How live khutbah translation works
Minbar doesn't replace the khutbah. It's still delivered in Arabic by the imam, just as it always has been. The app quietly works in the background, providing the congregation with a written translation so no one misses the sermon just because they don't yet understand Arabic.
Four steps, seconds apart
- Recording in short segments. The imam's device (a laptop or phone) records the khutbah in audio clips about five seconds long and continuously sends them to the server.
- Arabic transcription. An Arabic speech recognition model converts each clip into written Arabic with classical spelling, ensuring Quranic verses and du'ā are accurate.
- Translation into 14 languages. The Arabic text is simultaneously translated into languages like Swedish, English, Somali, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, and Dutch. Each listener chooses their own language.
- Live display via QR code. The congregation scans the QR poster at the entrance, opens the mosque's page, and reads along. No app to install, no account needed.
What is saved and what is not
After the sermon, the khutbah remains in the mosque's archive, with audio, the Arabic text, and the translations, so the congregation can read it later. The audio is processed by AI services solely for transcription and translation.
The imam's voice is not altered, cloned, or artificially retransmitted. The translation is a written complement, not a replacement.