KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) touted today a RM5 mobile phone application which it claims can help cure illnesses by reciting Quranic verses and Islamic supplications for the patients.

While announcing the app, UTP vice-chancellor Datuk Ir Dr Abdul Rahim Hashim said the recitals were recorded by Datuk Dr Haron Din himself, a renowned religious scholar who founded Darussyifa’, the nation’s foremost centre for Islamic healing.

“This app has a huge potential as reference for Malaysian or Southeast Asian Muslims who use the Malay language,” Abdul Rahim was quoted by state news agency Bernama as saying during the app’s launch in the university.

“We are also trying to develop the app in English and it is expected to be completed soon.”

Called Mobile Islamic Ruqyah Medication System (M-IRMS), the app cost RM50,000 to be developed and has allegedly been downloaded over 1,000 times since its launch in February 4.

Abdul Rahim claimed that the M-IRMS app can help heal general illnesses “both physical and spiritual”, and mystical “disturbances”.

He also revealed that the M-IRMS app has allegedly won several awards locally and internationally, including the gold medal in the recent Malaysian Technology Expo organised by the Malaysian Association of Research Scientists.

“The app was inspired after I read a book written by Datuk Haron Din, and I saw that it wasn’t accepted well, especially from the Generation Y.

“So I adapted it into a mobile application so they can use it when they are sick, regardless of place and time,” said Dr Hanita Daud, the app developer who is also a senior lecturer in the UTP’s Science and Information Technology Faculty.

Darussyifa’ is a non-profit entity with several branches across the country, and founded by Haron, who is also the deputy spiritual leader of Islamist party PAS.