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Bookmarks & Collections

Organise what matters into folders that sync across devices.

Al Islam's Collections system is a complete, file-manager-style organization and bookmarking platform that lets you save, organize, and annotate Islamic content across unlimited nested folders. It supports markdown notes, batch operations, and optional cloud backup with automatic syncing and conflict resolution.

Overview

Collections is where you organize your personal Islamic library. It's a personal space to:

  • Bookmark — save Quranic verses, hadith, tafsir, and any content
  • Organize — create unlimited nested folders and subfolders
  • Annotate — add detailed markdown notes to every item
  • Search — find saved content instantly across all folders
  • Backup — optionally sync to the cloud (encrypted, with premium subscription)

Collections is accessed from the bottom navigation bar.

Philosophy

Collections is built on a file-manager-like structure where:

  1. Unlimited nesting — create folders within folders indefinitely
  2. Flexible organization — organize according to your personal system
  3. Markdown support — rich annotations with full markdown capabilities (tables, code blocks, etc.)

Core Concepts

Items

An item is a saved piece of content:

  • Quranic verses (Ayahs)
  • Hadith narrations
  • Tafsir passages
  • Custom notes

Each item has:

  • Title — customizable (default is the content's reference)
  • Content — the actual saved text
  • Notes — markdown-formatted annotations (optional)
  • Folder location — where it's stored
  • Metadata — creation date, last modified date, item type

Folders

A folder is a container for items and other folders:

  • Unlimited nesting depth — create folders within folders indefinitely
  • Custom names — choose meaningful folder names
  • Folder descriptions — markdown-formatted notes for each folder
  • Can be empty — useful as organizational placeholders

Bookmarking: Saving Content

How to Bookmark

From any content view (Quranic verse, hadith, tafsir), tap the bookmark icon. A dialog appears asking where you'd like to save it.

Step 1: Choose Folder Location

A folder browser appears. You can:

  • Tap a folder to navigate into it
  • Tap the + (Create New Folder) button to create a folder on the fly
  • Use the breadcrumb path at the top to navigate to a specific location
  • Search for a folder by name

Once you've selected a location, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Set Title

A dialog prompts you to enter a title. By default, it's pre-filled with the content's reference (e.g., 2:255 for a Quranic verse, or a hadith reference).

You can:

  • Keep the default — accept it
  • Customize it — clear and type a meaningful title

Step 3: Add Notes (Optional)

An optional notes field appears supporting full markdown:

  • Text formatting — bold, italic, underline, strikethrough
  • Lists — unordered and ordered
  • Headings — h1, h2, h3, etc.
  • Code blocks — with syntax highlighting
  • Tables — markdown table syntax
  • Links — internal and external links
  • Quotes — blockquotes
  • Keyboard shortcuts — Ctrl+B for bold, Ctrl+I for italic, etc.

Step 4: Review & Save

You see a preview showing the title, content snippet, notes preview, and folder location. Tap Save to confirm.

Saving the Same Item Multiple Times

You can bookmark the same content to multiple folders or the same folder with different titles and notes:

Example:

  1. Save Ayat al-Kursi (2:255) to "Quranic Verses" with detailed notes
  2. Later, save the same verse to "Prayer & Spirituality" with different notes
  3. Later, save it again to another folder

Each save is independent with different titles, different notes, different folders.

Organizing: Folder Structure

Creating Folders

From the Collections main screen:

  1. Tap the + (Create Folder) button
  2. Enter a folder name
  3. Enter a folder description (markdown-supported, optional)
  4. Choose a location — root or inside an existing folder
  5. Tap Create

While bookmarking content:

  1. During the "Choose Folder" step, tap + (Create Folder)
  2. Enter name and description
  3. Tap Create — the new folder is instantly available

Unlimited Nesting

You can create folders as deeply as needed, creating hierarchies like:

Root
├── Islamic Studies
│   ├── Quranic Exegesis
│   │   ├── Surah al-Fatiha
│   │   └── Surah al-Baqarah
│   └── Hadith Studies
│       ├── Sihah Sittah
│       └── Minor Collections
└── Personal Reflections
    ├── Daily Ayah
    └── Hadith Reflections

There's no practical limit to nesting depth.

Renaming & Editing Folders

To rename or edit a folder:

  1. Long-press the folder name (or tap the ⋮ More menu)
  2. Select Edit
  3. Modify the name or description (markdown supported)
  4. Tap Save

Changes are instant.

Setting Folder Descriptions

Every folder can have a markdown-formatted description:

  • Headings
  • Lists
  • Tables
  • Code blocks
  • Links
  • Any markdown formatting

These help document your organizational philosophy.

