Among the most enduring acts of generosity in the Islamic tradition is the gift of Quranic access — ensuring that every Muslim, regardless of income or geography, can hold the words of Allah close to their heart. When AMCF donors support organizations like the Retain Quran Foundation, they become part of exactly that kind of sadaqah jariyah: a gift that keeps giving long after the donation is made.
A Simple Conviction, a Global Mission
The Retain Quran Foundation was born from a straightforward but powerful belief: that Quran memorization should be a living, daily practice — not merely a milestone achieved and set aside. Their mission is to make connecting with the Quran a daily habit, not just a milestone.
Founded in 2021 as a sadaqah jariyah project on behalf of its founders and their families, the Retain Quran Foundation set out to solve a problem that any hafiz or aspiring hafiz knows intimately: memorizing the Quran is one challenge, but retaining it — keeping those verses alive and accessible in the mind and heart over a lifetime — is another entirely. Apps and tools that existed were either cluttered with ads, locked behind paywalls, or simply not designed with the serious student of Quran in mind.
So they built something different.
Free, Forever — for the Whole Ummah
The Retain Quran Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to making Quranic memorization and understanding accessible to every Muslim — regardless of income or location. Zero paywalls. Zero distractions. Forever free.
The Foundation’s flagship offering is a Quran memorization app built around intelligent, adaptive flashcard technology. Rather than passive reading or listening alone, the app engages users in active recall — the most effective method modern cognitive science has identified for long-term memory retention. Users can work through any surah, set personalized review schedules, and track their progress over time, all within a clean, distraction-free interface.
The app uses the Classic Medina Mushaf experience for familiarity, supports multiple Qari recitations for per-ayah audio, and draws on trusted scholarly resources to ensure authenticity throughout. Today, the app has been downloaded 1.2M+ times across 120+ countries — a footprint that reflects just how hungry the global Muslim community is for tools built with their spiritual growth, not someone’s profit margin, in mind.
The response from users has been striking. 130K+ active users return to the app monthly to review, memorize, and reconnect with the Quran — and they consistently come back to the same point: the fact that it is completely free, with no ads, is not just a feature. It is a statement of values.
Building the Future of Quranic Learning
Retain Quran is not standing still. Their 2025 roadmap includes AI-corrected recitation, Tajweed legends, and smart motivational tracking — tools that would bring a level of personalized feedback previously available only to students with private tutors within reach of anyone with a smartphone.
The Foundation is also building a full library of content distributed freely across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to inspire the Ummah, especially the youth, meeting the next generation of Muslims where they already are.
Perhaps most meaningfully for donors considering the full picture: at Retain Quran, the Foundation is officially approved to receive Zakat under fī sabīlillāh. Your Zakat provides free Quran access to underserved Muslims worldwide and counts as ongoing sadaqah jāriyah. Every dollar given does not simply support an app — it supports every recitation, every review session, every moment of connection with the Quran that flows from it.
In Their Own Words
“Every Muslim deserves a lifelong connection with the Quran, regardless of where they live or what they can afford. That’s why we’re building the most advanced Quran technology in the world — and giving it away for free.”
— Mohamed Barkhad, Chairman and CEO, Retain Quran Foundation
Why This Work Matters to the Muslim Philanthropic Ecosystem
There is a quiet revolution underway in how Muslims around the world engage with the Quran, and it is being driven in large part by organizations willing to build high-quality tools and give them away freely. The Retain Quran Foundation represents a model of Islamic tech philanthropy at its most principled — leveraging modern technology not to monetize spiritual practice, but to remove every barrier between a Muslim and the Book of Allah.
For AMCF donors, supporting organizations like the Retain Quran Foundation through a donor-advised fund or giving circle is an opportunity to participate in something with genuinely global reach. A gift to a free Quran memorization platform doesn’t stay in one community or one country — it travels wherever there is a Muslim heart seeking to hold more of the Quran close, from Chicago to Karachi to Nairobi.
This is what Muslim philanthropy looks like when it is working as it should.
Support Organizations Like Retain Quran Foundation Through AMCF
Through your AMCF donor-advised fund, endowment, or giving circle, you can direct charitable dollars toward organizations like the Retain Quran Foundation — ensuring that free, high-quality Quranic tools remain available to every Muslim who needs them, now and for generations to come.