Summary of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Darbar in Los Angeles

First of all Deedar Mubarak to all of you as we had the best Deedar in Los Angeles.  This kind of Deedar is one we consider we will never receive anywhere and our hearts are fulfilled as we have been blessed and we are one of those fortunate ones to have attended this wonderful Darbar.

Below is a summary of what we can remember about the Deedar and Hazar Imam’s Farman Mubarak as He made some very important points.

We arrived in LA on Friday, April 11 and had to go to Santa Monica Jamatkhana as the LA Convention Centre was not ready until the day of the Darbar. There were shuttle buses from the hotel to take us to the overflow hall, Barker Hall, as their permanent Santa Monica Jamatkhana was full. However Barker Hall was so nicely set up as a Jamatkhana and the Jamat was given dinner on both days at the Hall after the regular Jamatkhana ceremonies. Shuttles were available from 10 pm to return to the hotel so that those who wanted to stay and play dandia raas they could and would take a later shuttle.

Prior to the Darbar, on Sunday the Convention Centre was open at 10:00 am for picking up our Entry cards and people could register if they had not done so on-line. It was unfortunate that their computer system crashed and people stood in line for an hour and a half before the system was restored. Once that was done, everyone was taken very speedily and they issued us with cards to enter the Darbar Hall.

There were several activities during this time and we participated in the Adaab and Deedar Workshop where we were taught what is Deedar and the meaning of Adaab. Everyone knows that Adaab means respect, humility and the way you conduct yourself before, during and after the Departure of the Imam from the Darbar Hall and it was amazing.

There were so many sessions and we also helped out in Jura packing as we were told they needed volunteers but fortunately most of the work had been completed. The LA Jamat is 2,600 and about 15,000 international visitors arrived and they treated us with humility, respect and warmth. That is the true meaning of what our faith is all about. Many activities were going on as people attended Tasbih making workshops as they were making tasbihs which they later gave out to all those who attended the Darbar.

We were served with breakfast, lunch and Dinner and they had outside professional caterers to serve us. It was truly so organized and the set-up was such that people had so many food stations to go to and move quickly to get meals.

Jamatkhana was at the Convention Centre from Monday and we were served with dinner followed by Dandia Raas.

The Day of the Darbar

1. The gates opened at 4 am. We woke up at 2:30 am and when we arrived at the Darbar Hall by the Shuttle, there were so many people already waiting in line outside since entry was not yet permitted.
2. We went through a very quick security check which was very well organized and moved thousands of people expeditiously.
3. The Darbar Hall opened and we were given a snack bag with all kinds of goodies and bottled water.
4. We were so fortunate to be able to sit in the front row (exactly from the stage) and this is where I feel Mowla sensed the unity in the Jamat and was so happy. LA Jamat told us that our Imam has told us that we are one united Jamat so why should there be a distinction between LA locals and International visitors. Everyone was allowed to sit together and LA locals were not given a spot in the front but they mingled with all of us.
5. The ambience in the Darbar Hall was befitting to this lovely Golden Jubilee Darbar.
6. There was so much discipline, harmony and tolerance and we feel strongly that the Imam could see this and He was always happy throughout the Darbar and in the lounge.
7. We have never sat so close to the stage in our own cities or any other places where this Darbar is held and therefore this made it so special.
8. There were huge screens where you could see every feature of the Imam or the reciters if you chose not to look at the stage.
9. At 5.05 am morning dua was recited and we were so grateful.
10. The Intezar program was going to start at 7:30 am so that they would settle all the Jamat; allow them to go to the washrooms, etc. We all prayed in our own ways for a couple of hours. There was something special about the hall and it was so serene and calm.
11. We were each given a Tasbih which was made as I mentioned earlier.
12. We also received the Golden Jubilee pin which you get at all Darbars.

