Niyyah App — why we built it
A free app that asks every morning: "What's your intention today?" No tracking, no ads, no subscriptions. Here's the why behind the build, and how to use it best.
The problem: we forget
"Innamā al-aʿmāl bi-n-niyyāt" — all deeds count according to their intention. This is hadith #1 in every serious hadith collection. The greatest hadith for our ummah, and also the most forgotten.
We wake up, drink coffee, start work, check email. We do 100 things a day — and the niyyah for them? Forgotten. We work, not to please Allah, but out of habit. We eat, not for strength for ʿibādah, but out of hunger. We talk to our partner, not as a form of ṣadaqah, but as a transaction.
These aren't sins. But they are lost rewards. A day of work with the right niyyah is ʿibādah. Without niyyah, it is merely labour.
The solution: a daily reminder
Niyyah App is simple. Every morning at the time you choose, you get one notification:
"What's your niyyah for today?"
You open the app. Type 1 sentence. Press save. Done. No 47 menus. No "premium upgrade." No feed of other people's intentions. Just you, your daily niyyah, saved for your own reflection.
What's inside (and why)
Hijri calendar
We display the Hijri date alongside the Gregorian on every screen. A small reminder: your timeline isn't only "April 2026," it's also "Shawwāl 1447 AH." You live in two time-systems simultaneously.
Salah tracker
Tick off which ṣalāh you've prayed. No score, no "streak broken!" shame mechanic. Just a visual overview of where you stand. For your own muḥāsabah (self-reflection).
Dhikr counter
33× / 99× / custom. Tap to count. Vibration when you hit the target. What the old tasbih does, but in your pocket for the road.
Sunnah-fasting marker
Mondays & Thursdays in the week-view. White days (13/14/15 every month). Ashura, Arafah. No invented fasting days — only what the Prophet ﷺ did.
What's not in the app (and why not)
- No social feed. Niyyah is private. Showing off is riyāʾ — it undermines the whole exercise.
- No ads. We don't want an ad to open while you're typing your niyyah. That would be ironic.
- No subscription / premium. Spiritual habits are a foundation, not a monetisation opportunity.
- No "spiritual coach" AI. An algorithm has no insight into your deen state. Your imam does.
- No mawlid notifications. We don't display non-Sunnah events.
How to use
- Set notification time. Just after Fajr is ideal — before the world gets loud.
- Start small. "Today: patience with colleague X." One concrete intention. Not abstract.
- Reflect weekly. The app shows your 7-day overview. Which niyyahs did you keep? Which did you forget?
- Check off ṣalāh. Perfection isn't required. Awareness is enough.
Why free
We build The Barakah Lab as a webshop. That's how we earn. The Niyyah App is our sadaqah jariyah — an ongoing sadaqah that keeps counting even when we are no longer here. We don't want payment for it.
Download links
Available for iOS and Android. theniyyah.app → tap your platform → done.
"Niyyah is the difference between a routine and an ʿibādah."
And then…
Once you've set up your niyyah routine in the app, and you're looking for a physical anchor too — a tasbih in your hand, a beautiful sajjadah for the silent nights — check out our 14 collections. Or send us a WhatsApp if you need help.