Qatar’s Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) has introduced “Minbar,” a new smart application aimed at modernizing the delivery of the Friday sermon, or khutba, by extending its reach beyond the traditional mosque setting. The launch, announced by the ministry’s Department of Mosques, is part of a broader digital transformation initiative intended to make Islamic teachings more accessible and responsive to the daily lives of worshippers.

Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz al-Thani, Director of the Department of Mosques, explained that the app leverages artificial intelligence to provide reliable and accessible religious content. Rather than confining the khutba to its customary weekly slot, the Minbar app is designed to offer continuous interaction with the sermon’s themes, allowing users to engage with the material wherever they are.

Among its key features, the app employs AI-powered translation to render sermons into English, alongside multilingual summaries available in both Arabic and English. It also offers simplified versions tailored for children to facilitate understanding across different age groups. Interactive question-and-answer sections drawn directly from each sermon aim to enhance comprehension and encourage practical application of the messages.

Users of the app can watch Friday prayers live, access a comprehensive archive of past sermons, and navigate the platform through a bilingual Arabic-English interface. The ministry emphasized that these tools are intended to make religious content more engaging and broaden its availability, reflecting a commitment to keeping Islamic instructional resources relevant in an increasingly digital world.

The Minbar app represents a strategic effort by Qatar’s Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs to integrate advanced technology into religious outreach, thereby expanding the mosque’s role beyond its physical and temporal limitations.