By Oladejo Abdulbasit Ololade
Imagine embarking on a 5-hour journey to a spiritual retreat, only to encounter fuel scarcity, a cracked windshield, a mysterious fuel leak, and a sleepless night in a questionable neighborhood. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? But for me, it was a test of faith and determination to attend Jalsa Salana Nigeria, the annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Growing up, my parents instilled in me the importance of attending Jalsa Salana, and I had never missed one. But in 2019, fate seemed determined to keep me away.
We planned to leave early on Friday, but fuel scarcity had other plans. After securing two 25-liter gallons, we hit the road, only to be halted by a tedious traffic jam on Iwo Road, Ibadan. A long vehicle rear-ended us, cracking our windshield. We rushed to a nearby workshop for repairs, thinking that was the worst of it.
After fixing the windshield, we discovered a mysterious fuel leak. We paused to repair it, but our journey was far from smooth. The leak drained our fuel, leaving us stranded. The females in our group boarded another Jama’at vehicle, while four of us males spent the night guarding our vehicle, praying till dawn.
We were warned about the area’s high crime rate, so we were vigilant through the night. The darkness was palpable, but our faith kept us going.
At dawn, a brother ventured out to find fuel. After six hours of searching, he returned triumphant. We were overjoyed, but our hunger pangs were unbearable. Locals offered us Paw paw and (colorful) water, we accepted it but we could not feed on it. Our hunger for spiritual nourishment outweighed our physical hunger.
With fuel in hand, we embarked on the final leg of our journey. We arrived at the Jalsa Salana grounds at 7 pm, exhausted but exhilarated. Our attendance was marked, and we earned Allah’s grace in abundance.
That experience taught me that with faith and perseverance, even the most daunting obstacles can be overcome.
