The AI tools transforming Muslim worship

TARIQUE KAZI USED TO RECITE THE QURAN TO HIS mother. Kazi is a 32-year-old Houston-based Muslim and teacher of hifdh—the Islamic practice of memorizing the Quran in order to deepen faith.

- BY ANDREW R. CHOW AND JUWAYRIAH WRIGHT

A woman reads the Quran in Kuala Lumpur

The hours he spent with his mother studying the sacred text were among his most cherished. But in 2022, his mother died of stomach cancer. The following Ramadan, Kazi found himself without someone reliable to check his recitation during taraweeh—the voluntary nighttime prayers performed during that month—for mistakes. So he turned to AI.

Every year since, Kazi has recited the Quran to Tarteel, an AI app trained on Islam’s holy book. The app provides instant feedback and catches pronunciation mistakes. “When I mess up, it actually does a good job of making sure, ‘This is the exact harakah [vowel sound] you missed,’” says Kazi. “It’s helped me personally because I don’t have someone to recite to and prepare with anymore.”