The trend towards embracing the Qur’an as the primary text of Islam in Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia has led to a notable emphasis on memorization (hifz al-Qur’an) over engagement in deeper contemplation of the scripture through the mediation of tafsīrs or translations. The recent upsurge in Qur’an memorization gained momentum in 2003 with the establishment of Pesantren […]
A guest contribution by Masyithah Mardhatillah & Moh. Hafid Effendy, IAIN Madura, Pamekasan, Indonesia No less than four translations of the Qur’an into Madurese, a native language of the island of Madura in the Java Sea, off the northeastern coast of Java, have been produced in the last twenty years. One of these is now
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 guest contribution by Jajang A Rohmana, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati, Bandung, Indonesia Kitab Suci Al-Qur’an dengan Terjemahan dan Tafsir Singkat (‘The Holy Book of the Qur’an with Translation and Concise Commentary’), the latest translation into Indonesian to be produced by the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Community (Jemaat Ahmadiyah Indonesia or JAI), was published in 2023 despite massive
The Muslim population in Indonesia now numbers some 241 million, equivalent to around 87% of the country’s total population, making it the largest Muslim population not just in Southeast Asia, but across the world. This has clearly created a huge market for Islamic goods and facilities for worship. In general, the Indonesian government provides for
A guest contribution by Jajang A Rohmana, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati, Bandung, Indonesia Anugerah Al-Quranul-Karim Tarjamah Basa Sunda (‘A Gift from God: A Sundanese Qur’an Translation’) is the only complete translation of the Qur’an to be written by an Indonesian woman to date. Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country with the largest Muslim population in the world,
A guest contribution by Muhammad Alwi HS and Iin Parninsih, STAI Sunan Pandanaran Yogyakarta, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. Ever since the arrival of Islam in Indonesia, Muslims living in the Bugis region of Eastern Indonesia have studied the religious teachings of Islam almost entirely in their local language, also called Bugis. Ulama who teach in
Johannes Hendrik Kramers (also known as J.H. Kramers or Jan Kramers, 1891–1951) was born in Rotterdam on 26th February as the eldest son to Hendrik Kramers, a physician, and Jeanne Suzanne Breukelman. Kramers had a brother named Hendrik Anthony Kramers, a physicist who made important contributions to quantum mechanics and statistical physics. Unlike his father
H.B. Jassin, a prominent Indonesian writer born in 1917, began his career during the Dutch colonial period, and continued writing throughout the Japanese occupation and into the era of Indonesian independence. He was a literary critic, journalist, novelist, translator and editor, as well as the author of poetry and short stories. Jassin’s expertise in literature
‘De Korte Hoofdstukken van de Koran’ (2002) is a translation and commentary of short Qur’anic verses by a Dutch Indonesianist and Islamologue, Karel Steenbrink, who built lasting personal relationships with many Indonesian Muslim scholars in both the Netherlands and Indonesia. At a time when many studies of Islamology emerging from Western universities focused their attention
