Posted by Hajera under Blogs

“Convey from me, even if it is only an Ayah”^[1].

People throughout centuries have tried to convey the message of Islam through mediums of literature, sermons, spoken word, acts of kindness, charity, even art, photography, calligraphy and poetry.

Convey. It’s no coincidence that it happens to be the name of our design agency for this particular project too.

The Phases of The Moon, (a tie-back, glow-in-the-dark book) seeks to do just that. Our intentions were to convey – just an ayah or two in the traditionally unique, memorable Shade 7 Publishing way, which aims to capture a fraction of the majesty held by those same verses.

We often hear the expression, “We plan and Allah plans, and Allah is the best of planners”, but it is not until you live through the unfolding of unexpected plans, that you feel the truth of this.

From the illustrations to design, to delays in production and delivery due to the unforeseen Covid 19 pandemic that none of us were prepared for: nothing went according to plan. Yet everything went perfectly so. We see it now, close to a full lunar cycle to where we started.

Here is our story, the real journey over the years, from conveying the planned to the totally unplanned.

Saturday 11^th January 2014

10:48am: An email lands in my inbox from an old mentor. A chance conversation had led to the familiar infamous: “You know her – that’s the girl with the pop-up book!”

The introduction recommended Arberor and design agency, Convey, as ‘heavy weights’ in the industry.

Tuesday 11^th June 2019

Five and a half years had flown by since the email introduction, when we finally met. Discussions were had, samples were shown, diagrams and ideas scribbled and visions shared.

17^th October 2019

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an unexpected and unmissable publishing opportunity arose, which meant perhaps this wasn’t going to be the launching project with the heavyweights at Convey after all…

A new, mainstream designer, who was experienced and proficient in doing exactly the kind of design work we needed. The chance to work on this unique book, had to be given to her first.

November 2019

Fast forward many expensive weeks but valuable lessons later, I knew in my heart I wanted to work with artist Rose Hill (who illustrated our colour-changing “My First Wudu Bath Book”) again.

I wanted her and her daughter Summer to be a part of this special book, just as much as I wanted my little trio of nieces to be too.

And I definitely wanted Convey back on board too. They were the team who were destined to convey the message.

Eid al-Fitr, May 2020

Each one of us strove forward with the best efforts we possibly could to accelerate the deadline and zoom towards beginning production to receive the books in time for Eid al-Fitr, May 2020.

And each time the unexpected delay hit, we had to re-calibrate ourselves and our workflow.

And then of course came Covid 19, which would see us all housebound, factories closed, production halted, movement control orders enforced. As the world came to a standstill, so did the hope of launching our little book into celebratory Eid parcels around excited homes.

We believe there is khair (goodness) in everything, wisdom too – and although we’d convey this reminder to one another often, we all still felt a reluctant tinge of sadness each time. It can be hard to understand why something is delayed when you’ve done everything possible to strive to complete it and meet deadlines in the hope this would bring the most benefit to all.

June 2020

Ramadan and Eid, came and went, all under global lockdown. Alhamdulillah (all thanks to God), the world slowly started to heal, movement control orders were lifted, factories opened and production resumed – we were back on track.

August 2020 – Muharram 1442 

We welcomed the Islamic New Year, 1442, with a container load of “Phases of The Moon” books onboard a ship, making their way to us from oceans afar.

September 2020

As the ship is due to land on UK shores, with adjusted back-to-school schedules in full swing, our team and Convey are ready to launch our special book to the world, insha’Allah (God willing), in the time that Allah knows best.

Here’s a glimpse of what you can look forward to:

Phases of The Moon – A tie-back book with sparkles and a glow-in-the-dark surprise.

Children will love to learn about the phases of the moon with this sparkly interactive tie-back book with a surprise glow-in-the-dark ending!

The phases of the moon have been referred to, by God, in the Qur’an, as signs for mankind to reflect upon.

The Islamic calendar is lunar, and a new moon signals the start of a new month. Each phase marks the passing of time and helps determine special days, such as the beginning of Ramadan, the festivals of Eid, and the Hajj pilgrimage.

This original book, which includes beautiful Qur’anic verses and the prayer said upon sighting the new moon, is a unique and fun introduction to the Islamic lunar cycle.

And once the young readers have finished marveling at the shiny patterns, sparkles and surprise glow-in-the dark ending, the book can be tied back to make a stunning free-standing display for the home, classroom or library!

A unique gift for a beloved child.

In the end, what we hope is to convey the message to you and your little legacy builders and help you launch our latest offering in the most powerful, beautiful, awe-inspiring way possible within your own homes, insha’Allah.

And of course, we pray that it does much more than just, convey.

With love and duas,
Hajera M., Shade 7 and Convey.

^[1] Abdullah ibn Amr (May God be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Convey from me, even a single verse. Narrate from the children of Israel, for there is no blame in it. Whoever deliberately lies about me, let him take his seat in Hellfire.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3274