Intezar Program

1. This was the most spiritual, heart-warming Intezar Program that we participated in and there is absolutely no comparison between past Deedar experiences and we feel there never will be anywhere else as the program was thought out so well.
2. The participants for the Intezar program were all seated on the left side of the stage and it was so organized as they were groups of people who led the recitation of giriyazari Tasbih and they all were given a schedule and seated in the same manner and therefore followed and stood on the side so that when the previous reciters completed, the next group directly went on stage. This was superb organization.
3. The Intezar program started with the ginan “Tamakun Sadhare So din, bohot huaa re piya, Meh dekhun tumari vatare, maherbaan merey, Saheb merey, Dayavant mere, Sirjanhaar Mere, Ya Shah tuja bina so dina javenge kaisage piyaji. We had tears in our eyes as this is the most touching ginan.
4. Then one after another the most befitting waezes, giriyazari Tasbih, and ginans were recited that you definitely knew that this program was very well thought out. We heard the giriyazari Tasbih “Ya Ale Nabi, Aulad-e-Ali, Ya Mushkil Kusha, Ya Hazar Imam” throughout with the Salwat and many other powerful giriyazari tasbihs. The ginans were chosen that they made the Jamat emotional. They recited, “Sami Maraji, Uniya bee uniya ame kiriyana hina(n), Toh Amne Che Aash tamariyaji. Of course the worse “Hariya so hariya ne sukabi hariya, Jo hove nazar tamariyaji. Mitha so mitha ne kadva bhi mitha, to aah gurke vachne fal mitharaji. 
5. Other Ginans recited were Saheb ji More Man bhave….Jeh jeh mangu…. and the Qasida Dum a dum Ali Ali. Then there was Allah Ek Kasam Sabuka, duniya uski saari, avi chal naam Khudavind bhaniye, , Aur sab mitiya keri baji…..(absolutely emotional). There was Ab teri muhobbat lagi, Aash tamhari shri ho – we recited this ginan twice, Hu re piya, Dasi tori, tu Chinta mori kyun na karo, khidmat……..(Jamat was crying in this ginan. Anand, Anand, etc.
6. The tasbihs were also upstanding so the Jamat could stretch their legs. They included all the powerful giriyazari tasbihs. We felt we were in heaven. 
7. Just before Hazar Imam left his residence, they recited “Aankha ladi joi joi thaki, Kyare avey moro Sham, partake jaani paaye padun Vala, Nami nami karun paranam, Mitha Sha samarun meh tero naam, Ya Shah samarun men tero naam, Khudavind samarun meh tero naam……This touched everyone’s heart as the Intezar had begun intensely and we could feel our heartbeats that our Mowla will be amongst us in a short while. 
8. When minutes were remaining for Hazar Imam to come, they recited the above Ginan “Aankh ladi joi joi thaki and their tune is so different and so soothing that we knew Mowla is not far away.
9. We knew when Mowla arrived as our heart beat faster.
10. Hazar Imam arrived around 10:55 am so we did giriyazari for three and a half hours and He went into his lounge and changed into His ceremonial Robe and Topi and He entered the Hall. Mashalla, He looked majestic and he walked for so long on all the red carpets on one side of the Deedar Hall and we thought he would not pass by us but He did on his way out and it was an exceptional experience – one that we will NEVER forget.
11. Hazar Imam was smiling so much and He looked majestic in his Golden Jubilee jabo.
12. During this time the Jamat followed the Al-Waez’s lead in reciting Salwat softly and their concept was that if you recite Salwat softly then if you are fortunate enough that when Mowla is passing by, and you are fortunate enough to have eye contact with Him, He is saying Duas that you can hear. I think most people from Vancouver found it strange as we recite loud salwats. I thought this concept completely made sense and Hazar Imam was smiling so much that you could feel He was very happy.
13. During this walkabout, there was pin drop silence as we all unitedly recited the salwat softly. I have yet to see such discipline in the Jamat.
14. He was so happy as He went onto the stage to take His seat in the beautiful chair. You could see He had a frozen right shoulder and He used his left hand to give Khanavadan and he kept pressing his left arm but look at the sacrifices Mowla makes for us. Despite His recent injury, He still travels to come and give us Deedar.
15. Mukhi Saheb presented the gold chain which was incredible. We have never seen such a unique and heavy gold chain before and Hazar Imam did not remove it but kept it on till the end.
16. After the Mukhi Kamadia Sahebs and Mukhiani Kamadian Sahebas presented a mehmani, then Imam nodded to the two young Ismailis (probably in the late twenties) to proceed with the Ayat. This is the first time a female recited the Ayat and Hazar Imam just stared at her as she said it so beautifully. He looked all around the Jamat as if He was taking in the face of every murid. Then the translation was read by a male student.
17. This was followed by the ginan “Satgur Miliya Mune Aaaj Paami chu raaj and 4 verses were recited and the Imam was so engrossed in listening to the ginan.
