Sajdah: How to use the world's first smart prayer rug


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

Young children or those new to Islam can now have extra assistance in learning how to pray thanks to a new smart prayer rug.

Called Sajdah, the innovation comes from Qatari inventor Abdulrahman Saleh Khamis, who was recently awarded a gold medal at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva for the creation.

Using advanced technology, the smart prayer rug provides comprehensive guidance on the proper techniques and steps involved in prayer.

“Sajdah acts as your personal trainer, guiding you through the five daily mandatory prayers, as well as 20 others,” Sajdah's website says.

“Learn with Sajdah without worrying whether you’re forgetting something or if you’re reciting the Quran properly. Use the app to learn postures and the order of every prayer.”

Here’s how it works

According to Khamis’s website, Sajdah uses a discreet LED screen and built-in speakers to offer step-by-step guidance for more than 25 prayers in English and Arabic.

The rug has a non-slip layer as well as memory foam and also has a screen that can display words to help with prayers.

The smart rug is connected to a mobile app and users can choose a specific prayer and follow instructions on the screen about how to complete it.

Other features of Sajdah include step-by-step guides for daily and non-daily prayers.

The LED screen also helps with memorising the Quran while the multilingual feature offers Quranic verses in Arabic, English and Latin script transliteration, with future updates set to include more languages.

There is also an option to control the pace of prayer guides for those just starting out.

As of writing, the smart prayer rugs were sold out. They were selling for $499 and available for shipping worldwide.

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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face

The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.

The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran. 

Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf. 

"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said. 

Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer. 

The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy. 

 

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Updated: May 24, 2023, 7:02 AM