Asian Express Newspaper – Creative heart: How a dyslexic man made the world’s first patented interactive prayer mat

A father witnessing his primary school son struggling to pray, was to unravel an 18-month journey of discovery of a ground-breaking interactive prayer mat that has revolutionised how Islamic prayer is taught to children.

Meet the founder of the ‘My Salah Prayer Mat’, Kamal Ali, who has poured his time, efforts and creativity into creating a modern learning tool for parens and children and it’s the first of its kind.

On a first glance the ‘My Salah Prayer Mat’ wouldn’t look out of place on the shelves of any toy shop. The colours are primary and vibrant, reminiscent of Early Learning, only it is different as it is a toy linked directly to faith.

The initial spark of the prayer mat came to Kamal Ali in 2017 when he was watching his son learning to pray. “Hamza was about around four-years-old, and was struggling to do Sujud,” explains Kamal.

“I was sitting on the sofa, in front of the TV, and I could see it [prayer mat] like a vision in my head. At the time I remember thinking: ‘I will probably never be in a position or have an idea like this again,’ so it was a moment to seize and an opportunity to follow.”

This was the start of an eighteen-month journey from concept to creating a product that is both fun and interactive for children.

The central belief behind the innovation, is that learning through play is essential when teaching faith and prayer. “People don’t put emphasis on learning through play, this stuff existed during our Prophet’s (PBUH) time,” he adds.

Kamal says: “It’s something that is so simple and should have been done long ago,” he says. “It [interactive prayer mat] probably needed somebody from that religion to have grown up in this [Western] culture to be able to make it at this level.”

However, creating the ‘My Salah Mat’ came with its challenges. “Trying to convey the finer details of Islamic prayer to a Chinese company proved difficult,” he says.

“That was the hardest thing to work out, because the person I was liasing with wasn’t Muslim, and, to add to that we were originally trying to create the product over the phone.

“So, I flew out and met him in China, and he said: ‘I’m going to stand here and you just tell me what to say, what position.’ So right there in front of my eyes, was a Chinese guy praying because he wanted to understand the product. I was amazed with how passionate he was to get it right.”

Today, the ‘My Salah Mat’ office is a creative paradise. Upon entry, you are presented with a cosy workspace with laptops, whiteboards, and a plethora of ideas all over the walls.

From a short glance you can see marketing strategies, social media profiles and insights, and countless goals for the future. It is here that the company has grown from a small, one person passion project to a global company that is pushing boundaries and always trying to innervate.

“It was not until I set up My Salah Mat that we saw sales that allowed me to stop teaching and go full-time into developing a start-up company. To date, we have reached over 200 million people worldwide through our social media alone.”

Kamal’s right hand man is Alex Fell (above), a documentary photography graduate joined the company in 2018. Although Alex and Kamal both hold different beliefs about the world and universe, what unites them is a creative drive to help children learn to connect spiritually in a fun way.

“When Kamal asked me to try and grow the company, it was an awesome challenge for me, says Alex. “This creative freedom is one of the reasons that has expanded the company from a one person passion project, to a global brand.”

Kamal says that running a successful company takes a lot of help and support: “I would not be where I am without the support of my colleagues, family, friends and my wife.

“My wife, Fatiha has supported me from the beginning of this project, when it was just an idea, and we did not know if this would be successful. We took risks, and she supported me every time, our aim at the start and still is to this day, is to inspire the love of salah (prayer) to children.

“People are a big part of My Salah Mat; we work with so many people, from our distributors and the delivery guys that pick up our goods to all the fantastic people who work with me.

“Alex is one of many who has gone over and above, he has taken our marketing to the next level. Rashada who is our fulfilment manager and takes care of all the logistics. It’s always about the people who support you and work with you to make a company great!”

The ‘My Salah Mat’ is now a globally trademarked brand with a granted Patent, sold in over 14 different countries and translated into 11 languages and counting.

Not the brightest spark

Born in Newport, Wales, in an area considered to be one of the most deprived in the city, Kamal’s parents took all the steps to shield the children from crime and poverty. In an Asian culture which pushes for doctors, dentists and engineers, his parents had a broader view allowing Kamal and his siblings to be creative from a young age.

Kamal’s background is in product design, but in earlier years he wasn’t exactly the brightest spark in class.

“I struggled through primary school and high school academically, and it wasn’t until I got to university that I discovered I was dyslexic. This diagnosis changed my understanding of why I struggled and helped me to move forward towards success,” he says.

“I took GCSE Art and had an amazing time studying under some incredible teachers. I recall one of the art teachers in the department loving my final GCSE piece and even offered me £50 to buy it!

“I couldn’t think of a better start to my art career, and it pushed me onwards into A-Level art. But, I also took sciences in order to become a doctor like every Asian parent wishes, but it soon became clear that I had no passion to become one. As you can guess, I ended up failing sciences and struggled a lot,” confesses Kamal.

“I had to do a diploma in Art & Design to have enough points to get into university, but like a lot of things in my life, the things that at first appear to be a step back end up being a blessing in disguise.

“That diploma ended up being one of the best things I ever did. I experienced photography, graphic design, fashion, fine art, and product design. After achieving a distinction, I enrolled onto a design degree.

“I would be the first in my family to attend university, and completed my degree with First Class Honours. One of the proudest moments of my life is having my mother, father, and siblings at my graduation.”

Kamal was eventually selected for a scholarship to complete a Master’s in product design at Bath Spa University. His experience of teaching in creative youth workshops led hime to complete a PGCE course, which took me from Newport to Birmingham and then eventually to Cairo.

“I became a teacher of Design Technology and Digital Animation for around ten years, before leaving to set up my brand – ‘My Salah Mat’. While teaching, I honed my design skills by working on my first project Hajj Safe. I am also the founder of the first anti-theft Ihram belt which is sold internationally.

“It was not until I set up My Salah Mat that we saw sales that allowed me to stop teaching and go full-time into developing a start-up company. To date, we have reached over 200 million people worldwide through our social media alone.”