I am Ibrahim Othman Shafa, 29 years old, from Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
I've dreamed of learning programming for a long time, and I'm always haunted by ideas for innovative apps. Sometimes, I see an app concept and think it could be even more beautiful or easier to use. So, whenever a new idea comes to mind, I immediately jot it down in Notes, dreaming that I'll become an app developer and one day implement it, God willing.
But the problem? Every time I start learning programming, I get excited for a while and then stop.
the reason?
Programming is fun and beautiful, but self-teaching is exhausting, especially when you're alone. You read tutorials, watch videos, memorize codes you don't understand, and you feel like you're wasting your time without seeing any tangible results. I don't know how to design user interfaces, or how to draw them and add a button, for example! I don't know how to organize the steps because I don't even know where to start!
I've tried learning Swift more than once, but I always get stuck in the first chapter of any course. I need someone to guide me, hold my hand, or at least explain to me why a certain code is used in a certain place.
But every time, I stop and say, “Inshallah one day I will do it.” I don’t know if this is ambition or procrastination.
Idea, the beginning
Until one day I was discussing with my friend, who loves programming as much as I do but is not a programmer, so I asked him:
“How do we make a real app? How do we learn?”
He said“Why learn from scratch? Why not use ChatGPT?”
I said“Really? Idea!” But it only helps us, and we need to be aware of a few things.
He said“No, there's no need, he can do everything!”
We actually started working on a simple app, but due to certain circumstances, we stopped. Still, I loved the experience. We saw the iPhone emulator in action, and that in itself was an achievement: seeing a phone screen appear right in front of us!
The old dream
I went back through my notes and looked for an easy idea to start on my own, because I was excited to continue and create something I could share with my friend when he got back so we could continue together. Not because I had become a programmer, but because I loved the feeling of seeing the app take shape before my eyes.
I started asking ChatGPT:
- How do I start?
- Write me code for a specific interface.
- The code is not working, why?
- I want a sleek design, with fluid movements and different colors. How do I modify the design?
- How do I add notifications? How do I change the font size? How do I add a dhikr counter? etc.
Whenever I asked for something, he would provide me with ready-made code and explain it if I asked. And the surprise? I completed the app without writing a single line of code myself! 😂 I don't even know how to write "if," and sometimes the code crashes due to an unclosed parenthesis because I don't know how to handle parentheses. But we fix it together and move on.
Finally, the app worked exactly the way I wanted it to, thank goodness. The feeling is great!
There is still a long way to go
When I decided to upload my app to the App Store, I faced a million obstacles: terms, settings, files, images, approvals, requirements, image and icon sizes, and much more. But I would take a screenshot, send it to ChatGPT, and ask it, "What am I doing here?" It would answer me step by step, until the app was officially available on the store, thank God.
Sometimes AI gets so tired that I stop, then come back and try until we understand each other and move on. Sometimes it "gets out," so we get mad at each other, then make up and move on! 😅
Would I repeat the experience?
certainly.
Today, I can confidently say: I can build any idea that comes to my mind, thanks to God first, and then to the technological advancements that God has blessed us with.
My message to every person like meIf you feel programming is difficult or you don't know where to start, don't let that stop you. As long as you have an idea and the tools to help you, God willing, you will be able to achieve what you love. Serve your religion, have fun, and earn.
You don't need to be a professional, just believe in your dream, start, and God will make the rest easy.
Finally, thank you. I've been following you, by God's grace, since the beginning. Once the app was complete, all I could think about was you. Your efforts are remarkable, and your achievements are tangible, by God's grace. Since the beginning of the iPhone, your contributions to Apple have benefited all Arabs. Thank you 🌺
comment
We recount this wonderful story to you as Ibrahim told it to us. It's a truly remarkable story. A person who wanted to achieve a dream and didn't give up. Thanks to God, the dream has become a reality, and the app is now available in the Apple App Store. It's a wonderful feeling when someone realizes their dream. I'm certain Ibrahim didn't seek financial gain. On the contrary, everything he went through proves that he invested in achieving his dream. Ultimately, Ibrahim succeeded in this challenge.
Ibrahim wasn't ashamed that he couldn't learn app development in a traditional way. On the contrary, he was proud that he was able to use modern technology and the potential of artificial intelligence to achieve his goal. These are all tools, but the goal is important.
Ibrahim sharing this story and updating us with all sincerity shows that he loves goodness, and we also love goodness for you, so we published this story, hoping it will be an incentive for every person to strive to achieve their dream, whatever that dream is, regardless of their age or situation. Strive to achieve your dream, and you will succeed.
| Developer | |
 | |
 | |
Do you like to keep the morning and evening remembrances?
This app is designed to make it easy and convenient for you to keep up:
- Smart Streak (daily consistency) motivates you to keep going day after day.
- Short or complete supplications according to your time and mood
- Fantastic ease of use without any complexity
Hello
My message to brother Ibrahim, the application developer:
May Allah bless you 🤲 and your story is inspiring to me because a short time ago I decided to start learning the Swift language to program the idea of an architectural application that I had been dreaming of developing for years.. and I was carrying the burden of studying, experimenting and making mistakes, but now after reading your story I got a huge morale boost, and I know that I am not alone and that there is someone to help me after Allah Almighty.
The objectors do not know that there are amateurs like you and me who work in professions other than programming to earn a living, but they have a dream or an idea for an application that they wish to implement, whether to serve them in their field of work, for advocacy, or even for fun and discovery. 😀
I congratulate you for choosing a dhikr application and I ask God to make it a part of your good deeds. God willing, you will continue to update it to keep pace with operating system updates and we will never find the message “The developer must update the application to support the iOS 30 operating system.”
