Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA) - The South Sumatra provincial administration welcomed the availability of the holy Quran translated in Palembang language since it will help local Muslims gain a broader understanding of the Quranic verses, a local government official stated.
"The holy Quran translated in Palembang language will become a matter of pride for the Muslims in Palembang City and South Sumatra," Head of the South Sumatra Provincial Government's Research and Development Agency Ekowati Retnaningsih remarked here, Saturday.
Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi recently launched the holy Quran, with translations in Palembang and Sundanese languages.
Retnaningsih believes that the Quran, whose verses are translated into the mother tongue of the local ethnic groups, would help preserve the local languages.
Razi also highlighted the need for the Quran being available with translations in Palembang and Sundanese languages to prevent local languages in Indonesia from becoming extinct.
The Muslim community members will also be able to better comprehend the Quran owing to the translations, he pointed out.
The Saudi government is concerned about the availability of the translated versions of the holy Quran in various national languages.
In July 2018, Al-Quran printing company, King Fahad, belonging to the Saudi government in Medina, had produced copies of the Holy Book in Arabic, with translations in 76 languages, including the Indonesian language.
In 2018, King Fahad had printed 12 million copies of Al-Quran, with the figure expected to rise to nearly 18 million in 2019, the company's Public Relation Manager of King Fahad Complex for Printing the Holy Quran, Saleh Al-Husein, stated.
Since its inception 35 years ago, the company had produced 300 million copies of Al-Quran and circulated them to different countries in the world.
In addition to printing Al-Quran in the form of a book, the company also produces the Holy Book in digital form through the smartphone application, he revealed.
With the application of digital technology, Muslims can not only read Al-Quran and its translation, based on their respective mother tongues, but also listen to Al-Quran being read out, he added.
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