Ahli App: student start-up to merge prayer and technology
Deriving its name from the Arabic word for family, Ahli App aims to serve as a community catalyst. Its founder and CEO, Souhaïl Wardi, is an NYU Abu ...
Mar 14, 2015
Deriving its name from the Arabic word for family, Ahli App aims to serve as a community catalyst. Its founder and CEO, Souhaïl Wardi, is an NYU Abu Dhabi junior who developed the idea from his own personal experience. Since then, he has been inspiring people to rethink the intersection between Muslim prayer and technology.
Praying in groups is an important aspect of Islam, but back in 2013, when Wardi first came up with the idea for Ahli, he had only been praying in congregation around three times per week despite knowing of Muslims living nearby.
“I spent a lot of time doing research and identifying the best way to solve [that] problem,” he said. “A few months later, the idea of Ahli App came to life.”
Ahli App uses geolocalization to allow practicing Muslims to find each other’s whereabouts and gather for prayer. With a tap of the button, anyone wishing to pray can find companions and, thanks to the app’s compass, the direction of Mecca.
Wardi launched the app in December 2014, and since then it has been made available on iTunes and Google Play Store and featured in The Atlantic. Studying at NYUAD, said Wardi, helped him identify the need for the app within the Muslim community.
“I also got a lot of help early on from various members of NYUAD’s Muslim Students Association. I put together a focus group of Muslim students from all backgrounds who helped me think through the idea and provide feedback,” he explained.
As CEO, Wardi’s responsibilities include hunting for talent to join the team, ensuring that his teammates have the resources necessary to excel at their jobs and maintaining contact with their investor. Wardi has been cooperating with various Muslim communities around the globe in order to establish partnerships.
“Most importantly, I am in charge of making sure all aspects of our business fit within the vision we set for ourselves, which is empowering the Muslim community worldwide. This requires a ton of work and working day in and day out, including weekends,” added Wardi.
Because working on Ahli was so time-consuming, Wardi said his studies at NYUAD, where he is a double major in Economics and Visual Arts, were taking the hit. Wardi consequently decided to take a leave of absence, travel around and focus fully on Ahli. He plans, however, on returning to NYUAD.
“I believe in the value of education and how it can help me become a better entrepreneur and better person,” said Wardi. “[But] business is what I want to do after I graduate anyways, so why jeopardize my venture when I am allowed to take a leave of absence?”
Wardi’s advice to student entrepreneurs is to make sure that potential ventures always address true needs in a market. Never being afraid to ask for advice, he said, is an important aspect of launching a business.
“Get out there and do something,” said Wardi. “It might seem like an impossible task, but you have to start somewhere. Break down whatever problem you face into smaller problems, prioritize and start tackling them, without losing sight of the bigger picture.”
Ahli App can be downloaded on both Android and iOS. For more information, visit their website or contact Wardi at souhail@ahliapp.com.
Paula Dozsa is deputy features editor. Email her at feedback@gzl.me
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