Essay · 3 min read
Why I Founded Waqfi Foundation
I’ve spent years building software products and businesses. At some point, I began thinking about what else those skills could be used for. Could I build something that helps people connect with their faith—and keep caring for it long after launch?
That idea became Waqfi Foundation. Its name comes from waqf, the Arabic word for an endowment. Waqfi builds faith-based digital experiences for Muslims, with the hope that their benefit continues over time.
What does waqf look like in a digital era?
When people hear waqf, they may picture a mosque, a school, or a well. I think about those things, too. I also think about where people spend their time today: reading on a phone, listening on a commute, or sharing a link with family across the world.
A digital waqf could make knowledge and useful tools available in those moments. But software needs ongoing care. Servers cost money. Security needs attention. Content needs review. A project can stop helping people if nobody is there to maintain it.
For me, that responsibility is part of the idea. I want Waqfi to build digital experiences and look after them, so they remain useful to the people they were made for. We’ve also explored how Waqfi could develop and maintain a digital waqf for an individual or family, with clear responsibilities for hosting, security, updates, and reporting.
What Waqfi is working on
Almushaf Digital Waqf lets people create a digital Quran copy in someone’s name and share its page so others can read from it. I like how personal this is. A link can carry a prayer and a memory from one person to another.
Hudaa brings Islamic audio together in one place: Quran recitations, duas, dhikr, talks, podcasts, and audiobooks. Listening can fit into parts of the day when reading cannot.
HudHud is a different kind of project under Waqfi. Inspired by my mother, it encourages people to feed birds and pay attention to the nature around them. We made a simple app to help people remember and record when and where they feed birds. It’s a reminder to me that technology can support a good act that happens away from the screen.
These projects are different, but they share an intention: make it easier to do something meaningful, then keep showing up to care for what we’ve built. That’s the kind of work I want Waqfi Foundation to do.