A Brief History of Seven Shades

There are many groups in this country that cater to Muslim youth. There is MYNA, or the Muslim Youth of North America, which is the youth branch of ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America). There is also YM-Brothers and their sister faction, appropriately named YM-Sisters. There are regional groups as well, such as MMYC, which is the Michigan Muslim Youth Council.

Now, there is a new Islamic youth group, Seven Shades. The group’s name comes from the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallahu Alayhi wa Salaam) about the seven groups of people who will be shaded by Allah on the Day of Judgment. Among the groups are just rulers, peaceful greeters throughout the land, those that are God conscious, those that give to charity, young activists, those that put sex in the right place instead of everywhere, and people who are deeply attached to their communities (and masjids).

Seven Shades was formed as an agenda item at the 2007 annual MANA (Muslim Alliance of North America) conference in Philadelphia, PA. One of the tasks of the conference’s youth committee was to form a group. An email list was generated and Seven Shades got its official start. Initially known as MANA Youth, they held weekly conference calls on Thursday evenings and began to plan their first youth retreat.

The retreat took place in March of 2008 at Camp Fitch, in Erie, PA. About 50 people attended from eight states. The participants had an open, non-judgmental environment to discuss issues within the Muslim community. Some of the topics discussed were deen (or religion) and gender relations. They also had an opportunity to participate in outdoor activities, like archery and horseback riding. Filmmaker Sultan Sharrief showed his film, Bilal’s Stand. The group decided to call itself Seven Shades after the retreat.

After the retreat, the group continued to have their weekly conference calls. The topics ranged from drugs use among teens, to “Why I love being Muslim.” The calls were hosted by Tahirah Taalib-Din, who is the host of “The Tahirah Show.”

Seven Shades hosted their second retreat in July of 2008. It was held at Camp Spencer, in Fombell, PA. About 40 people from seven states attended this retreat, which divided its participants into two groups. The teen attendees (those between the ages of 11 and 18) had their own sessions, and the adults (those 18 and over) had their own. The groups still stayed together and had their meals together. The decision to have the separate groups came in reaction to the first retreat. Some of the teen participants felt that they could not get their ideas and opinions across because the adults were taking over the conversations.The format change was a success. The teen group enjoyed being able to discuss issues among themselves. The adult group enjoyed being able to have discussions without the teens there.

Seven Shades held their third retreat in March of 2009 in Mountain City, GA. The retreat was put together by the Atlanta chapter. The goal of the retreat was to establish that chapter. The retreat also formed bonds among the other chapters.

Today, Seven Shades still hosts their conference calls, which are called “Real Talk.” They have chapters in Atlanta, Connecticut, New Jersey, and three in Michigan: Detroit, Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo. The group plans on sending representatives to the Islamic Games in New Jersey, as well as the Riyaadah in Philadelphia. Local chapters are also planning events.

~Tiffany Pitts
Copyright© 2009