(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Tech savvy BlackBerry owners can now use the popular Research in Motion device to good use during the holy month of Ramadan.
From call to prayers, to recitations of the holy Quran and calculations of the Zakat or charity during the auspicious month, we have found free BlackBerry applications that will make this Ramadan pass with a little more ease.
Pity we can’t do anything about the weather, but here’s our top six picks:
Call to Pray
One of the most top-rated BlackBerry downloads, as stated by fans, the Call to Pray application provides a superb package for all Muslims to utilise in their daily lives.
Comprising four apps in one, Call to Pray, as the name suggests, provides you with prayers timings, based on your selected country and city or based on your current location using GPS.
You also have the availability to select the Adhans sound, you like.
The application also shows you the direction of the Qibla for your selected country and city or from your current location using GPS.
A very useful add-on is its provision to astound you with morning and evening Azkar or prayers in the name of Allah, with the ability to listen to the audio of any Zekr or verses from the holy Quran.
The last function in the app is the addition of the Hijri or Islamic calendar, along with the Gregorian calendar and the ability to switch between them.
File size: 3.7MB
Zakah (Zakat) Calculator
Produced by ASGATech, the self-explanatory app name facilitates Muslims to calculate their Zakat, one of the five pillars of Islam, which comprises giving a fixed portion of one’s wealth to charity.
The easy-to-use application asks you to type the amount of money income, and the value of assets such as silver, gold, etc that you possess.
The rest is up to the app itself, which number crunches the percentage you should donate to charity within seconds.
The app also provides you with all information you need about Zakat, conditions of Zakat, spending channels, types of charity and Zakah Al-Fitr.
Moreover, you also get the latest conversion rates for all currencies such as the UAE dirham, the euro, American dollar, Egyptian pound and more.
File size: 2.9MB
Hadiths by Sahih Bukhari
Those of you who don’t carry around a book of Hadiths or the theories of Islamic law to understand the Holy Quran can download this app for better understanding.
Produced by ASGATech and narrated by Sahih Bukahri in Arabic, you can easily listen to the Hadiths by Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
The application also helps you search any Hadith by a single word or phrase, with instant results.
You also have the opportunity to add any Hadith to your list of favourites or share it with friends and family via Facebook, SMS or even e-mail.
The only drawback is, there is no English translation.
File size: 3.5MB
Quran Invocations
A heavy file at nearly 6MB, but is well worth the download during this month of Ramadan.
The app provides a vast collection of supplications or prayers from the Holy Quran at your fingertips.
All of the application content is searchable and you can select your favourites list or share it with your friends and family via social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. You can also SMS or e-mail verses.
Produced by ASGATech again, the only drawback for non-Arabic speakers is there is no English translation provided.
File size: 5.9MB
Mecca_BB
This Arabic application is a must for those who are planning their pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
This informative app works a virtual guidebook to all that the holy city has to offer, with an extensive directory of all the famous places, along with a phone directory, which includes numbers of police stations and hospitals should an emergency arise.
At a click, you also have access to food outlets in the area, with detailed maps for the city by category.
File size: 5.9MB
Emsakeya
If you are any thing like us, then fasting or not, when work piles up on the desk, you forget that time is running away from. This app does away with the disorganising and puts you back in order during the holy month.
Needless to say, it is the favourite app for the whole crew at 'Emirates 24|7', allowing you to set an alarm for prayers, iftar and souhour.
Word of caution though, some reviewers have complained about inaccuracy of timings in some countries around the world. Give it a go and let us know how it works in yours.
File size: 3.3MB
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