Most Islamic party games come in a box: a deck of cards, a sand timer, someone keeping score on the back of an envelope. DeenOD is the same idea with the box taken away. One screen everyone can see runs the game, and the phones already in the room become the buzzers, the controllers and the cards. It is free on iOS and Android, with no ads, and every question is drawn from the Qur'an, authenticated hadith, the seerah and Islamic history.
This is how to run a night with it, for a family on a Friday or a full hall at the masjid.
What you need
- One screen everyone can see. A TV, a projector or a laptop. Open the host screen in its browser: deenod.com/majlis, deenod.com/sibaq or deenod.com/naqsh. You can also host from the app and cast it to the TV.
- The DeenOD app on the players' phones. Anyone who joins a room needs the app and a free account. Takhmin, Ta'reef and Naqsh also play on a single phone passed around the room, with no sign-in at all.
- Wi-Fi that reaches every phone. Try it with two phones before people arrive.
The games
Majlis, the team trivia board. The board goes on the TV and each team's phone is its buzzer. The team in control picks a category and a value, everyone buzzes, and the first team in answers out loud while the host judges. A miss opens the steal to everyone else. First team to the target wins. A board takes two to four teams across six categories, from the Qur'an to Ramadan and Eid.
Sibaq, the live quiz race. One screen asks and every phone answers. A right answer banks 500 points, plus up to 500 more the faster it lands, with standings between questions and a podium at the end. A race seats up to 1,000 players, so it works for a hall as well as a living room.
Naqsh, draw and guess. One phone gets a private prompt and draws it, every stroke appears on the big screen, and the room shouts out guesses. Turns rotate between teams.
Takhmin, Islamic charades. Hold the phone to your forehead while your team gives clues. Tilt down when you get it, up to pass, and bank as many as you can before time runs out.
Ta'reef, the banned-words game. Describe the word to your team without saying any of the banned words. Tap Got it when they guess it, Pass to skip.
A 90-minute night that works
- Arrive and set up (10 minutes). Put the board on the screen, get everyone into the app and signed in, and split into teams. In Majlis, one phone per team is the buzzer.
- Warm up with Takhmin or Ta'reef (15 minutes). One phone, passed around. Nobody needs to learn the rules first.
- Majlis, the main event (40 minutes). Pick four to six categories and a target of 3,000 points. With more than four teams, run two boards as heats and a final for the winners.
- Sibaq at the break (10 minutes). Everyone plays for themselves, which mixes up the teams. Seven questions is about right.
- Finish with Naqsh (15 minutes). It ends the night on laughter rather than a scoreboard.
Plan the breaks around salah. The games will wait.
Hosting tips
- Judge out loud. In Majlis the host rules on every spoken answer, so say why an answer counts. It is half the fun.
- Mixed ages? Switch Majlis to multiple choice, or give the younger players a team of their own.
- Set the clock to the room. A Majlis question can run from 15 to 90 seconds. Shorter is louder.
- Test first. Run one question with two phones before guests arrive, so the Wi-Fi and the screen are not the first thing anyone meets.
Where the questions come from
Every question is drawn from the Qur'an, authenticated hadith, the seerah and classical history, and reviewed before it ships. If you spot an error, report it in one tap from any question and the correction ships fast. The app plays in twelve languages, questions included: English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Turkish and Indonesian.
Get DeenOD
DeenOD is free on the App Store and Google Play, with no ads. Install it before the night and send the link with your invitations, so the first ten minutes go to the game rather than the download.