British inventor Zahid Ali with a prototype of his smartclock. Photo by Shawn Ryan
British inventor Zahid Ali with a prototype of his smartclock. Photo by Shawn Ryan

Wafaa - a clock that integrates Muslim communities and their mosques



It may look like a traditional clock, but behind the design, this timepiece is infused with modern technology that its designers hope will one day integrate Muslim communities and their mosques.

“Remarkable” was the word that inspired the British inventor Zahid Ali to create a prototype of a connected prayer clock that could change the way Muslims communicate in places of worship. Having spent 12 years working in the technological field, Ali and his team came up with the idea for Wafaa, a smartclock for mosques. Wafaa is a ­purpose-built, “connected” clock that alerts people to congregation times.

The urge to build such a clock began in Ramadan. In Muslim countries, adhan – or the call to prayer – informs worshippers that it’s time for prayers. It ­happens five times a day. However, it becomes more difficult in non-Muslim countries where there’s no call to prayer.

What makes this clock unique compared with the conventional ones usually found in mosques? Wafaa is equipped with three key functions, Ali explains. These include seamless synching to enable auto-updates through Wi-Fi; audio broadcasting and streaming; and “iBeacon” technology to keep track of mosque visitation trends.

A Wi-Fi connection is the most important requirement, allowing it to automatically update across different platforms, ­including the clock and smartphone apps.

For example, the imam ­updates the congregation time using the Wafaa app. The congregation usually takes place five to 25 minutes after the call to prayer. An instruction is sent to the ­Wafaa system in the “cloud”, which updates all Wafaa clocks in the mosques with the correct times.

Wafaa works wirelessly via smartphone or computer making it feasible for followers to stay informed about the mosque’s latest activity through instant ­notifications.

The inspiration for Wafaa came after hearing a lecture by the American author and marketer Seth Godin. “I was listening to his lecture about being remarkable,” says Ali, 35. “Are Muslims today remarkable enough?” was the question that left Ali ­pondering.

The problem many Muslims face today, he says, is that they’re not remarkable enough. “Muslims are not contributing enough to the world,” he says. “The immediate picture that comes to people’s mind when Saudi Arabia is mentioned is the oppression of women.

“People don’t have time for ­average inventions; people want something worthy of attention, something remarkable,” he says.

And so he began his journey, creating a smartclock he hopes will help integrate Muslim communities with their the mosques and create a modern way for them to stay connected.

Ali says his project will also encourage people to discover “hidden” mosques. Once the clock is installed, it will update regularly and alert Wafaa subscribers to the mosques in their neighbourhood.

Apart from this, Ali is working with a feature called iBeacon, which is an indoor positioning system that can ­record the number of visitors to a ­Wafaa-enabled mosque.

“The app records the visiting trends and how much time people spend in the mosque,” he says. The idea is to eventually create a social-network platform and bring different communities together. There are many prayer apps, which show the prayer time, but Wafaa will show the “jumaa” or congregation time.

“At the time of Prophet ­Mohammed, people would gather in the mosque and socialise,” Ali explains. Often, people would visit the Prophet and ask him religious questions. “Mosques were a meeting point, but that element is slowly dying.”

Today, he says, many Muslims visit the mosque for the sole purpose of praying, then leave once they’re done. But Ali plans to bring the prophetic practice back on track and hopes that by having the smartclock in every mosque it will improve social and communal affairs through networking.

Wafaa also has built-in audio broadcasting and streaming. “The clock has two versions: basic and advanced,” he says. The basic version comes without audio technology, while the advanced feature comes with built-in audio broadcasting and streaming. No special hardware is needed to make this functional – it automatically streams audio, such as sermons or lectures, to smartphones or computers from any Wafaa-enabled mosque in the world.

Asked about the design, he says the clocks have a seven-pointed star shape resembling Islamic design. The design also includes interchangeable multilingual labels and clear display panels of time and alerts. “We used ­materials such as polycarbonate and light wood, covered with ­veneer,” he says.

Finance is the main challenge standing between Ali and his dream of bringing Muslims closer to each other. He’s currently seeking investors to help fund the project. “We have the knowledge, resources and a great team,” he says. “Some people think that we are trying to create money out of Wafaa, which is incorrect. Getting this message across is proving a little difficult and convincing people to believe in Wafaa is also a ­struggle.”

He says having Wafaa in mosques would be a win-win outcome for imams and followers. “The clock is not adding any extra activity or responsibility. Wafaa would make things easier for everyone – from telling the congregation time to discovering mosques.

“If a religious sermon took place in Qatar, and Wafaa was installed in that mosque, the followers from other parts of the world would also be able to hear the sermon [through their smartphone or computer].”

Ali and his team have set a modest budget for each clock. “We will make sure the clock doesn’t exceed US$400 [Dh1,469].

“We have a fully working proof of concept, but we are yet to have a completed product installed in a mosque,” he says. “We are raising money to create the completed version.”

Now all that is missing for Ali is a sponsor and help from the Muslim community. For information, visit www.wafaa.co.

aalhameli@thenational.ae

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Liz%20Truss
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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
RACE CARD

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 (PA) Listed Dh230,000 1,600m
6.30pm: HH The President’s Cup (PA) Group 1 Dh2.5million 2,200m
7pm: HH The President’s Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,200m.

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

RESULTS
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

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Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

MATCH INFO

Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai

THE%20SWIMMERS
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ICC T20 Team of 2021

Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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ASHES FIXTURES

1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27 
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8

The biog

Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:

  • Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
  • He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
  • There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
  • After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
  • In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994 
The%20Continental%3A%20From%20the%20World%20of%20John%20Wick%20
%3Cp%3ECreated%20by%3A%20Greg%20Coolidge%2C%20Shawn%20Simmons%2C%20Kirk%20Ward%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Mel%20Gibson%2C%20Colin%20Woodell%2C%20Mishel%20Prada%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

Directed by: Shaka King

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons

Four stars

MATCH INFO

What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed