The humble prayer mat, used by a significant proportion of the 1.6 billion Muslim world population, has lightened up – literally.
U.K. designer, Soner Ozenc injected innovation into the prayer mat by creating an illuminated version, which lights up when facing the ‘qibla’, or Mecca, Mashable reported.
EL Sajjadah – the “EL” stands for Electro Luminescent and sajjadah, Arabic for prayer mat, incorporates an illuminating digital compass which assists in locating Mecca.
“I was looking at designing flying carpets, but I came to a point where I needed to add a function to the project,” Ozenc told Mashable. “Then I came up with the prayer mat idea.”
In the six years since Ozenc began working on EL Sajjadah, he says he has received no negative feedback about the blending of technology into traditional religious practices (the prayer mat is the only object necessary for Muslim prayer).
In addition to its function, EL Sajjadah is designed to be wall art you can hang in your home. Its black base represents the color of the Kaaba in Mecca and its designs are in green, the holy color of Islam. It was displayed in New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit “Talk to Me: Design and the Communication Between People and Objects” in 2011, and the museum has purchased a copy to be part of its permanent collection.
The Kickstarter has 35 backers so far, but has only raised a bit more than $6,000 of its $100,000 goal. If you would like to get you hands on one of the first releases of EL Sajjadah, you must contribute at least $500 to the project, which will expire August 14.
What do you think of this melding of technology into traditional religious practices? If you’re a practicing Muslim, would you buy EL Sajjadah? Let us know in the comments.
