A Kashmiri Man’s Quest to Spread Quran’s Message Through Hindi Verse
On two tables, books were stacked high, including several copies of the Quran with translations in various languages and dictionaries in Hindi, Urdu and English.
Mir grew up in an Islamic environment in the Lokhriyar, Nawakadal area of old Srinagar, also known as downtown. After finishing his education, he worked for decades at Srinagar’s Accountants General Office, where he interacted with people of different faiths and regions, The National reported on Friday.
About 20 years ago, before he retired, one of his non-Muslim colleagues questioned the recitation of the 109th chapter of the Quran, titled Al-Kafirun, meaning “The Disbelievers.” The chapter contains six verses that reject the concept of polytheism and affirm the oneness of God.
“I did not respond to his misunderstandings at that time because I felt that he wouldn’t understand the meaning of those verses without knowing the context of the chapter,” Mir said.
A few months later, the department organized an event where various poets presented their works. Mir, who had an interest in cultural activities, was asked to share something with the audience. He said the topic was not restricted to any particular theme.
“I chose to recite the opening chapter of the Quran, along with its meaning,” he said. “I recited the verses of the Quran in Arabic, followed by their Hindi interpretation in poetic form.” A member of the Sikh community praised him, saying he found “solace in the Hindi poetic translation of Al-Fatiha,” the opening of the Quran, which introduces God to mankind as most beneficial and compassionate.
Mir’s poetic form of Hindi translation was inspired by bhajans — devotional songs or hymns that often express religious themes and sentiments. He said he translated the introductory chapter of the Quran in the form of bhajans after the conversation in his office because he felt the format was widely accepted by people in India.
Later, at an event organized by the Islamic Studies Department of the University of Kashmir, Mir recited a chapter of the Quran with its translation in Hindi poetic form in the presence of one of the prominent Islamic scholars of India. The scholar was impressed by his work and suggested that he should translate the entire Quran in the same way, so that more people could benefit from the teachings of Islam in the poetic form.
“Inspired by his suggestion, I immediately started working on the last part of the Quran and took me a lot of time to accomplish it,” Mir said. “When I met the same scholar again, he examined my work and he was satisfied with the poetic form of the translation of the last portion of the Quran.”
Mir said it was a “miracle” that he was able to translate the Quran into Hindi, as he came from a place where people did not have a strong command of the language. He said he acquired proficiency in Hindi during his service, as he had to deal with some official documents in Hindi and most of his colleagues struggled with the language. He said the government later arranged qualified teachers to train all the employees of the department.
Qaisar Shaifi Mir, his son, said his father consulted several books related to Islamic literature, including standard translations of the Quran in Urdu, Hindi and English, to ensure accuracy. He said his father devoted years to studying Hindi diligently to be able to share the wisdom of the Quran with more of India’s 1.4 billion people.
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“In November 2023, he completed the task successfully after almost 20 years of dedication and hard work. He wrote each verse manually in notebooks,” the younger Mir said. “Throughout these years, despite fluctuations in his health, God has kept him safe and sound, enabling him to fulfill the mission assigned to remove any misunderstandings about Islam among non-Muslims throughout the country.”
Abdul Hamid Mir, Mir’s younger brother, reads the translations to ensure accuracy and authenticity. He oversees the validation process by sending scanned copies of the handwritten verses in the notebooks to various Indian Islamic scholars for examination.
“This process holds significant importance because the subject pertains to the Quran. The context and meaning of the verses in our holy book cannot be altered notwithstanding the fact that in poetic form certain relaxations are accepted. The poetic translation needs to be aligned with the Arabic verses,” the younger Mir said. “Therefore, getting validation from scholars is important prior to the digitization of the translation.”
He said most of the 30 parts of the Quran translated by his brother were being reviewed by some reputed Islamic scholars in India. He said the remaining sections would also go through the review process in a couple of months. He said the digitization of the Hindi version was currently under way.
Waseen Ahmed Mir, the son of Abdul and the nephew of Shafi, said the printed version would be produced in a widely accepted format: Arabic verses on the right side and Hindi phrases on the left side, on the same page.
“Once the entire digitization is complete, the printing will be undertaken,” he said. “A couple of parts of the Quran, along with the translation, have been printed for our own reference.”
Mir expressed his gratitude to all his friends, religious scholars and family members, saying they had all contributed in their own capacity.
“Digitization, evaluation and printing are the responsibility of the family members and they all are doing well,” he said of the family’s collaborative effort.
Source: The National
