By the Grace of Allah Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK 45th National Ijtema was held this year on 15, 16 and 17 September at Country Market, Kingsley in Hampshire. The theme of this years Ijtema was “the Holy Quran”. By the Grace of Allah, the Ijtema was successful with the final recorded attendance of 5600 members.

Planning for the Ijtema had started many months before with Okasha Sami Sahib being appointed as Nazim-e-Ala for the Ijtema. The Ijtema committee was formed and tasked to build on the success of last years Ijtema and ensure that all Khuddam and Atfal find the Ijtema 2017 another memorable event.
Securing the Ijtema site this year had particularly been challenging as getting permission from local councils proved difficult for the preferred location. Hence just 2 weeks prior to the National Ijtema Country Market in Kingsley, Hampshire was secured as the venue for the National Ijtema this year. All final planning and site arrangements for the Ijtema had to be condensed into the 2 weeks. Only through the Grace of Allah and prayers of Huzur[atba] this had been possible to setup and plan for the Ijtema in such short period of time.

In the weeks leading up to the event, road shows were organised whereby members of the Ijtema Committee visited the regions and briefed office bearers as well as khuddam/atfal about the Ijtema as well as new features being introduced this year.

Whilst the roadshows were being carried out, the Khuddam and Atfal were also being approached through Instagram, Telegram, and of course through the traditional channel of meetings and house visits being carried out by the regions and local Qiadats. In addition to the daily countdown banners and daily YouTube video was also created and distributed by the National Ishaat Department
The highlight of National Ijtema was presence of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V [atba]. Huzur graced the Ijtema with his presence at all prayers, taking time out from his very busy schedule on Saturday for flag hoisting and taking a tour of Ijtema site. Finally, Huzur[atba] presided the concluding session of the National Ijtema and addressed the Khuddam.

Other activities that included at the Ijtema were Academic competitions that included Tilawat, Nazm, Adhan, Speeches, Paigham Risani, Hifze Quran, Hifze A’dia etc. Sports competitions included Football, Cricket, Athletics, Strong man, Volleyball, Tug of War etc. This year also saw a very special exhibition Kabaddi match which was very popular.

Another great feature this year was the outdoor discovery zone which included a big screen on which various interactive talks were displayed as well as other highlights of the day were played. The big screen was also used to relay live feed from Ijtema Gah so that people could watch and listen to live programmes outside.

The exhibition this year included various exhibits which were mixed of regions as well as several departments. Regions that had their exhibits included Northwest, Muqami, Yorkshire, South, Baitun Noor and South West. Some of the departments were MKA Khidmat-e-Khalq, MKA Talim, IAAAE, Humanity First etc. Atfal Explorers club also had an exhibition highlighting their activities and merchandise. The central exhibition included picture wall of current and historic images, as well as Holy Quran exhibition which also displayed the replica of a 1000 year Holy Quran.

Another great feature at the Ijtema was the Hub which included virtual reality zone, Tech zone, café which provided milkshakes and doughnuts. Review of Religions held a special exhibition this year at the Ijtema which included the Al-Qalam Project, showcasing historic old copies of the Holy Quran and calligraphy exhibitions.

For Atfal this year there was a special funfair at the ijtema which included various games for Atfal. Apart from this Atfal had academic and sports competitions, there was also an indoor sports marquee for the Atfal.

Concluding Address by Huzoor (ATBA)

On 17 September 2017, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered a faith-inspiring address to conclude the three-day National Ijtema (Annual Gathering) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association in the UK (Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya).

Throughout his address, Huzur[atba] spoke about the most fundamental pledge that all Muslims make, which is the Muslim creed: