London's Greatest Assembly
This article was written by one of our Young Reporters, a scheme that gives 14 to 18-year-old school students a chance to write for a real newspaper. Find out more at the Young Reporter website.
London, a city of rich history and fast pace and while it is culturally booming and filled with cathedrals, Islam, in recent history, has felt considerably out of place.
However, on Saturday the 9th of July 2022, his Holiness Seyedna Muffadal Saifuddin blessed the London congregation of the Dawoodi Bohra Community with the great responsibility of hosting Ashara Mubarak 1444h, something that the father of his holiness, and the previous leader of the Dawoodi Bohras, Seyedna Mohammed Burhanuddin had hoped for 40 years ago.
The Dawoodi Bohras, a muslim community based in India, has spread out across the world and the Ashara event is an event that is partaken by almost a million people yearly.
On the day of Eid-ul-Adha in 1443h (July 2022), his Holiness quenched the thirst of the Bohras of London, declaring that they would be hosting this prestigious event.
The preparations began, and, while it was a great undertaking, the people of the Dawoodi Bohra Community came from all corners of the globe, some from east Africa, some from India and Pakistan, and some even from America and Australia, to help.
All of these people came for one purpose, to spread the mourning of the brutal martyrdom of the grandson of the Prophet Imam Hussain and his family in Karbala.
Ashara Mubaraka started, and it was spectacular, the chants of “Ya-Hussain”, echoed further than once thought possible, and the grandson of his prophet (SAW) was remembered with the guidance of his holiness, in a never before seen setting.
Ashara Mubaraka 1444h will go down as one of the greatest religious assemblies in recent history, and will forever be in the mind of those who had the blessing of attending.
