Frequently Asked Questions
How to use VisualDhikr, how the knowledge graph works, and what you're looking at.
How to use VisualDhikr
A 60-second tour of the main features.
Start at the graph
Open the explorer to see the knowledge graph. Each coloured dot is an entity — a prophet, place, event, theme, concept, verse, hadith, or fiqh ruling. Lines between them are connections drawn from primary sources. Click any node to open its detail card on the right.
Search for what you care about
Use the search bar at the top of the graph page. Type a name (Ibrahim, Aisha, your own name), a place (Makkah, Madinah), a concept (Sabr, Tawhid, Riba), or a verse reference (2:255). The first matches lead you straight to the relevant nodes.
Read a node's introduction and sources
Every detail card has two tabs. Overview shows an AI-written introduction with inline links into the actual verses. Sources shows every verse, hadith, and ruling that mentions or addresses this node, grouped by source. Click any citation to jump straight to it.
Filter by source
The sidebar on the left of the graph page lets you toggle which sources are active — Quran, Bukhari, Muslim, the four madhabs. Hiding a source removes the connections that come from it, reshaping the graph to show only what those sources evidence.
Switch between Thematic and Narrative views
The Thematic / Narrative toggle in the top bar switches between two ways of seeing the graph. Thematic shows conceptual connections (who, what, where, why). Narrative focuses on story-level connections — which prophets and events belong to which stories, in order.
Pick which translations to display
The Display button in the header (graph, surah reader, hadith reader) controls which translation columns are shown — English, Urdu, transliteration. Arabic is always present. Your choice is remembered across pages.
Read full surahs and hadith collections
If you want to read straight through rather than explore connections, the Surah reader and Hadith collections give you the full Quran and the books of Bukhari and Muslim, with the same display preferences.
What is the knowledge graph?
The knowledge graph is a visual map of relationships between entities in Islamic texts. Every verse, prophet, place, event, theme, and concept is represented as a node. The lines between them represent connections — for example, a verse mentioning a prophet, a theme addressed in a surah, or two concepts that are related. There are currently over 13,000 entities and nearly 100,000 mapped relationships, drawn from the Quran, Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and fiqh rulings across the four madhabs.
How were the relationships generated?
AI (Google Gemini) was used to analyse every verse of the Quran, every hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, and every fiqh ruling, and identify which entities each text mentions, addresses, or relates to. The AI also identified connections between entities themselves — for example, that Ibrahim is associated with Makkah, or that the Battle of Badr occurred at Madinah. All AI-generated relationships are marked as 'inferred' in the database and are subject to scholarly review. Structural relationships (which verse belongs to which surah, which hadith to which book) come directly from the source data.
What's the difference between Thematic and Narrative mode?
The toggle in the top bar switches between two views of the graph. Thematic mode shows conceptual and topical connections — the standard knowledge graph of who/what/where/why across all sources. Narrative mode shows a separate set of relationships that focus on story-level connections: which prophets and events are part of which stories, and how they unfold sequentially. Both views share the same underlying entities, but the edges shown are different.
What do the different node colours mean?
Each colour represents a type of entity: green for surahs and verses, blue for persons, violet for places, orange for events, purple for themes, cyan for concepts, amber for hadith, and rose for fiqh rulings. You can see the full legend at the bottom of the graph page, and use the checkboxes to show or hide specific types.
How does the source filter in the sidebar work?
The entities in the graph (prophets, places, themes, concepts) exist across all sources — Ibrahim is Ibrahim whether you're reading the Quran, Bukhari, or Hanafi fiqh. The source filter controls which relationships (edges) are shown, and which nodes remain connected as a result. Toggling Bukhari, Muslim, or any of the four madhabs will reshape the graph to show only the connections evidenced by those sources. The filter also controls which verses, hadith, and rulings appear under the Sources tab on each detail card.
What sources are included?
The complete Quran (6,236 verses) with the Saheeh International English translation and Jalandhry Urdu translation. Sahih al-Bukhari (7,589 hadith) and Sahih Muslim (7,563 hadith), both with Arabic, English, and Urdu text. Fiqh rulings across the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) covering worship, transactions, family law, food, dress, and more. See the About page for our full roadmap of upcoming sources.
How accurate is the AI-generated content?
The source texts (Quran, hadith) are drawn from established, verified datasets. The AI-generated content — entity extraction, relationship mapping, node introductions, and fiqh ruling summaries — has not yet been reviewed by qualified scholars. We mark all AI-generated relationships with a confidence level of 'inferred' to distinguish them from verified data. AI is fallible: it can misattribute quotations, mislabel relationships, or generate inaccurate descriptions. If you notice an error, please let us know at info@visualdhikr.org — every correction makes the platform better for everyone. See the About page for more on our approach to corrections.
What do the detail cards show?
When you click a node, the detail card shows an AI-written introduction with inline citations that link to the actual verses. The Overview tab shows the introduction, structured data (like verse text or hadith grade), and connections to other entities. The Sources tab shows every verse, hadith, or ruling that references this node, grouped by source. Citations in the introduction are clickable — they switch to the Sources tab and highlight the referenced verse.
What languages are supported?
The interface supports English, Arabic, and Urdu, with full right-to-left layout for Arabic and Urdu. Quran text is available in Arabic (Uthmani script), English (Saheeh International), and Urdu (Jalandhry). Hadith text is available in Arabic, English, and Urdu. Node introductions are currently in English only — Arabic and Urdu introductions are planned.
Can I read the Quran or hadith in full?
Yes. Use the Surah browser (/surah) to read any surah with Arabic text, transliteration, and translations. Use the Hadith browser (/hadith) to browse Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim by book and chapter. These are reading views separate from the knowledge graph.
Is this free?
Yes. VisualDhikr is free to use with no advertising, no paywall, and no premium tier. It is supported by sponsorship and community contributions. See the About page for how to support the project.
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