This article is a crosspost with MIT Technology Review Arab Edition.

It is quite common in religious circles to read Islam’s holy book collectively as a group; more so during the month of Ramadan. Chapters could be assigned through Whatsapp groups or through the more old school way of just meeting up with friends and family.

Whether it is done individually or collectively as a group, completing the reading of the Quran – known as a Khatma – is considered a Sawab, an Arabic term meaning a reward that comes as a result of performing a good deed.

Sawab is also the name of a new application, launched during Ramadan, that aims to modernize how Muslims have been sharing the reading of their holy book. Inspired by the on-demand market, the application – available on iOs and Android – aims to facilitate the reading of the Quran as a group and enable readers to collectively and swiftly read the holy book with other readers from around the world.

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