A guest contribution by Moh. Azwar Hairul (IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo, Indonesia)
The Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia (henceforth MoRA) has played a crucial role in the mass production of Qur’an translations into the country’s official language, Bahasa Indonesia, and, more recently, into several local languages. Now it has taken the next step. In a process that began in late 2023 and continues until the present day, MoRA has started publishing a work entitled Mushaf Al-Qur’an Isyarat (‘The Sign Qur’an Mushaf’, MQI). This is not the first time MoRA has demonstrated an interest in inclusiveness. In 2011, they began drafting a Braille Qur’an, which was completed in 2013. However, there was a gap of over a decade before MoRA began to address the religious needs of ‘people with hearing and speech disabilities’ (‘Penyandang Disabilitas Sensorik Rungu Wicara’), tasking the Qur’an Mushaf Licensing Committee (Lajnah Pentashih Mushaf Al-Qur’an, or LPMQ) with the supervision of this endeavour. The LPMQ began its initial draft of the text in 2021.
The Mushaf Al-Qur’an Isyarat is printed in two volumes. The first volume covers juzʾs 1–15 (Q 1–18), and the second volume covers juzʾs 16–30 (the second half of Q 18 to Q 114). One year prior to the publication of the print version, in 2022, the LPMQ developed an online version and published a guidebook to reading and learning the sign language Qur’an. Given the number of deaf people in Indonesia, the drive to publish such an inclusive Qur’an is understandable: according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), in 2022 Indonesia was home to over 4.9 million people with hearing disabilities. Given the percentage of Muslims in the country, an estimated 4.5 million of these individuals identify as Muslim.
The motivation for rendering the Qur’an in visual signs partly stems from the Indonesian Law on Disabilities Number 8/2016, Article 14, Paragraph C, regarding religious rights. This law states that persons with disabilities have the right to access holy books and other religious literature in a form that is adapted to their needs. Additionally, the LPMQ argued that the compilation of a sign language Qur’an (MQI) was inspired by the ease with the Qur’an lends itself to memorization (the Qur’an itself says in Q 54:17, ‘We have certainly made the Qur’an easy to remember’), and that the culture of sign language is referenced in Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, in Q 3:41 (‘He [Zacharias] said, “My Lord, make for me a sign.” He said, “Your sign is that you will not [be able to] speak to the people for three days except by gesture [ramzan]”’), on the basis that the word ramzan is translated as isyarat (‘sign’) in MoRA’s official state Indonesian Qur’an translation. Thus, this project not only aims to comply with state policy but also draws on the scriptural authority of the Qur’an itself.
There are at least three important reasons why this sign language Qur’an is particularly noteworthy: First, it uses an innovative form of the Arabic Alphabet in Sign Language (ArSL), which has been adapted with slight modifications to certain letter combinations, such as lām alif and lā al-nāfiya or lā al-nāhiya. Secondly, the sign language includes ḥarakāt (Arabic diacritics denoting vowels and case endings). In the system it uses, each letter incorporates diacritics, a distinctive feature that is not typically found in Arabic sign languages.
Thirdly, it provides two new methods for finger spelling the letters of the Qur’an: the kitāba method, which is a sign system based on writing or signalling each letter of the written Arabic text of the Qur’an with its diacritics and punctuation marks; and the tilāwa method, which is similar to the kitāba method, but in which the finger movements follow the tajwīd, i.e., the rules of reciting the Qur’an. Both methods emphasize the importance of using diacritics and punctuation. The kitāba method is available in both digital book and printed versions, covering both the JuzʾʿAmma and the full thirty-juzʾ versions. As for the tilāwa method, the digital and printed versions of the JuzʾʿAmma are currently accessible, while the full version is still in the process of being printed.
One question that this unique approach to the use of sign language in Qur’an translation raises is that of the purpose of including diacritics signifying vowels in the Qur’an for deaf people. Does it matter to them to understand the rules of tajwīd? The use of ḥarakāt is certainly not arbitrary. Rather, it is based on a consensus among members of the deaf community who serve on the committee. During a presentation, Dadial, the deaf activist who established the tilāwa method, stated:
‘The use of diacritics is important for deaf people in Indonesia because they are not Arabic native speakers. Deaf Indonesian Muslims must understand the distinctions represented by each diacritic through movement, as this has implications for meaning. However, only some laws can be effectively converted into sign language gestures.’
