Designing for Interconnected Islamic Learning: A Qualitative Study of Muslim Women's Experiences with Qur'an, Hadith, and Seerah Apps

Abstract

Islamic learning often depends on reading the Qur'an, Hadith, and Seerah together, yet digital tools typically separate these sources across apps, screens, and search pathways. We examine this as a human-computer interaction problem through five semi-structured interviews with Muslim women recruited from an online Islamic learning community. Participants described a recurring tension: they wanted Qur'an-Hadith-Seerah context at the point of reading, but only when contextual expansion remained trustworthy, optional, and did not interrupt reading. Interpreting the interviews through gendered digital religion, epistemic trust, and seamless learning, we identify five themes concerning contextual understanding, authenticity, interface clutter, study modes, and guidance features. We introduce layered contextuality as an HCI account of this domain: contextual expansion must be balanced with interpretive accountability, devotional flow, and continuity across devices and study intensities.