Ramzan duas on WhatsApp

Hyderabad: The digital age is proving to be a boon for youngsters who are away from home and have to rely on parents for their daily prayers during Ramzan. Earlier, mothers would write them in books or read it out over phone for them during this time, but now, with WhatsApp and scanning systems handy, it’s just a question of forwarding the right prayer.

Yunus Rasool from Baroda, for whom this is the first Ramzan month away from home, says, “I work in the night shift. Hence I have to break fast in office. My mother compiles the day’s specific prayers and forwards them to me. It’s handy as I don’t have to carry holy books with me and have the required prayers on my phone.” Mariyam Banu, a medical student in Osmania Medical College said, “We have a hectic schedule. A few minutes’ breaks are availed during Namaz. All my duas are scanned on the phone and I carry it to the prayer room.”

Those who are travelling in various parts of the country for work benefit equally from technology. Dr Mujibur Rehman, a neurosurgeon, said, “In the last one week, I spent 36 hours in traveling to four major cities. During Ramzan, I look at the time difference in each zone and accordingly offer my prayers. There is a difference of a few minutes and that matters a lot.”

Mubarika Khan said, “Carrying the holy book was a concern. It has to be kept in a pious place and needs to be handled well. A gadget makes things much simpler. Wherever prayers are offered, that place must be neat and clean. I just need to worry about that now.”