On Saturday, July 24th, New York City, The Eid Gala was certainly the place to be! Guests filled the room with stunning suits and gowns paired with some of the dopest kicks for a NIGHT OF CELEBRATION TO BE REMEMBERED!

Renowned Photographer and Creative, Ismail ‘Calligrafist’ Sayeed first released a Photo Series honoring Muslim Women and it was so well received by the community. — It showed his appreciation for Women specifically, prior to him uniting the Community. — See here:

See below, a Snippet of the feature highlighted by Bleu Magazine on the uniquely honorable Muslimah Photo Series:

Ismail then hosted the FIRST annual Eid Gala! “The Eid Gala”, which was the first of many events that will be brought together by The Eid Collective. Bringing together Muslims of all walks of life… athletes, teachers, scholars, poets, music artists, entrepreneurs, influencers and many others to celebrate Eidul Adha; an event unique to its kind! Calligrafist and his team introduced the beauty of the biggest holiday in the Muslim faith at a private location in New York City. Guests walked into the stunning building, in the heart of the Fashion District, taking to the 17th floor, to be amazed as the elevator swept open to a beautiful scene on the red carpet filled with flashing lights. Afterwards, they stepped into a room filled with interactive galleries that included a 360 kick’s cam, huge lights glowing with the event name, photo booth, and a reception filled with music, drinks, and amazing food. Chef Mikail put together a delightful Crudite spread and prepared tasty horderves that were paired with the guests choice of a ZERO alcohol (non-alcoholic) wine sponsored by, “Halal Wine Cellar” or fresh coffee sponsored by “Mizar Coffee”; as they drifted through the interactive galleries enjoying the music by Dj E-One.

Shortly after, the guests were welcomed into a breathtaking arrangement, in the main ballroom, to be seated for dinner and the final program. Our gracious host, ‘Calligrafist’, opened the program with a Du’a (Prayer) that offered thanks and blessings to those in attendance followed by a performance by Poet Najmah53. The room was in awe by the power of the message Najmah53 shared. It brought a subtle, but much needed reminder, to check out of social media and check into reality. Guests then enjoyed the tasteful five course dinner which offered their choice of fish, jerk chicken, stew, chicken, or vegetable stir-fry all seasoned to perfection and delightfully paired with rice, plantain and mac & cheese. Leading upto the Maghrib (prayer) that brought continued unity to those in attendance.

As the night went on, Keynote Speaker Shaykh Ubaydullah Evans, shared a very empowering speech which touched base on the honoree’s from earlier in the night. Continuing to spread the message of Batouly Camara’s program W.A.K.E (the official foundation of the event) which focuses on the empowerment of women and children and addressed her accomplishments in her basketball career. During the gala, The Eid Collective was able to raise $1.5k for WAKEthat will go towards a youth basketball camp that will be held in August in Guinea Conakry.

Shaykh Ubaydullah Evans also shared his sediments on Honoree Imam Khalid Latif who is the Co-Founder and Chairman of “Pillars of Pace” also awarded earlier in the evening.

“The Eid Gala”,  exhibited uniqueness, not only because of the magnitude of the event, but because of the people that it brought together! Both Muslim and those of all other faiths, all came dressed to impress and rocking their flyest sneakers. Other special guests in attendance included Husain Abdullah, former NFL player and Hisham Tawfiq, actor from NBC’s “The Blacklist”. As well as many other notable attendees such as Yusuf Chuku, Kanwal Kalim, Ani Sanyal, Mikaal Sulaiman, Lish 2x, and Black Muslims Now. 

Guests enjoyed the interactive galleries, delicious food/drinks, and left with a gifting bag filled with items thanks to all of the sponsors; OddSox, The Halal Wine Cellar, The Soul Spot, Modern Wall Art, Kolkata Chi Co., Mizar Coffee, Mike Likes It Ice Cream, As-Suq, GraeWellness, La Poz, HaGou, Pink Walnut Bistro, Urban Simplicity, ME Productions, and Ambitious Futures.

Here are a few Images we found amazing via The EID Collective, and wanted to share to showcase the initiative.