18. Hazar Imam was smiling so much that we could see He was so happy. The discipline continued throughout the Darbar.
19. The President of the National Council for USA then gave his loyalty speech and it was very heart-warming and touching. He was so eloquent and when he said that we were so grateful to Imam-e-Zaman Shah Karim Al Husseini, our beloved 49th Imam for giving us 50 years of continuous guidance; devotion and support. Hazar Imam smiled but wiped a tear. He is becoming so emotional these days and we also cried. Then when the President made the pledges on behalf of the Jamat, after every pledge, we all said Ameen and the Imam at the end say Ameen too. He acknowledged every pledge by nodding His head.
20. Then the moment we had all been waiting for is to hear our Imam and He walked to the mike and started His Farman by giving best blessings to all those who were in the Darbar. He said it does not matter if you are not from Los Angeles and especially for those of you who have come from outside Los Angeles, please give my best blessings to your family and to your jamats and convey the message that they are also in my heart and in my prayers.
21. He started the Farman by telling the Jamat to have a big smile on their faces and to have this smile of happiness all day long. He said smile with happiness; smile for your family; smile for unity and He used so many lines to tell us to smile always.
22. He acknowledged the wonderful work done by the volunteers and gave His best blessings.
23. He thanked the Governor of California and with the help his state had been able to assist with the arrangements of His visit to California. He was so happy on how he was welcomed by the Governor of California and he also thanked them for working with our Jamat in making this trip possible.
24. Hazar Imam then talked about the slowing down of the economy and He said this was not only applying to the USA but also to other parts of the world. He said this called for some measures the Jamat must take in ensuring they are not hit too hard with this economic slow down. He sad that this called for being cautious on how we handle our resources; to be prudent and to be aware that so many countries were going through crises but we would have to handle this economic slow down.
25. Hazar Imam said Life has its challenges but we should still look forward to the future with optimism.
26. This was a bad time for some countries particularly where democratic practices have changed and in other places where people are facing many problems. He said that it may take some time to get these countries back to its normal state and there is always hope.
27. Hazar Imam then touched upon the Best Practice method used in the Western World. It was so important during this economic slow down to work unitedly with individuals who are in the same profession as us but by joining resources, it would help tremendously to get through this economic slow down.
28. He then referred to the way that Islam is being interpreted and the misunderstanding people have about Islam. He said that we should explain what Islam is and the ethics of our faith but if the person does not understand, He said “Let it Go”. Do not get over-emotional.
29. Hazar Imam talked about the regular practice of our faith. Regular attendance in Jamatkhana is good but that is not the only thing that is important. The remembrance and awareness of our faith should be with us every moment of the day. Even if we spend 20 seconds in remembering our faith as often as we can, it is considered as an act of prayer. Hazar Imam said it so well “You have a Tasbih – take your Tasbih and call Allah, call Hazrat Ali and call Prophet Muhammad and this remembrance of our faith and being conscious of the presence of Allah in our daily lives is the true meaning of Islam. We should have our faith on our minds at all times and that is through the remembrance of our faith.
30. Hazar Imam then touched upon the ethics of our faith and that we must not forget the ethics of our faith. The ethics of generosity, kindness, of sharing, assisting those who come to you for help. Not only to those whom you know but even outside the community. If someone comes for help, give them the assistance they need.
31. Hazar Imam then continued that be loyal to your faith; always be truthful in your daily lives – our faith is one of peace, of kindness, of humility.
32. He then talked about social habits which are damaging to one’s health and He really stressed that we should stay away from these habits which would be detrimental to our health.
33. Hazar Imam reminded us of His Golden Jubilee objectives. He was very, very grateful to the Jamat for their extreme generosity in the Material and Time and Knowledge nazrana presented by the Jamat and He said all this expertise in the Jamat will now help the Imamat in their endeavours to strengthen our institutions. He said as soon as the Time and Knowledge would start, so many people all over the world will benefit from this as people offer their expertise in helping the Imamat to fulfill its objectives.
