Sajdah is a groundbreaking invention of Thakaa Technologies – a Qatar-based IoT hardware start-up. The company specializes in designing and manufacturing smart and innovative hardware products.
This cutting-edge invention enables new Muslims to pray appropriately without any hassle or distress. During Taraweeh, Qyam, and other prayers, Muslims can enrich their prayer session by reciting the Qur’an from the Sajdah’s LED screen. The goal of developing this fantastic product was to make learning and praying easier for new Muslims and children. Individuals can now independently learn and pray at their own pace.
An insightful glimpse into the story Behind Sajdah:
As previously stated, the goal of Sajdah is to make praying an easy and spiritually gratifying experience for mainly the new Muslims. But not many are aware that the product was an inspiration gained from the tragic events of 15 March 2019.
Abdulrahman Saleh Khamis woke up to the tragic news of the massacre in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. The painful catastrophe had claimed the lives of 51 innocent worshipers gathered to offer prayer. The incident left him and many other Muslims devastated. However, he saw a silver lining to it.
A Hope of Light at The End of The Dark Tunnel
Surprisingly, the calamity turned public sentiment in favor of Islam, and large numbers of individuals began to convert and embrace Islam’s eternal message of peace. Being an electrical and computer engineer, Khamis saw this as an opportunity to pay tribute to those who lost their lives that day. He intended to devise a method to encourage new Muslims to pray by making the learning process smoother.
After the Kalima Shahadah, the most fundamental pillar of Islam is Salah. The latter directly links an individual with Allah. However, new Muslims find it difficult to learn the correct postures of Salah and the recitation of the Quranic verses. Parents of younger Muslim kids also face the same difficulty.
Noticing the situation, Khamis sought an innovative solution to eliminate the difficulties that distorted this spiritual link between a believer and his creator. He devoted all of his knowledge and skills to create what is known as Sajdah today. This praying rug is a technical marvel incorporating a smartphone app and features a smart screen that works like a prompter for the worshipers. As a result, every Muslim can now enjoy the rewarding feeling of being closest to Allah effortlessly while offering Sajdah (Prostration).
The Qur’an reveals Allah’s word. And when we recite the Qur’an during Salah, its verses speak straight to our hearts, as if Allah were speaking to us. Sajdah further elevates this practice and transforms it into a spiritual experience for all Muslims. It allows the worshipper to recite any surah from the Qur’an during salah.
Apparently, with Sajdah, one can recite the entire Quran during any prayer, especially Tarawih. Sajdah also helps worshippers learn the different postures such as qiyam (Standing), Ruku (bowing), and sujood (prostration) and the supplications to be recited while praying.
Apart from the benefits mentioned earlier, this excellent prayer rug flawlessly guides worshippers through 25+ prayer types (including mandatory prayers). These cover Tarawih, Eid, and Tahajjud, amongst others.
Khamis’ anguish from the incident of 5th of March 2019 hasn’t died down, but he feels that by teaching people how to pray correctly and recite the Qur’an, he keeps the martyrs’ memories alive forever through Sajdah. And his endeavor did not go unnoticed as it received attention and recognition worldwide.
Award & Appreciations
Hatching an idea in your brain is one thing, while bringing it to reality is another. But Abdurrahman’s commitment and true dedication towards creating something for the greater good kept him motivated. This sheer dedication to the project from Sep. to Nov. 2019 turned the innovative concept of Sajdah into a reality.
He unveiled the prototype of Sajdah at the 11th season of the Stars of Science competition. An edutainment TV show which is an initiative of the Qatar Foundation. The show empowers Arab innovators to develop technological solutions for their communities that benefit people’s health and lifestyle while preserving the environment.
Abdurrahman was thrilled to share the stage with many bright minds. But winning the third prize and a great deal of appreciation and encouragement for his invention was an overwhelming experience for him.
Additionally, World Summit Award 2020 nominee Sajdah has also been recognized as Qatar’s most innovative learning & education solution. Qatar Foundation’s Qatar Science & Technology Park has also selected the product for incubation.
The Bight Brains behind the Incorporation of Thakaa Technologies
During a Startup Demo Day event in Qatar Science and Technology Park, Abdurreahman’s innovative mind met Abdul Ali’s brilliant one. They both discussed the idea in detail and agreed to make Sajdah a reality and take it to the marketplace.
Finally, the wonderful day arrived when Abdurrahman created the company on May 3, 2020, with co-founder and Chief Growth Officer Abdul Ali. And in Jan. 2021, the design for manufacturability (DFM) Prototyping was triumphantly completed.
Later on, the company embarked on updating its service by collecting customer surveys and feedback. They added new features such as the 45° LED stand, improved comfort with a memory foam layer, an anti-slip layer, intelligent control with smartphones, the Apple watch, etc.
Following this, Thakaa Technologies launched the Sajdah mobile app in March 2021, focusing on prayer guides and times. Today, the app is available for download free of charge in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The Sajdah App provides helpful, step-by-step prayer guides in English & Arabic. The app also offers an ad-free experience with privacy & data protection features.
Recent Success and Crowdfunding Campaign
Hard work definitely pays off, and so does a good intention.
On April 27, 2021 – Sajdah Launched a Crowdfunding campaign after months of hard work and preparation. They divulged the world’s first smart prayer rug to the public in the form of a crowdfunding campaign on the LaunchGood platform.
Remarkably, Sajdah received 200% funding – in just 48 hours of the campaign launch.
Learn more about crowdfunding: What is Crowdfunding?
What do the co-founders say?
The Co-founder and CEO, Abdulrahman Saleh Khamis believes that as the world evolves technologically, so should our praying solutions. “Technology is entering every part of our lives. We’re using technology to communicate, learn, socialize, exercise, and organize our life,” He says during a press release by Thakaa Technologies. “Why can’t we use it to make teaching our faith easier?”
The noble founders have also not forgotten their responsibilities regarding maintaining the customer’s privacy and remaining spam-free. To this end, Khamis further states, “We developed the Sajdah mobile App for an ad-free experience with a promise to not sell customer data without their permission. It’s the perfect digital companion for keeping up with prayers, with more than 14 different prayer instructions, a Qibla direction, and accurate prayer times available at the touch of a few buttons.”
Seeing the remarkable progress, the Co-Founder, and Chief Growth Officer, Abdul Ali, happily accepted in a press release by Thakaa Technologies, “We always believed the community is going to recognize the usefulness and innovation of Sajdah. But we didn’t think it would happen so fast. And now, Alhamdulillah, the support and demand for Sajdah – the world’s first smart educational prayer rug, is growing bigger every day.”
Summing up, Qatari entrepreneurs are primed and ready to achieve great things thanks to business breakthroughs like Sajdah’s. As long as the public continues to support and fund dreamers like Abdulrahman, they will excel.
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