(Dadial, Bedah Buku ‘Panduan Membaca Mushaf Al-Qur’an’ Isyarat, 2023)
For instance, the description of the basmala in the kitāba version contains nineteen different ḥarakāt, while the tilāwa version is shorter, and has only twelve ḥarakāt. The two pictures above, taken from the kitāba and the tilāwa versions of the Juzʾ ʿAmma edition, consist of (a) the Arabic text, (b) depictions of the relevant sign language icons, (c) the transliteration of Arabic text, and (d) an Indonesian translation. However, strangely, the printed edition of the full thirty-juzʾ version only includes the Arabic text and the icons. It appears that the constraints of page extent and the physical weight and size of the printed edition (which is divided into two volumes) mean that it does not contain an Indonesian translation.
There has been considerable debate surrounding the emergence of this Qur’an, particularly in relation to the standardization of Qur’anic sign language. The standardization of any kind of language poses the risk that the standard form becomes the only recognized version, while all other variations are perceived as illegitimate by the general public. The question is, does the production of an official Qur’an sign language that is currently the only way for the deaf to access the Qur’an disregard the diversity and richness of other existing sign languages?
Before the MQI was released, there were three other, unofficial versions of the Qur’an available in sign language. First, in 2015, a collaborative, inclusive group called the ‘Qur’an Indonesia Project’ (QIP) launched an online learning service on YouTube, featuring videos that provide sign language translations of the holy book, including the verses of al-Fātiḥa and the three qulhu suras (Q 112, Q 113 and Q 114) with subtitles in Arabic, English and Indonesian. This audiovisual sign language Qur’an incorporates both hand movements and mimicry that reflect the meaning of the Qur’an by the signer; however, it is only available in audiovisual format, not in print.
The second work, Tutorial Isyarat Islami: Cara Mudah Belajar Isyarat Al-Qur’an Bagi Disabilitas Rungu/Tuli (‘Islamic Sign Tutorial: An Easy Way for Deaf and the Hearing Disabled to Learn the Qur’an), and published in 2020, is by a deaf lecturer affiliated with Mercubuana University, Rachmita Harahap. This version utilizes visualization and images to facilitate easy access for deaf individuals learning to sign the Qur’an. The gesture illustrations are based on the individual word meanings of the Qur’an and are expressed using both hands, as in the QIP version. Tutorial Isyarat Islami can be said to be an expansion of the QIP translation, but covers more suras of the Qur’an: Q 1, and Q 93 to Q 114. Although it is available in print, its distribution is limited.
The third version of a sign language Qur’an was produced by an Islamic boarding school for deaf students, Darul Ashom (henceforth DA). This institution, which was established in Yogyakarta in 2019, has been the focus of public attention since its appearance on national TV news in 2020, following which it went viral on social media. The DA translation is similar to the MQI version in that the students must learn to fingerspell or sign all the letters of the Qur’an, but it does not apply the ḥarakāt. Abu Kahfi, the leader of Darul Ashom, was actually invited by the LPMQ to participate in the compilation of MQI, but he refused due to his differing perspective on the application of sign language in the Qur’an. He insists that the DA version, which he claims is similar to that practiced in Arab countries, is more authoritative than the LPMQ version. He also believes that using ḥarakāt for people with hearing disabilities is unnecessary, or even useless. Commenting on this issue, Deni Hudaeny, a member of the LPMQ committee, made the point that:
‘MoRA has always been open to the many variations with regard to reading the Qur’an in sign language. Ultimately, it is up to the deaf community to choose the method that works best for them. Just as there are different qirāʾāt in reciting the Qur’an (for hearing people), the same applies to the sign language Qur’an. Furthermore, the publication of the MoRA sign language Qur’an is supported by various deaf groups and organizations across Indonesia. While the LPMQ acted as facilitator, they have collaborated to compile and designate what is a feasible form for them.’
(Deni Hudaeny, interview, Gorontalo 2023)
The various different official and unofficial sign language Qur’ans each have their advantages and cater to their respective audiences. While the Qur’an Indonesia Projectand Rachmita Harahap focus on translating the Qur’an into hand movements and facial expressions at the level of the individual word, their versions may overlook the written Arabic text of the Qur’an. Conversely, the version by Darul Ashom and Mushaf Al-Qur’an Isyarat are firmly based in the textual integrity of the Arabic text of the Qur’an; deaf individuals sign every corresponding letter of the Qur’an and are expected to understand its meaning through translation or explanation, usually provided in sign language. When it comes to the competition among these versions, it is likely that we will see the MoRA version gain the widest recognition, so that Mushaf Al-Qur’an Isyarat, which was established as part of state policy, will come to outshine the others. Backed by governmental financial support which will fund its printing and dissemination, Mushaf Al-Qur’an Isyarat will effectively reach deaf communities throughout all provinces in Indonesia.
Overall, the publication of this Indonesian sign language Qur’an represents a significant initiative that aims to create opportunities for people with disabilities to engage in expressing their religious beliefs and practices.
Moh. Azwar Hairul (IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo, Indonesia)