Application of Braille in Quranic and Sunnah Studies

Application of Braille in Quranic and Sunnah Studies (QAA 4013) 4 th Lecture (20 th Jan 2009) Dr. Muhammad Mustaqim Mohd Zarif Director, Centre for General Studies Islamic Science University of Malaysia

Structure of Presentation n Introduction to Quranic Braille - Methods of learning the Quran among the blinds prior to the invention of Braille n History of Quranic Braille in Islamic Countries n Quranic Braille in Malaysia: History & Implementation n List of Quranic Braille Code (Grade 1) n How to use a pocket frame?

Introduction to Quranic Braille n - Methods of learning the Quran among the blinds prior to the invention of Braille Islam is based on knowledge. Put great emphasis on reading & writing Literally, al-Quran means “reading”. Must learn to read before understand the content Rasulullah was an ummi; How did he learn al-Quran? ?

n n talaqqi bi al-mushafahah: Jibril a. s. read and Rasulullah listened to him. Then Rasulullah repeated the verses while Jibril a. s. checked it. Al-Qiyamah, 16 -19: “Move not thy tongue concerning the (Qur'an) to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it: But when We have promulgated it, follow thou its recital (as promulgated): Nay more, it is for Us to explain it (and make it clear)”

n In addition, Rasulullah saw also checked his recitation of the Quran with Jibril every year during Ramadan. In his last year, Rasulullah checked it twice with Jibril. n This oral method is then taught to Sahabah, Tabi’in, and so on n Al-Quran must be read with tartil

What is Tartil? n Al-Muzzammil, 4: “…and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones” Ali ibn Abi Talib r. a. defined tartil as: “Pronouncing the words correctly and knowing when & where to stop” Tajwid al-Huruf wa Ma’rifah al-Wuquf

Talaqqi bi al-Mushafahah method is suitable to be learnt by the blinds to read Quran n Example of a blind Sahabah? ‘Abdullah ibn Umm al-Maktum r. a. n n The Blinds studied al-Quran by listening & memorizing it continuously. Many of them surpassed the sighted to become among the greatest Qurra’ and reciters in the World.

Can you name one great Qari’ who’s blind? Abu al-Qasim al-Shatibi (d. 590/1193) n n n Born in Andalusia in 590/1193 Was known as a great Qurra’ & scholar in Quranic Studies Has written a number of important works in Qiraat such as Hirz al-Amani (Matn al-Shatibah), Nazimat al. Zuhri (Fawasil al-Quran), ‘Aqilah Atrab al-Qasa’id fi Asna al-Maqasid (Rasm al-Quran), etc

n n n Was a very famous Quran teacher in Egypt. Has a very good memory- mastered various aspects of knowledge. Realized the importance of writing & reading in the learning process & acknowledged the problems faced by the blinds to find helpers willing to read books to them Thus, he has denied his son-in-law (Abu Hasan ‘Ali b. Salim); also a blind person to study certain knowledge that require a lot of reading due to this problem. al-Shatibi used to say that there is “no teaching for the blind except al-Quran” due to the unavailability of suitable reading materials for the blinds

n From this, we can deduce that: - The blinds depend on their memory & hearing to study & learn. Thus, their mastery over a subject and the time they need to learn vary depending on their ability to memorize Prior to Braille, there was no suitable reading materials for the blinds among the Muslims The uniqueness and inimitability (I’jaz) of the Quran with its rhythmic & melodious reading made it possible for the blinds to memorize & master them well exceeding the sighted - -

The invention of Braille was significant for the Muslims too & they started to utilize it for teaching & learning the reading of the Quran…

History of Quranic Braille in Muslim Countries n n n It is not known when Muslims started to adopt Braille for al-Quran. However, it is believed that it might have begun since the early 1950 s. Among the Muslim countries that have produced Quranic Braille until today are: Jordan (1952? ), Egypt (1962 -64), Tunisia (1976), Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Morocco, UAE, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan (1985), Iran, etc.