Managing Items

Viewing Items

To view a saved item within Collections:

  1. Navigate to the folder containing the item
  2. Tap the item name
  3. The item view opens, showing the title, content, notes, and metadata

Editing Item Details

To edit an item's title or notes:

  1. Open the item
  2. Tap Edit
  3. Modify the title or notes (with full markdown support)
  4. Tap Save

Deleting Items

Single delete:

  1. Open the item
  2. Tap Delete
  3. Confirm

Batch delete:

  1. From the folder view, tap Select Mode
  2. Check the items you want to delete
  3. Tap Delete at the bottom
  4. Confirm

Moving Items

Single move:

  1. Open the item
  2. Tap Move
  3. Select the destination folder
  4. Tap Move

Batch move:

  1. From the folder view, tap Select Mode
  2. Check the items you want to move
  3. Tap Move at the bottom
  4. Select destination folder
  5. Tap Confirm

Copying Items

Single copy:

  1. Open the item
  2. Tap Copy
  3. Select the destination folder
  4. Choose whether to copy with the same title or a custom title
  5. Tap Copy

Batch copy:

  1. From the folder view, tap Select Mode
  2. Check the items you want to copy
  3. Tap Copy at the bottom
  4. Select destination folder
  5. Tap Copy

Renaming Items

To rename an item:

  1. Open the item
  2. Tap Edit
  3. Change the title
  4. Tap Save

Or from the folder view:

  1. Long-press an item
  2. Select Rename
  3. Enter the new title
  4. Tap Save

Advanced Organization: Sorting & Custom Ordering

Sorting Options

From a folder view, tap the Sort button to choose:

  • Name — alphabetical order
  • Creation date — newest or oldest first
  • Last modified date — most recently updated first
  • Type — group by content type
  • Custom order — your manual arrangement

The sort applies per-folder — different folders can have different sort orders.

Custom Manual Ordering

For maximum control, use custom order mode:

  1. From a folder view, tap Sort → Custom Order
  2. The view switches to drag-and-drop mode
  3. Tap and drag items to reorder them
  4. Release to drop them in the new position
  5. Changes are saved automatically

The app handles custom ordering extremely efficiently, even with millions of items. Reordering is instant.

Search within Collections

Collection Search

Collections has its own search system:

  1. From the Collections main view, tap the Search icon
  2. Enter a search query
  3. Results appear instantly, showing:
    • Items matching the query
    • Notes matching the query
    • Folder descriptions matching the query
    • Full folder path for each result

What it searches:

  • Item titles
  • Item content (the saved text)
  • Item notes (your markdown annotations)
  • Folder names
  • Folder descriptions

App-Wide Search Integration

You can also search Collections from the main Search feature (accessed from bottom navigation):

  1. Open Search
  2. From the "Sources" filter, select Collections
  3. Enter a search query
  4. Results include saved items from your Collections

Breadcrumb Navigation

At the top of the Collections view, you see a breadcrumb trail showing your current location. You can:

  • Tap any breadcrumb to jump directly to that location
  • Understand context — always know where you are in the hierarchy
  • Navigate instantly — jump anywhere in the structure from the breadcrumb

Metadata & Information

Item Metadata

Every saved item displays:

  • Title — your custom title
  • Content type — Quranic verse, hadith, tafsir, custom note
  • Creation date — when you bookmarked it
  • Last modified date — when you last edited it
  • Folder location — full path in your Collections
  • Item type — the type of content

Folder Metadata

Every folder displays:

  • Name — the folder's custom name
  • Description — markdown-formatted folder notes
  • Creation date — when you created the folder
  • Last modified date — when you last edited the folder or its contents

Batch Operations

Collections supports powerful batch operations for managing multiple items at once:

Select Mode

  1. From any folder view, tap Select Mode button
  2. Items appear with checkboxes
  3. Tap checkboxes to select items (tap Select All to select all in the current folder)
  4. Once you've selected items, action buttons appear at the bottom:
    • Delete — remove all selected items
    • Move — move all to a different folder
    • Copy — copy all to a different folder

Performance: Batch operations work smoothly, even with thousands of items selected.

Recursive Operations

Some operations work recursively on folders:

  • Delete folder — deletes the folder and all its contents
  • Move folder — moves the folder and all its contents
  • Copy folder — copies the folder and all its contents

Notes: Markdown Support

Markdown Capabilities

All notes support full markdown:

Text formatting:

  • **bold** → bold
  • *italic* → italic
  • ~~strikethrough~~ → strikethrough
  • `code` → monospaced code

Lists:

  • Unordered (bullet) lists
  • Ordered (numbered) lists
  • Nested lists

Headings:

  • # Heading 1
  • ## Heading 2
  • ### Heading 3

Tables:

  • Markdown table syntax (pipes and dashes)

Code blocks:

  • Multi-line code blocks
  • Syntax highlighting support

Quotes:

  • Blockquotes for emphasis

Links:

  • Internal links
  • External URLs

Why Markdown for Islamic Studies?