I now invite you to update the application to work with the new liquid glass format, to be the first remembrance application to support this technology 😁
God bless you and my regards to you. 🌹
One of the most failed steps is to rely entirely on artificial intelligence. There must be a software basis. Then it is okay to take some ideas from artificial intelligence, but relying entirely on it is a mistake.
Professor Ibrahim, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for the “Continuous Remembrance” application.
I tried it and I liked it. It is simple, tidy and has comfortable colors.
What caught my attention the most is your smart and creative use of artificial intelligence, a beautiful and useful idea at the same time.
I used the Zad Al-Muslim application and the Nusuk application, and now I will use your application. May Allah reward you and give you wellness for this effort. May you always be successful, God willing.
Ok, I have a question. What is the idea of the application that was created?
Try downloading the app, it is a very useful remembrance app.
I also want to point out a simple point.
I have dealt with most of these models, and again, artificial intelligence, if dealt with without a programming foundation, then unfortunately, this means a waste of time and the future, and the product that comes out of it will unfortunately be full of disasters, and I am sure that you agree with me.
Musa, his brother
First: I am Ibrahim, the owner of the story.
Second: I thank the owners of this blog, whom we are proud of, frankly, and I thank them for their responses.
Third: You can never decide that artificial intelligence does not create an application... as evidenced by this application.
From scratch to publishing without writing a comma, I swear 😂.
Yes, this path does not lead you to professionalism, nor does it create a complex application, but it is a beautiful means to achieve a goal, even if it is simple. Is it successful?! Yes, without a doubt.
Is it the best?! No
No one disagrees with you that the basis is learning the original programming language, but if you allow me, I disagree with your belief that this is not useful.
Things have changed, but the original will remain, but for a few people and not for everyone who wants to make an application.
Who today writes in machine language (0,1)?!
Fourth: The beautiful people in the blog mean that this is not perfect, and it is not for those who want to learn programming, but rather this is an alternative solution for the disabled 😅
I cannot build a company, for example, because my programming foundation is not suitable for this.
But I can build one, two or three apps, and I can make money from them if I market them properly. Your prayers.
Fifth: Download the application and try it, and God willing you will like it. Keep up the remembrances, and if you do not like it, come talk to me and delete it from my eyes from the store and buy a Galaxy phone 😂🌺
But programmers who know what programming means
What does data structure mean? What does memory mean? And so on and so on.
only
It was a simple suggestion from me if you could provide readers with an article about the correct way to enter the field as a founder first. It would be something very awesome.
Especially since you, praise be to God, have created a revolution in the world of programming.
In the end, a difference of opinion does not spoil a friendship.
May God make you happy and grant success to everyone
Musa, I was like you, and I believed what you said. Perhaps on the professional side, where you're developing applications for large companies, of course these skills have been and will continue to be in demand, and artificial intelligence will become nothing more than a tool to accelerate the pace of development.
As a hobbyist or non-professional, previously there was no opportunity for someone like Ibrahim to develop an app. But now it's possible for him to produce a high-quality app, and the disasters you're talking about won't happen, and the app will perform at peak efficiency. Simply put, AI is different. Try modern models like GPT O3 or Claude Sonnet 4. Yes, you may need the support of a specialist to ensure the work is perfect, but trust me, it will be close to ideal for any hobbyist who wants to implement their idea.
In a year or less, you'll come back to this comment and realize that AI-based app development has become completely normal, for both professionals and non-professionals.
Anyone who comments that AI is not entirely reliable, I think you're wrong. May God bless you and think with the mindset of early AI scientists.
Today, things are different. Personally, I'm building apps without even looking at the code. And the results are proof.
Perhaps none of you have encountered modern AI models like Claude Sonnet 4, which can build an entire application with minimal effort, or tools like Cursor, which make working with AI easier.
It's evolving now and soon when it comes out, everyone will know that you don't need programming experience to develop an app.
I never said that it cannot be relied upon. On the contrary, it is very useful and a strong assistant.
But if the user already has a programming basis
Otherwise, it will cause a disaster. Therefore, artificial intelligence, to this day and in the future as well, will never be able to replace programmers.
His mistakes are really, really terrible. I need someone who is really good at programming so we can really benefit from him.
But we let it do everything while we are zero in programming. Unfortunately, the product that comes out will be full of disasters and will not be a product that can be relied upon, especially in companies.
May God bless you, but I am not a supporter of relying on artificial intelligence completely. Rather, it can only help you, just as a doctor must be knowledgeable in medicine. Artificial intelligence can be used to help him only, as well as the engineer and all other professions.
Seriously, relying entirely on artificial intelligence without a foundation will result in a production full of errors and disasters, so programmers will never be replaced.
It will only replace people who have no programming background.
A very nice article, but please allow me, Engineer Tariq, to make a simple comment.
The lack of a software foundation and the complete reliance on artificial intelligence is a disaster for the field anyway.
I mean, I imagine that if it weren't for your help, your friend wouldn't have been able to create the application because it wasn't even established.
In order to use artificial intelligence, one must use it only as an assistant, meaning one must know what to ask of it, when, and how.
This is exactly the importance of the programming foundation in everything.
I really hope that the next article will be about how people start programming and enter the field of developing mobile applications after founding, based on your very deep experience in the field, especially since you were the first to Arabize the iOS system, preceding Apple, and the first maker of Islamic applications, God willing, in the Arab world.
Thank you very much
Sorry, just a simple mistake
You didn't help him, of course.
But his method itself is a big problem
Advice for anyone who intends to enter the field of programming
Guys, let's start programming first. Look at the basics of Roadmap. What is it?
Search on YouTube for the roadmap for software development.
The important thing is that no one should start programming without any foundation.
Otherwise, it will waste time and energy and will be replaced by artificial intelligence, like the story above.
But God is the helper