New Zealand: Muslim holy book translated into Maori

For its centennial celebrations the Ahmadiyya Muslim community wanted to give thanks to God and so set about translating the Qur'an into 100 languages.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Int'l Desk
Source & Credit:  Manukau Courier | Auckland Stuff
JESSIE COLQUHOUN | April 19, 2010

Muslim holy book translated into Maori

A local Muslim group is proving that when it comes to religion, you don't have to be lost in translation.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community has just translated the first half of the Muslim holy book – the Qur'an – into Maori.

The published book was launched at a special ceremony on Saturday.


Most of the translation can be credited to Shakil Ahmad Monir, a Pakistani teacher who has lived and worked in Africa and Australia.

While working in a school in Nigeria Mr Monir began teaching himself Maori with a Maori dictionary, Maori Bible and a book of Maori grammar.

He then began translating the Qur'an into te reo, a task that took him almost 20 years.

"Not being Maori myself, there have been some limitations," he says.

Mr Monir insisted on translating the Qur'an from Arabic straight into Maori because he says by translating it into English first it lost some of its meaning.

He's had to create some new Maori words and sent the translations to New Zealand professors to make sure they were correct. But the final version of the translation is his own, just to make sure it is "carrying a sense of Arabic".

For its centennial celebrations the Ahmadiyya Muslim community wanted to give thanks to God and so set about translating the Qur'an into 100 languages.

They've published more than 60 so far, including the Qur'an in Thai, Korean, Russian, Greek and Tuvalu.

"We won't stop at 100 languages, we will go further," Mr Monir says.

Missionary Shafiqur Rehman says the group hopes to introduce more Maori people to their religion.

"We want to show them through their language who we are.

"The Qur'an is for all mankind, all people, all races. It is their right to have it in their own language."

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