How Muslims are digitizing their Ramadan rituals

This Ramadan, Omar Taha’s camera, microphone and smartphone are not only used to keep in touch with his co-workers.

They are also essential for access to worshipers of the Islamic Faith Center in south London, where Dr. Taha, 33, manages and controls finances as chief custodian.

Every day, he uses his phone to broadcast the sunset call to prayer, to tell Muslims in his Bromley neighborhood that they may break their fast.

He also reads the Qur’an and sets notifications for his five daily prayers from an app.

“The most important aspect for me as a Muslim is praying five times a day. But I am not quite ready to know when prayer appears at every time of the day. So I have prayer times on my phone wherever I go,” Dr. Taha said.

Video communications made a huge difference to the mosque during the pandemic lockdown and continued to reach the community in 2022.

In the United Kingdom, mosques are prohibited from using external loudspeakers for reasons of noise pollution, while in Muslim countries, the call to prayer is broadcast from mosques five times a day.

The first call occurs in Daybreak, or dawn, the latter, better known as dinnerclose to sleep.

Dr. Omar Taha says his smartphone is his most important tool. It is his main window today on every virtual aspect of the practice of Islam. Victoria Bertosa/The National

“Two years ago, when the Covid virus hit, it was a blessing in disguise because it forced us to use online platforms,” said Dr. Taha.

“Thus, one of the initiatives that we thought would be useful is the live broadcast of the call to prayer at breakfast time.”

He said that young people participated in the project, making it a useful tool for interaction with the community.

We didn’t have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram before. We thought we needed to connect with people from all over the area, and we found that not everyone comes to the mosque.”

modern worship

Smart products and technologies are already integrated into the lives of Muslims around the world.

They can use a mobile app to book Umrah permits, minor Hajj, and receive a response in seconds.

They rely on a high-accuracy compass for qiblahAnd The direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, which Muslims turn to in prayer, and even perform it praise Or a repeated supplication to God through a clever ring in place of the traditional prayer beads.

There is a bracelet that counts the number of times God is glorified and tracks heart rate, sleep and exercise.

They may even find love in dating apps meant for Muslims.

Technology has changed the nature of ritual worship in many ways for Khaled El-Sayed, an Egyptian.

The 22-year-old, who has a degree in computer science and is looking to develop another game, relies on a mobile app to recite the Qur’an, making his daily devotions available at any time.

“I always have a small Quran in my bag,” he said, “but I use phone apps a lot and find dark and light mode very useful at night because such apps have an advantage like e-readers.”

He said some of the apps are also connected to GPS and can find the nearest mosque.

His home in Cairo is equipped with a Mac computer, PlayStation 4 game console, and Amazon Alexa virtual assistant.

“Alexa can do anything no matter what. She is always there to look for this and that, and it is much faster than searching on the Internet,” the master said.

He reminds him of prayer times, plays him songs and music, gives him recipes and wakes him up for Suhoor, the meal Muslims eat before they start their fast in the morning.

Muslims and their rituals are also represented in video games developed in response to negative images of them in Western media and culture.

“Young people can learn about Islamic history and explore Islam through many games now, which revolve around the stories of Muslims,” El-Sayed said.

“There are many companies that design and develop virtual reality games on Islamic themes, including Ramadan and Eid. For example, there is a platform called Steam and they have a game called Steam. Experience the virtual reality of the Holy Quran And it’s totally immersive. You can experience Muslim rituals in virtual reality mode.”

Ali Taha, a volunteer at Al-Iman Mosque and Omar’s brother, prepares a live broadcast of the sunset call to prayer. During Ramadan 2022, the call to prayer will be raised at Iftar time among the children of the Muslim community. Victoria Bertosa/The National

Digital Rituals in Ramadan and Eid

Religion related products are also something that online shopping has attracted.

The fanous, the traditional lantern used to decorate streets and homes during Ramadan, is now sold in online stores such as Amazon.

EidiyaAnd One of the most important rituals of Muslim children’s celebration of Eid after Ramadan has also been digitized. Some children under the age of 13 prefer to get their traditional cash gift on the first day of Eid by bank transfer and not in their hands.

Religious consumers may have other concerns than just the best price or the best deal, which also means that communication strategies must take into account a religious mindset, according to Maryam Al-Lami, a Baghdad-based startup and entrepreneurship consultant.

Understanding the consumer behavior of religious people is imperative.

“Religious e-commerce needs to appeal to consumers’ faith and ethics and ensure that the products offered are in line with the beliefs of the target audience,” she said. the National.

“When choosing a niche such as the Muslim religious audience, you have to do your homework and understand the requirements for gaining the approval of this group.”

When choosing a venue such as the Muslim religious audience, you have to do your homework and understand the different religious requirements to gain approval for this group.

Maryam Al-Lami, a consultant in Baghdad for startups and entrepreneurship

She said creating marketing campaigns that touch on their beliefs, such as promising to donate 10 percent of profits to an orphanage, is important.

“or [that could include] Special campaigns for religious holidays where products can be donated to charities or to those in need, and the combination of Islamic principles and a marketing strategy would attract more religious people.”

Technology isn’t just for the secular

The relationship between artificial intelligence and spirituality has been one of the topics discussed in many online seminars and podcasts with the participation of clergy from different religious backgrounds.

Muslim scholars remind their followers that they can reconcile religion with a fast-paced world that is increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence.

Masoud Sabri, a researcher at the institute, said that the relationship between religious Muslims and God remains constant even if it takes different forms. Encyclopedia of Islamic Fiqh in Kuwait.

He said there is a firm belief that religion and technology are irreconcilable and that the tech industry is only for secularists, who have no religion or atheists.

Khaled Al-Sayed, who has a degree in computer science and is now seeking another degree in game development, is primarily dependent on a mobile app for Quran recitation. Photo: Khaled El-Sayed

There are two important factors in our religion. “The goals, these are fixed, the tools, these change with time,” Dr. Sabri said.

“Muslims in the past did not have speakers to raise the call to prayer or set prayer times, for example, today they use smart watches. These new technologies have made life easier for Muslims.

People were reading the Qur’an on wood and palm fronds. Today, they go through entire chapters and listen to their favorite readers with just one tap on their smartphone.”

However, there are concerns that some traditions related to religion are dying as if artificial intelligence is replacing them.

The master has a strong emotional attachment to tradition, especially during Ramadan.

“My Alexa is trusted, but I want to hear my feedback Every Ramadan she calls my name at two or three in the morning before I start my fast,” referring to a man or a woman roaming the street with him. drum Or drums and wake up residents to their meal before sunrise.

There are aspects of Ramadan that technology cannot replace. Ramadan would not be Ramadan without Al-Masharati, the recitation of the Qur’an on the radio before Iftar and the cannon being fired every day for 30 days to indicate the time of Iftar.”

Updated: April 14, 2022, 11:20 AM

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