Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the name 7 Shades come from?


Seven Shades was intentionally meant to be a neutral name (absent of Islamic connotation, i.e. would not be assumed to be a "Muslim Organization") It comes from a Hadith {saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him)}.

Narrated by Abu Huraira: The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. They are:

  1. A just ruler;
  2. A young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, (i.e. worship Allah (Alone) sincerely from his childhood),
  3. A man whose heart is attached to the mosque (who offers the five compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque);
  4. Two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only;
  5. A man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for an illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah;
  6. A person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity).
  7. A person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears."

(Sahih Bukhari 24:504)

What does it mean when you say "7 Shades uses Islamic Principles"?


It means that the guiding source for how we execute our vision and the goals are the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad (saw) and righteous people succeeding him.

What is 7 Shades?

 

Seven Shades is a non profit social movement which uses Islamic principles to empower God conscious and socially conscious folk to enjoin together in providing positive contributions to society.

How will 7 Shades execute its objectives?


Empowerment towards positive contributions to society is done via national retreats, national conferences, weekly/monthly/yearly social functions, national conference calls, chat room discussions, blogging, supporting and attending socially positive functions, fundraising, road trips, and other positive activities which bond people together to create lasting relationships so that positive contributions to society can be made in an impactful and unified manner.

Who is 7 Shades for? What niche are we after?


Fundamentally it is for Socially/God Conscious people. Specifically it is geared towards the "Fence". For the Socially/God Conscious Muslims on the "fence" of leaving the masjid/community/Islam and for the Socially/God Conscious Non-Muslim that is on the "fence entering the masjid/Muslim community/Islam. Muslims and Non Muslims do not have to be on the 'fence' to be in 7Shades. The "fence" crowd is just our specialty and where we focus on empowering.

What is the age range?


From 11 and up. Four divisions thus far : 11-13, 14-18, 19-23, 24 and up
How does 7 Shades empower people?

Empowerment comes through using the strengths inside people to overcome what is disempowering to each person. To overcome what is disempowering, one must be open, up front, and non judgmental about the internal and external things that disempower us all to reach our potential to provide the best contribution we can to society.

What do we need to do now? What are some upcoming projects?


Every movement needs financial backing. So we are fundraising now for our upcoming projects.

  • We need to find a Financial Coordinator for the Seven Shades Board (if you have any suggestions please email president@sevenshades.org)
  • Fundraising $8,000 to finance the National Retreat in Pennsylvania in mid-August 2009.
  • We are also fundraising for our website to be renovated www.sevenshades.org.
  • We have a retreat in Fombell, PA in July of 2009
  • Creating presentations and proposals to bring to the people
  • Seven Shades Cedar Point summer getaway in summer of 2009
  • Attending camps and conferences in spring and summer of 2009
  • We are collaborating with MYNA (Muslim Youth of North America) in mutual support of activities

What is the Goal of 7 Shades (I.E. How will the world be different if we accomplish what we intend?)


The goal is for all of us to be successful firstly, but through empowering each other and others to use our combined successes to create a world with those 7 types of people above (just rulers, peaceful greetings throughout the land, God consciousness, charity giving, young activists, a world that puts sex in the right place instead of everywhere, and people who are deeply attached to their communities (and masjids). Basically we are facilitating for those types of people to emerge (creating a shade :) 7 Shades Our Goal is to develop a society filled with the type of people under the 7 Shades of God through our combined contributions. The goal is to have 7 Shades on earth so that we can have 7 Shades on Judgment Day when we all pass.