muslims gather for prayer, discussion and spiritual rejuvenation from August 5-7.

The aim of the event is to highlight the peaceful teachings of Islam and to help attendees better understand the faith.

The convention is organised by 7,000 volunteers. It did not take place in 2020 and was on a much smaller scale in 2021, so this will be the first year since the start of the pandemic that Jalsa Salana can be held at full capacity again.

The convention in 2019. Photo: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

The highlight of the event will be the attendance of the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, leader to millions of Ahmadi Muslims across the world. He will deliver an address on each of the three days, providing insight on social issues at a time of global uncertainty.

His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad has reiterated his commitment to spreading peace, saying: ‘A golden principle given by the Founder of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him) is that a true Muslim should like for others, what he likes for himself. I believe that this simple and profound point, if acted upon, not just by Muslims, but by all people, is the means for everlasting peace in society.

"No doubt, everyone desires peace for themselves and their loved ones, but most people will be lying if they claim that they want their opponents and competitors to have peace and to live with contentment. Yet this is the standard of nobility and generosity of spirit that Islam requires. It is a religion and teaching that promotes selflessness and urges humans to discard all traces of selfishness."

The convent in 2019. Photo: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

The first Jalsa Salana was held in India in 1891. The event has taken place at the site near Alton since 2006, as Khilafat, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s most accepted institution of authority, is based in London.

Abid Khan, spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said: "The past two years have been a challenging time for communities across the globe due to the pandemic. Now however, the world faces further challenges in the form of economic difficulties, political unrest and the very real prospect of a Third World War. We are extremely fortunate to have His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, address this year's Jalsa and provide real solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the world today."