Last Sunday 25 June 2017, the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with great zest and fervour in the Hills District. The day started with the special Eid prayers in the morning. Several congregations were held throughout Sydney and the surrounding regions where a large number of people attended these prayers. The Hills Muslim community offered the Eid prayers in Cherrybrook. This congregation was organised by the ILM Society and Maulana Thanvi delivered the Khutbah and led the prayers.
After finishing the prayers and enjoying light refreshments, the families visited each other to celebrate this happy occasion. The kids were over the moon with getting ‘Eidee” from their parents.
The day ended with a gala dinner arranged by Mrs Tayyaba Faheem at the Castle Hill Community Hall. The hall was tastefully decorated with a large welcome sign at the entrance. People started streaming into the hall as the dinner time approached. As the number of attendees swelled, the atmosphere became more vibrant with loud laughter heard from different corners of the hall. A large gathering created a festive atmosphere where pleasantries were exchanged among the family and friends. More than 200 people attended the dinner.
The evening started with the recitation of Holy Quran by Taha Shoaib, followed by a short talk by Raza Kirmani, who exhorted the community to continue practicing the Din with same zeal as during the Ramadan. Before the dinner was served, the community was entertained by the masterful display of card magic by Hamza Asif and supported by Hamza Shoaib. Several jaw-dropping tricks were performed with the help of volunteers from the attendees. Rimsha Bilal was the MC for these fun activities. Despite stumbling at a few tongue-twisters, her persistent effort to conduct the activities in formal Urdu was greatly appreciated.
The Council General of Pakistan High Commission, Abdul Majid Yousfani, graced the occasion. He mixed with the community members offering Eid- Mubarak to all. Muhammad Asif, CEO Easylink Group, was also prominent among the attendees.
The night culminated with a sumptuous dinner and chit-chat among the family and friends. Thanks to Faheem, Abid, Asif, Ashraf, Shoaib, Mehnaz, Bilal, Habib and their families for putting in a great effort to make this evening a success. Special thanks to the young organisers including Yasir, Dayan, Hamza, Hammad, Samra, Shabeeh, Maha and Zohayr, who helped decorate the hall.