34. Hazar Imam said one objective was that this Time and Knowledge Nazrana will assist in building strong institutions and improving on our institutions to meet the needs of the Jamat.
35. The second objective was that He wants to eradicate poverty from this world. He does not like to hear the word “poor” and He knows there are so many of our murids who are living a very poor quality of life. He said the conditions are so bad in so many countries where the living conditions must be improved so that the murids can have a good quality of life. He said it might take a couple of generations but this initiative will start in this Golden Jubilee Year as in many countries, our murids live in extreme poverty.
36. His third objective was (and he said Alhamdullilah), longevity or life span has increased for individuals and people now live much longer than they used to. This affects the aged whom He is very concerned about. He wants to ensure that the aged do not lose their dignity. He wants to ensure the aged are well looked after so that they also live a good quality of life.
37. Hazar Imam then gave best blessings to the youth to succeed in their education. He said that there are so many opportunities for good, educated individuals in so many parts of the world – not just in the USA or Canada or Australia or New Zealand but also in the developing world. He said the youth should strive to have a good sound education to access all these opportunities that existed in the developing world.
38. Hazar Imam gave best blessings for good health, prosperity, long lives, unit in the family, lots of barakat, for mushkilasan and that ALL our wishes be fulfilled, Ameen. He also gave His best blessings for souls of all ruhani members and prayed for their eternal peace.
39. Hazar Imam thanked the California Jamat for the wonderful gifts that they had presented Him and gave His best blessings.
40. He once again told us that although He may not be with us physically but He will remember the face of every murid present here and also those who have not been able to attend. He said “You are always in my heart, every one of you and in my prayers. I am with you ALL THE TIME.
41. He once again repeated that the Imam is always with you and He has every murid in his heart and in his prayers. He was so emotional when He said this.
42. Hazar Imam then said that He knows that we will be celebrating tonight with Dandia Raas. He said I want you all to be very happy today and to play Dandia Raas and although physically I will not be there, but tonight I will be dancing and playing Dandia Raas with you.
43. Once again, He gave us blessings and asked us to be happy. He said the Imam is always with you at all times.
44. Hazar Imam then started His descent and walked right by us on the red runner and we were so fortunate that the Imam made eye contact with us and said some dua. We were crying and so fulfilled by the warmth that the Imam had left us with.
45. He walked again on all the runners on the second half of the Hall. He also stopped by the people who were on stretchers and stopped asked Mukhi Saheb something. He also stopped by a mentally challenged man. He made His way back a second time and stopped by all the people in the stretchers and wheel chairs and gave His blessings.
46. He then went into the lounge and was there for 55 minutes. He was in the Darbar for one hour and 5 minutes and 55 minutes in the lounge which is a record.
47. While He was in the lounge, the Alwaez had complete control of the Jamat by telling them that Hazar Imam was still amongst us and no-one, not even the volunteers should move or stand up. Instead he started the Jamat to rise and say the Shukrana Tasbih. This young graduate from Harvard who was the Al-Waez was absolutely superb. He maintained discipline in the Jamat and we did giryazari tasbihs softly for the 55 minutes while Imam was still in the lounge.
48. We have never ever witnessed such discipline and the Alwaez kept the Jamat busy by having them recite the various giryazari tasbihs softly as he said that the Imam was still amongst us and it is Imam’s right to get this adaab from us. We must not stand up and start talking, etc..
49. Mukhi Saheb came in after Hazar Imam left at 2 pm and addressed the Jamat that Imam was so very happy. Mukhi Saheb, on behalf of the Jamat asked for forgiveness for any shortcomings and Hazar Imam replied that he was immensely happy. He was very, very happy in the way the Jamat had organized His visit.
50. Kamadia Saheb then shared that Mukhi Saheb gave an arji to Hazar Imam on behalf of the Australia/New Zealand Mukhi Kamadia that they wondered if Imam would consider visiting Australia. Hazar Imam laughed and said that He was already busy breeding thoroughbreds and when He is tired of that, He will start breeding Kangaroos and visit Australia. The Jamat all laughed.
51. Hazar Imam told Mukhi Saheb to tell the Jamat that He was so happy.
52. It was the most incredible Deedar we have experienced and we are so blessed and fulfilled.

Shukar Mowla.

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