Abjad bills itself as the first Arabic-language “social reading” platform. The app allows users to buy and download Arabic e-books. For around the price of a book per month ($5.99), users get access to a library of more than 4,000 Arabic books, of which around 700 can be downloaded for free. It also offers a month’s free trial.
The app also allows you to rate authors and books and post comments and reviews, as well as to engage in conversations and debates with other users.
Like most reading apps, you can customize the layout to whatever suits you best — from page color to font type and size. You can also search for particular words, mark pages and sections of text.
Before Abjad launched in 2011 (initially as a social platform to fill the need for an online database of Arabic books), there was no legal way to download Arabic-language e-books. But Abjad protects the copyrights of both authors and publishers — ensuring creators still receive some money for their work and that users are still supporting their favorite authors.
Abjad has received several awards and grants from various regional and international organizations. In April 2019 it won the Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Arabic Language.