Markdown is perfect for Islamic scholarship because you can:

  • Organize references — use headings to structure arguments
  • Compare translations — use tables to compare Quranic translations side-by-side
  • Document chains — use lists for hadith chain analysis
  • Include code — quote verses and hadith with proper formatting
  • Reference internally — link between your saved items

Cloud Backup & Sync (Premium Feature)

Why Optional Cloud Sync?

Collections operates 100% locally by default. Your library is:

  • Stored on your device
  • Never sent to servers without permission
  • Completely private
  • Works offline

Cloud sync is available as an optional premium feature for users who want:

  • Cross-device sync — access Collections on multiple devices
  • Automatic backup — protect against device loss
  • Disaster recovery — restore your library if needed

Enabling Cloud Backup

  1. Go to Profile → Settings
  2. Tap Collections (or Cloud Sync)
  3. Tap Enable Cloud Backup
  4. If needed, create an account
    • Account is completely optional if you only use the app locally
    • Creating an account is only necessary if you want cloud backup
  5. Once logged in, backup starts automatically

Subscription

Cloud Backup is a premium feature requiring a subscription.

The subscription includes:

  • Cloud storage for your Collections
  • Cross-device sync
  • Automatic syncing

How Sync Works

Once enabled, Collections automatically syncs:

  1. New items you bookmark are uploaded to the cloud
  2. Edits to existing items are synchronized
  3. Deletions are synchronized
  4. Folder structure changes are synced

Offline operation:

  • If you lose internet connection, Collections continues working locally
  • All changes are queued and synced automatically when you reconnect
  • No data is lost

Automatic Conflict Resolution

If you make changes on multiple devices simultaneously, the app automatically resolves conflicts:

  • Changes are merged intelligently
  • You don't need manual intervention
  • Everything syncs seamlessly

Encryption

All data sent to the cloud is heavily encrypted:

  • In transit — encrypted connection
  • At rest — encrypted storage

Your data is secure throughout the process.

Manual Sync

In the Profile section, there's a Sync button:

  • Automatic syncing happens in the background
  • Manual Sync button is available for convenience
  • Tap Sync Now to force an immediate sync

Data Storage

Local Storage

  • Entire data is saved locally — all items, folders, notes, and metadata
  • No personal data is sent to servers unless you explicitly enable cloud backup
  • Works offline — all functionality available without internet

Cloud Sync (Optional)

  • Only enabled if you explicitly turn it on
  • Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest
  • Automatic syncing keeps devices in sync
  • Conflicts are resolved automatically

Performance & Scalability

Optimized for Scale

Collections is engineered to handle millions of items with full performance:

  • Pagination — items load efficiently without lag
  • Indexing — search indexes all items for instant lookup
  • Concurrent operations — multiple operations happen simultaneously
  • Highly optimized — no lag, even with massive libraries

Real-world performance:

  • 100,000+ items: Instant folder navigation, instant search
  • Millions of items: Full functionality maintained
  • Batch operations: Complete efficiently, even with thousands of items

Best Practices

  1. Use meaningful folder names — "Quranic Verses on Mercy" is better than "Folder 1"
  2. Add notes liberally — use markdown to document your thoughts
  3. Leverage folder descriptions — document why you created each folder
  4. Sort strategically — different folders can have different sort orders
  5. Batch operations — select multiple items to move/delete/copy at once
  6. Search over browsing — if you have many items, search is faster
  7. Sync before traveling — ensure latest changes are backed up before going offline
  8. Review old notes — revisit your annotations periodically for deeper learning

Troubleshooting

"Items aren't syncing"

Possible causes:

  1. Cloud backup not enabled
  2. Internet connection dropped
  3. Sync is in progress

Fix:

  • Enable cloud backup in Settings
  • Check internet connection
  • Tap Sync Now to force a manual sync

"I accidentally deleted an item"

If synced to cloud:

  • Items may be in the cloud backup and recoverable

If local only:

  • Contact support for recovery options

"Conflicts on multiple devices"

The app automatically resolves most conflicts. If manual resolution is needed:

  1. You'll receive a notification

  2. The app shows conflict options

  3. You can choose which version to keep

  4. The conflict is resolved and synced

Continue exploring

The Holy Quran Notes The Hadith Library Search Intelligence (AI Capabilities) Reading History