An example of an early version of Quranic Braille from an Arab country

Saudi Arabia n The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’s Braille Press was est. in 1973 to publish Braille materials concerning Islam. n Its early stage: manual transcription of Braille. Not suitable to publish Quran n 1982: The Govt purchased a special system to transcribe Braille using computer. S. Arabia became the first country in the Middle East & the third in the world to use such computers.

n n n 1985/86: First fatwa from Abd Aziz b. Baz declaring the permissibility of producing al-Quran in Braille. In the same year, first Quranic Braille was published. The Press was later put under The General Secretariat of Special Education in 1995 to facilitate access & use of Braille materials in education The Press distributed more than 1, 000 free copies of Quranic Braille to various countries every month From 2004 onwards, copies of Quranic Braille are placed in various places in Masjid al-Haram & Masjid al-Nabawi

n Currently, the Press is able to publish 100 copies of 6 -vol. Quranic Braille within 3045 days only. n The Press has also enhanced its operation using the latest in technological advancement to increase its production rate, etc

Indonesia n n n It is said that early efforts to produce Quranic Braille in Indon has begun since the 1950 s En. Abdullah Yatim has managed to transcribe Surah al. Baqarah into braille in 1959 Since 1974: Departement Agama collaborated with YPWG (Yayasan Penyantun Wiyata Guna) Bandung to transcribe al-Quran into braille 1984 & 1999, they revised & corrected the errors found in Quranic Braille 1976: YAKETUNIS (Yayasan Kesejahteraan Tunanetra Islam Indonesia) in Jogjakarta produced its version of Quranic Braille.

n It is a single-sided publication of Quran. Each juz is made as 1 volume. So, 30 juz = 30 volumes of Quranic Braille n YAKETUNIS version of Quran was widely used among Muslims in Malaysia until a few years ago n Problem of Quranic Braille in Indonesia: Costly to publish, have to sell for a price. The blinds, however, could not afford to buy it….

Quranic Braille in Malaysia: History & Implementation n n 1952: First known Quranic Braille was brought into Malaya. This Quran originated from Jordan, and contains 30 juz divided into 6 volumes. Us. Sulaiman Shafie; a teacher at Princess Elizabeth School (J. B. ) took the responsibility to learn Quranic Braille even though he was not blind He attempted to decipher the codes used in Quranic Braille and has succeeded in understanding & teaching Quranic Braille at PES until 1991.

n n n Apart from several complimentary copies of Quranic Braille from various Islamic countries, no serious attempt was made to produce Quranic Braille in Malaysia In PES, Quranic transcription into Braille was limited to selected verses from the Quran only, i. e. verse 1 -108 albaqarah & chapters 93 -144 (juz ‘Amma). 1979: MAB launched “Quranic Braille Project” financed by PERKIM. Mr Mohd Nor Awang Ngah was given the task to head this project based on his experience with Quranic Braille in Indonesia. This project took 5 years (1980 -1985). At the end, it produced 2 master copies of Quranic Braille- one in Arabic and another one in the form of Malay translation.

n n n Copies of Quranic Braille were later sold between RM 250 -300 per copy. This version of Quranic Braille was produced using thermoform on Brailon paper; a plastic-like device and it took a long time to be produced; almost a week. However, this version of the Quran is not suitable to be read as it contains many mistakes & errors 1986: Zahari b. Ghani has made a better copy of Quranic Braille, but a few of the original volumes have lost after his death. 9 September 1983: Ministry of Education Malaysia established a Committee (J/K Kod Braille al-Quran al-Karim).

n n n The objective: to propose a systematic & uniformed codes to be used in producing & learning Quranic Braille in Malaysia The Committee consisted of more than 20 members of various expertise and took about 15 years to finally agree on a code. As a result, Kod Braille Wasilah Bacaan al-Quran was published in 1998 by DBP n Until now, it remains the only written theoretical documentation on Quranic Braille Code in Malaysia n However, until now, it has never been adopted in the production of any Quranic Braille in Malaysia. Thus, its efficiency & problems are yet to be determined…

n n n At the same time, it is important to note the role played by PERTIS in promoting Quranic Braille in Malaysia. PERTIS: a voluntary Islamic NGO It was established in 1981. Before, PERTIS meant Persatuan Tunanetra Islam Malaysia. Later it was reregistered as Persatuan Orang-orang Cacat Islam Malaysia & has around 1, 000 members nationwide. Among the objectives of PERTIS: to enhance good relationship among the blind muslims in Malaysia & promote Islam in their lives. This includes producing & teaching Quranic Braille, Jawi Braille, Arabic Language, etc Its aim to provide “A copy of Quranic Braille for every Blind”.

