PAAMA Eid Milan Family Picnic 2016
The PAAMA Eid Milan Family Picnic 2016 was held on Saturday 23rd July 2016 at the Jamia Ahmadiyya UK complex in Haslemere. By the grace of Allah, it was a very well attended event with PAAMA members travelling from as far afield as Scotland and the South West to be in attendance such that once again there was a record attendance of over three hundred PAAMA members and guests from all over the UK.
Following registration and site tour of the Jamia Ahmadiyua UK, the formal session began with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Lamin Jawo Sahib and translation by Shakeer Idris Sahib. This was followed by a Nazm in Urdu by Atfal from the North region which was truly inspirational and testifies the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah.
The first speaker Abbas Agbaje Sahib gave an account of The 100 Year History of Ahmadiyyat in Nigeria. In his speech he narrated the hardship and challenges faced by earlier members of the Jama’at and how the movement has progressed from 21 people in 1916 to tens of thousands today by the grace of Allah.
This was followed by the second speaker Maulana Abdul Ghaffar Ahmad Sahib who spoke on the subject of The Role of African Ahmadi Muslims in the Diaspora. In his speech he emphasised the point that although we might have come to the west with different objectives and reasons we should always endeavour not to deviate from Islam and the Jama’at. He called on all members to seek out our “lost” brothers and sisters and bring them back into the Jama’at and also seek those who have not yet joined us and bring them back into the fold of the Jama’at. He also advised the audience to aim high not low both in our material and spiritual endeavours in order to count ourselves successful.
The closing remarks and vote of thanks were given by Tommy Kallon Sahib, President of PAAMA UK. Tommy Kallon Sahib expressed his thanks and sincere appreciation to various members of the organising team both male and female for their service and dedication in making the event a success. He also called for greater co-operation and collaboration among PAAMA members emphasising the point that PAAMA needs all its members to help in various departments to carry out the various programmes required for its progress.
The formal session concluded with silent prayer led by Maulana Abdul Ghaffar Sahib who also led the congregational Zuhr and Asr prayers.
Soon afterwards the picnic was fully underway in the surrounding of Jamia Ahmadiyya. The organising teams ensured a well-coordinated catering service provided a mix of mainly African but also continental cuisine. The children busied themselves in lively activities on the two giant-sized bouncy castles and slides laid on the grounds for them while the men engaged in various sporting events such as table tennis, basketball and football. Others took pleasure in just lounging on the garden courtyard in the good company of friends and families some of whom they have not seen since last year’s picnic as they tucked into their various dishes. The women also engaged themselves in various gaming activities with the children. The weather on the day was fantastic which added more to the fun enjoyed by all and sundry. On the whole this was once again a remarkable, enjoyable and exhilarating event which saw further improvements on previous years.
Barbeque time at PAAMA Eid Milan Family Picnic
Kids fun and games