Stopping Distribution of Copies Of Quran In Japanese

We are announcing with a heavy heart that we have to stop copies of the Quran in the Japanese language due to some unavoidable reasons. We had started the project several years ago and, Alhamdulillah, we have distributed copies of the Quran in the Japanese language along with other books to non-Muslim Japanese and friends of non-Muslim Japanese people all over the world.  However, now, I guess the time has come for us to stop distributing copies of the Quran in the Japanese language. It was not an easy decision by any means. But, we had to do so due to the reasons mentioned below. Before I give you the reasons to stop offering the service, let me give you a little background of how we reached this decision.

We discussed this issue with a lot of people who have been involved in Dawah activities in Japan and elsewhere.  We also chatted with Japanese Muslims about their comments. Many of them told us that, generally speaking, it is very difficult for a first-time reader of the Quran to comprehend the meaning of the book.  Even the language of the translation we used to provide to non-Muslim Japanese is extremely difficult.  So, by reading the Quran in Japanese, they may get confused instead of clarifying their minds about Islam.  These were very convincing arguments.

According to them, the Quran is a book which discusses various incidents and issues as a passing reference instead of mentioning the same in detail. Quran is not a lateral book as most others are. A new person who does not know much about the basics of Islam, it may be too hard or maybe too overwhelming to understand the meaning of verses of the Quran as he or she does not have any background knowledge of the religion.  She may, instead, get confused. That confusion may even turn him or her away from Islam instead.

So, instead of providing free copies of the Quran in the Japanese language, we have decided to dispatch some introductory books about the basics of Islam, the belief system, the oneness of Islam and the basic tenets of the deen. These books are formatted in such a way that even a layman could understand the content if they make little effort to do so. Furthermore, these books are intended to clarify the minds of our target readers and answer some of the questions they may have about our religion. The would-be reciipients of these books should not worry as all these books are in Japanese language.

Of course, we know full well that some of you may have a different opinion on this issue. So, please feel free to express your views. We may be able to reverse our decision if you provide a convincing case for that.

We would love to hear from you about this topic.  Please feel free to leave your comments in the comments area below.