n n n 1995: 2 friends from PERTIS- Mr Zakaria b. Yahya & Muhammad Lee b. Abdullah took the initiative to transcribe Quran into Braille using computer. They took almost 3 months to transcribe the Quran YAKETUNIS version completely into Braille in the computer, and took 4 years to check & verify it with JAKIM Finally, JAKIM endorsed this version of Quranic Braille produced by PERTIS in 1998 7 December 1999: PERTIS’ Quranic Braille was officially launched in KL with the help of YPEIM Until now, it is the only Quranic Braille officially recognized by JAKIM in Malaysia

n n n In the beginning, PERTIS’ Quranic Braille was published on one side of the paper only. As such, 30 juz of Quran= 30 volumes!! With the use of advance technology, they are able to print both sides of the paper, greatly reducing the use of paper. Now, PERTIS’ Quran: 6 volumes only. Each volume has 5 juz of Quran… They also can publish 2 copies of Quranic Braille a day, compared to the past where 1 copy of Quranic Braille took a week. Until 2006, almost 1, 000 copies of PERTIS’ Quranic Braille was produced & distributed, not only in Malaysia, but also to other countries such as Singapore, Indonesia & Thailand.

n Since 2006, PERTIS collaborated with MOE to supply Quranic Braille to schools in Malaysia. n However, the sad reality is: Almost all aspects of PERTIS’ Quranic Braille, from its production, distribution, etc are done by the blinds themselves WITHOUT the help and concern from their sighted fellow human beings…

Individuals who have contributed to the teaching & development of Quranic/Jawi Braille in Malaysia: Mr Sulaiman b Shafie n Associate Professor Omar b Awang n Zahari b Ghani n Hj Muhammad Lee b Abdullah n Zakaria b. Yahya n Ustazah Zaleha (PES) n

Implementation of Quranic Braille Education in Malaysia n 1. 2. 2 main channels for Quranic Braille education: Formal Non-formal

1. Formal: 2. Education through “Special Education Schools” Its historical development in Malaysia is as follows: 1926: the opening of Sekolah Rendah Pendidikan Khas (SRPK) St. Nicholas by the Anglican Church in Melaka; 1931: SRPK St. Nicholas moved to Penang; 1948: The opening of SRPK Princess Elizabeth in Johor Bahru; 1953: The opening of Institut Taman Harapan, Pusat Pertanian Temerloh; 1958: The opening of Institut Taman Cahaya, Pusat Pertanian, Sandakan; 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

n 1962: Integration programme for blind children in ordinary schools is introduced; n 1963: Special Education Training for Teachers was introduced at Maktab Perguruan Ilmu Khas, Cheras; n 1978: The opening of SMPK for the blind at Setapak; n 1983: Upgrading of SRPK Princess Elizabeth by MOE as a full-fledged govt school; n 1984: Establishment of Unit Perintis Penerbitan dan Percetakan Braille/Kerabunan, MOE to prepare materials & textbooks in Braille; n 1994: Inclusive programme was introduced in 14 schools in Malaysia

n List of schools for the blind in Malaysia: i. SMPK Setapak (B), Jalan Genting Kelang, 53300 Kuala Lumpur. ii. SKPK Alma (B), Jalan Bukit Minyak, 14000 Bukit Mertajam Pulau Pinang. iii. SKPK Jalan Batu (B), Jalan Raja Laut, 50350 Kuala Lumpur. iv. SKPK Princess Elizabeth (B), Lorong 5, Jalan Nong Chik, 80100 Johor Bahru, Johor. v. SKPK Kuching (B), Jalan Kolej, 93200 Kuching, Sarawak. vi. SKPK Tuaran (B), Peti Surat 240, 89208 Tuaran, Sabah.

2. Non-formal n Education not conducted in schools, but by organizations/societies as welfare/charity deeds n Example: - Quranic Braille classes conducted by PERTIS every week - Melaka’s State Religious Dept. has also organized special classes at Al-Azim Mosque, etc

List of Quranic Braille Code (Grade 1) n n Quranic Braille Code is similar to Arabic Language Braille Code (Grade 1). There are no contractions used in Quranic Braille. Jawi Braille Code is similar to Arabic Braille Code except for a few additional symbols representing alphabets not available in Arabic. Basic characters of Quranic Braille Code (Grade 1) is as follows:

Quranic/Arabic Braille Code Grade 1

Other Characters used in Quranic/Arabic Braille Code Grade 1

Additional Characters Used in Malay Jawi Braille Code

How to Use a Pocket Frame? n Insert a paper between the hinged-frame & fasten it securely by clamping the frames together n Use a stylus to create the embossed dots by pressing it into the pre-set moulds on the lower slate n To write, it is the opposite of a brailler: must begin from the right side all the way to the left (if using a brailler, one begins from the left to the right)

Observe the cells position when using a pocket frame 4 5 6 1 2 3

Other points to note: n Margin & line spacing must be aligned manually by the user n Can use ordinary paper but must be careful to avoid excessive puncture n To read, turn the paper to the opposite page and read as usual from left to right n Pocket frame is an easy, mobile & economic tool to practice Braille at home and anywhere… So USE it for your own exercises….

Thank You