by A. Abdul Aziz, Sri Lanka Correspondent, Al Hakam, London.8

More than 35,000 delegates from over 90 countries including Sri Lanka are expected to attend the Ahmadiyya Muslim Annual Conference, holding today (Friday 25th July) to Sunday 27th July 2025 at Alton, United Kingdom.

Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (Jamaát) Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, The Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him) said:

‘’Do not consider this gathering to be the same as other ordinary, worldly gatherings. Rather the case of this is such, that it is founded upon the pure support of truth and the propagation of Islam. The foundation stone of this community has been laid by Allah Almighty Himself, and such nations have been prepared that will soon come and enter its fold. This is because it is the work of that All- Powerful Being, for Whom, nothing is impossible.’’

International Initiation Ceremony.

This three-day Convention includes a world-wide Initiation (Bai’at) Ceremony that is held every year at the time of Annual Convention in which large numbers of people from different countries gather at some places in their respective countries and then via satellite take an oath of allegiance at the hand of the Caliph (Khalifa) of the Ahmadfiyya Muslim Community Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.  This historical ceremony will be held on Sunday 27^th of July 2025 (last day of the Convention) at 5.30 P.M. local time. In Sri Lanka too, Ahmadi Muslims across the country assembling in their mosques situated at Colombo, Negombo, Pasyala Puttalam and Polonnarwa and taking part in this Initiation Ceremony via MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) – Community’s FREE satellite TV.   

In the Convention site in the United Kingdom, the members of the community form five or seven lines in front of the Khalifa at the ceremony to represent the five/seven continents of the world. Officials of the Community and other people who have worked for the Community or are otherwise selected for this ceremony, are present in these lines. The lines proceed to some extent in an orderly manner after which other members are present. The members and those who want to become members place their hands on the back of the person in their front, as is known from the tradition of the early Muslims at the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and so form chains of physical contact with the Khalifa. This physical contact is seen necessary only for those present at the ceremony.

The oath of allegiance or Bai’at is taken by the Khalifa in the following way: first he reads a sentence or a part of a sentence from the oath in English or in Urdu language, which the members of the community repeat after him. Then the same sentence or part of the sentence is repeated by translators in many languages of the world simultaneously and repeated by the members of the community.

 After having gone through the whole text of the oath of allegiance in this manner, the Khalifa leads the members in silent prayers.