PrayerTimesSG prayertimes.sg is my first web-based application project I built for the public.  

Why another prayer times app?

Well, firstly, I wanted to start with a simple project to experience building real and useful things on the Internet. It’s more for my own learning.

Secondly, this prayer timing app idea was born out of frustration. A few days ago, I met my good friend Kamil and asked him what I should build as a starting point.

He shared his frustration with using most prayer timing apps out there — they’re cluttered with ads, hidden behind paywalls, and bloated with unnecessary features.

What he wanted was a simple app that shows Singapore’s prayer times for the day.

Clean, simple, and lightweight. I share the same sentiment.

Funny thing is, the night before I met him, I had been searching to see whether MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura) provides an API for their prayer times. It turned out they do, and you can find it on data.gov.sg.

So when my friend talked about the prayer app, I thought: “Hmmm… synchronicity.”

The moment I got home that day, I turned on my Mac Mini and started building the minimum viable product. I asked Kamil to get the domain name, configured the hosting, and put it live online right away.

We plan to eventually turn this app into a mobile version, inshaAllah. But to kick things off, we started with the web-based version.

(If you’re using your phone, you can make it feel like a mobile app by adding it to your Home Screen from your browser.)

This app is still new. I still have to fine-tune it, especially the Hijri and Gregorian date logic. I also plan to add a qibla finder and considering making it open source so our community can learn from each other. Whatever I do with the app, I’ll hold on to this principle: less but better.

As a start, I’m okay with the current version.

If you’re interested in following its development, you can check the updates blog at updates.prayertimes.sg.

I appreciate feedback, too!