Technology has crept into all spheres of life, so how can religion be far behind?
As the holy month of Ramzan gets underway, with millions fasting from dawn to dusk, a number of apps have come up to help them keep track of everything from food recipes and prayers timings to the timings of suhur (morning meal) and iftaar (evening meal). Many of these apps have already notched high downloads and many more are getting launched to cater to the needs of the fasters.
Here’s your guide to the best ones:
Google’s Ramadan Dashboard
When Google puts its mind to a problem, it usually comes up with an all-in-one solution. Its new Ramzan site is another such creation. Called My Ramadan Companion, the site provides a rainbow of information, from food recipes to suhur and iftaar timings, as well as entertainment options in the form of a YouTube collection that one can watch while fasting. The page also lists decorators, health tips and links to specific apps to get things done.
Find mosques
For those battling deadlines and on the move, Salatuk is very useful. The app sends notifications about prayer timings and alerts the user about the nearest mosques through Global Positioning System. It’s also possible to find the Qibla (the direction of Mecca, to which Muslims turn to pray) through this.
Share greetings
Muslim Pro app is one of the most comprehensive and popular apps for Ramzan this year. It offers audio recitations of prayers and fully translated Quran besides audio and visual calls for prayer. It is equipped with a calendar of major Islamic dates that helps in estimating dates of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Zuha. Apart from this, there are 100 e-greeting cards on the app that can be shared across platforms.
Talking food
For those eschewing food for the better part of the day, it is important to break fast with a clean, healthy meal. Since going out is not an option for all office-goers, food delivery apps, such as Foodpanda and TinyOwl, are offering Ramzan delicacies from legacy eateries at their desks. There are also apps for those who prefer cooking at home to takeaways – Ramadan Recipes, in Arabic, and Ramadan Iftaar Recipes, in English, are two of these. Those fond of Pakistani cuisine can try the Ramzan Recipe app, which is available in English too.
Teachings traditions
Parents wishing to teach their children about Islamic traditions can turn to apps such as Salah. It teaches kids Salah (prayer) and Wudu (ablution) through animated characters, with audio in multiple languages, including Arabic, English and Urdu. Another good option for parents is Yusuf-Stories of the Prophets. This app has turned tales about Prophet Muhammad into animated videos. The only snag is that the app is available only on Apple’s iOS store, not on Android yet.
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As the holy month of Ramzan gets underway, with millions fasting from dawn to dusk, a number of apps have come up to help them keep track of everything from food recipes and prayers timings to the timings of suhur (morning meal) and iftaar (evening meal). Many of these apps have already notched high downloads and many more are getting launched to cater to the needs of the fasters.
Here’s your guide to the best ones:
Google’s Ramadan Dashboard
When Google puts its mind to a problem, it usually comes up with an all-in-one solution. Its new Ramzan site is another such creation. Called My Ramadan Companion, the site provides a rainbow of information, from food recipes to suhur and iftaar timings, as well as entertainment options in the form of a YouTube collection that one can watch while fasting. The page also lists decorators, health tips and links to specific apps to get things done.
Find mosques
For those battling deadlines and on the move, Salatuk is very useful. The app sends notifications about prayer timings and alerts the user about the nearest mosques through Global Positioning System. It’s also possible to find the Qibla (the direction of Mecca, to which Muslims turn to pray) through this.
Share greetings
Muslim Pro app is one of the most comprehensive and popular apps for Ramzan this year. It offers audio recitations of prayers and fully translated Quran besides audio and visual calls for prayer. It is equipped with a calendar of major Islamic dates that helps in estimating dates of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Zuha. Apart from this, there are 100 e-greeting cards on the app that can be shared across platforms.
Talking food
For those eschewing food for the better part of the day, it is important to break fast with a clean, healthy meal. Since going out is not an option for all office-goers, food delivery apps, such as Foodpanda and TinyOwl, are offering Ramzan delicacies from legacy eateries at their desks. There are also apps for those who prefer cooking at home to takeaways – Ramadan Recipes, in Arabic, and Ramadan Iftaar Recipes, in English, are two of these. Those fond of Pakistani cuisine can try the Ramzan Recipe app, which is available in English too.
Teachings traditions
Parents wishing to teach their children about Islamic traditions can turn to apps such as Salah. It teaches kids Salah (prayer) and Wudu (ablution) through animated characters, with audio in multiple languages, including Arabic, English and Urdu. Another good option for parents is Yusuf-Stories of the Prophets. This app has turned tales about Prophet Muhammad into animated videos. The only snag is that the app is available only on Apple’s iOS store, not on Android yet.
