The Quantified Self and Digital Piety: Analyzing Islamic Prayer Apps, Datafication, and their Impact on Daily Worship
Downloads
The widespread adoption of Islamic prayer applications has introduced new forms of digital piety in which acts of worship become increasingly structured, quantified, and mediated through mobile technologies. The rise of these apps reflects broader cultural shifts toward datafication, self-tracking, and algorithmically guided religious practice. While prayer apps offer convenience, reminders, and personalized worship analytics, concerns have emerged regarding overreliance on digital tools, potential erosion of spiritual intentionality, and the implications of data extraction for user privacy. These dynamics highlight the need to critically examine how quantified self technologies shape Muslim devotional life.
This study aims to analyze the influence of Islamic prayer apps on daily worship by investigating how datafication, algorithmic nudges, and quantified worship metrics affect users’ spiritual habits and perceptions of religious discipline. The research seeks to explore both the empowering and constraining effects of digital piety on contemporary Muslim practice.
A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a quantitative survey of 268 Muslim prayer app users with qualitative interviews involving twenty participants who regularly engage with worship-tracking features. Document analysis of popular prayer apps was also conducted to examine interface design, tracking mechanisms, and data-collection practices.
Findings reveal that prayer apps significantly increase worship consistency, particularly in maintaining prayer schedules and tracking missed prayers. However, the quantification of worship introduces psychological dependence on reminders and metrics, shifting spiritual motivation from intrinsic intentionality to external digital cues. The study concludes that while prayer apps enhance ritual discipline, they also reshape devotional experiences through datafication, necessitating ethical reflection on privacy, autonomy, and the meaning of worship in a digital age.
Akgül, B., & Karadag, A. (2016). The effect of colostomy and ileostomy on acts of worship in the islamic faith. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, 43(4), 392–397. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1097/WON.0000000000000237
Barnes, A. J. (2018). Representing the China dream: A case study in revolutionary cultural heritage. Dalam A Mus. Stud. Approach to Herit. (hlm. 797–813). Taylor and Francis; Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85059133502&partnerID=40&md5=84e3b062e3b453a8f6df21be7aed5d74
Clark, E., Hanson, S., Steel, N., Parretti, H. M., & Sweeting, A. (2025). Suffering, struggles and support: A qualitative exploration of hope and healing in men seeking asylum using photographs and I-poems. Journal of Public Mental Health, 24(1), 63–77. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-08-2024-0103
Eh Rak, E. R., Aisyah Sharifah, S. O., & Ahmad Afip, A. A. (2020). Survey of People Perception on the Resulting Noise from the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Kelantan, Malaysia. Dalam M. Bin Mohamed, N. J. N. B. Jemali, K. A. Bin Kambali @ Hambali, M. A. Bin Abas, W. Y. Ching, M. B. Bin Abu Bakar, W. S. Kew, A. Hermawan, M. Aurifullah, & C. H. Ywih (Ed.), IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. (Vol. 596, Nomor 1). IOP Publishing Ltd; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/596/1/012067
Fernando, H., Abdullah, I., & Yusuf, M. (2021). Religion and the pandemic trap: Muslim worship post-COVID-19 in Indonesia. Culture and Religion, 22(4), 398–415. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/14755610.2023.2288344
Fr?jut?, M. (2021). The mythology of christopher columbus and the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America. Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis, 100, 132–156. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.37522/AAAV.100.2021.59
Graham, E. (2012). Religious literacy and public service broadcasting: Introducing a research agenda. Dalam Religion, Media and Culture: A Read. (hlm. 228–235). Taylor and Francis; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203805657-30
Han, J. H. (2020). The Confucian Concept of Li ?: The Transition from “Worship Rituals” to “Governance Norms.” Review of Korean Studies, 23(2), 63–83. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.25024/review.2020.23.2.63
Irfan, B., Attarian, H., Irfan, M., Sankari, A., Kirschner, D., & Khan, M. (2025). Religious and culturally conscious sleep care for Muslim patients: Clinical considerations and recommendations. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 83. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2025.102138
Khan, H. M., & Al-Saadi, S. N. (2021). The effect of air conditioning outlets on the spread of respiratory disease in Mosque’s environment. Dalam M. Qin & C. Rode (Ed.), J. Phys. Conf. Ser. (Vol. 2069). Institute of Physics; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2069/1/012188
Klein, A. (2013). Singing their heart out: Emotional excitement in cantorial recitatives and carlebach nusach. Dalam Jud. And Emot.: Texts, Perform., Experience (hlm. 67–97). Peter Lang Publishing Group; Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84924628455&partnerID=40&md5=68c27ce700bcaf77443a3d0340ba84b0
Luo, H., Yang, Q., Chen, J., Li, Z., & Nie, Y. (2022). The Relationship between Social Exclusion and Impulsive Buying of College Students: The Mediating Role of Celebrity Worship and the Moderating Role of Self-Control. Journal of Psychological Science, 45(3), 657–664. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20220320
Mirawati, n., Tjahjono, H. K., Hamami, T., & Suud, F. M. (2025). Self-Management Strategy of Students in Facing Fomo Challenges and Increasing Social Media Involvement in Islamic Boarding School. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 8(1), 1–16. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v8i1.129
Munir, F., Awan, A., & Hamdani, S. N. (2012). The impact of worship on individual’s well-being. Journal of Advanced Research in Law and Economics, 3(2), 9–12. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10257-012-0006-1
Othman, A. Q., Bakar, M., Yaacob, N. A., & Rasudin, N. S. (2024). SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY: KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF PRAYER FOR HOSPITALISED MUSLIM PATIENTS. Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 24(3), 209–220. Scopus.
Putri, I. S., Daryanti, S., & Hati, S. R. H. (2018). The influence of knowledge and religiosity on intention to repurchase; a comparative study in three industries: Halal cosmetics, halal personal care and halal food. Dalam K. S. Soliman (Ed.), Proc. Int. Bus. Inf. Manag. Assoc. Conf., IBIMA - Vis.: Sustain. Econ. Dev. Appl. Innov. Manag. Reg. Expans. Glob. Growth (hlm. 5459–5470). International Business Information Management Association, IBIMA admin@ibima.org; Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85063066818&partnerID=40&md5=57be99bcac32ffd04acc0a0cb666d9b2
Rochmawati, D. H., Febriana, B., & Susanto, W. (2026). The relationship between mental resilience and the implementation of the five daily prayers. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 8(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026042
Safina, N. (2020). The srivai??ava way of life: Pañcasa?sk?ra (sam??raya?a) and its foundations. Etnografia, 2020(4), 6–15. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.31250/2618-8600-2020-4(10)-6-15
Warnis, W., Kustini, K., Zuhrah, F., Farida, A., & Atieqoh, S. (2024). The struggle for the construction of places of worship of minority religions in Indonesia. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 80(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v80i1.9186
Zaenurrosyid, A., Sholihah, H., & Shidiq, G. (2021). Typologies of the Fiqh Conception in the Covid-19 Pandemic Era (Exploration on Religious Views and Attitudes of Kyai-in mosques of North Coast of Java). Samarah, 5(2), 1069–1097. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v5i2.9121
Copyright (c) 2025 Nandar Hlaing, Aung Myint, Murat Arslan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
