Translating the Qur’an for the Deaf

While the holy book is in Arabic, most Muslims around the world, like Miah, do not understand the language, which is a challenge. And for the deaf, it presents an additional obstacle. According to the Pew Research Center, of the 2 billion Muslims in the world, only about 20 percent are native Arabic speakers.

Abdel Haleem, the King Fahd Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of London and the author of The Qur’an: A New Translation, understands the difficulty of getting the translation as close to the original text as possible. 

There is only one version of the Qu’ran, and Muslims across the globe first read it in its original Classical Arabic. That is the language in which it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and what Muslims consider the original message from God—not tampered with nor subjected to human interpretation (unlike translations and explanations).

Haleem says it’s difficult to make the Qur’an accessible through translation: “It’s a language that goes for precision in pronouncing words as well as in the word flow and syntax, and it has very advanced grammar.”

The scholar emphasizes the complexity of Classical Arabic, noting its strict rules regarding gender and numbers, which must be consistently observed throughout a sentence. “This complexity makes it challenging for both nonnative speakers and even some Arabs to fully grasp,” he says. 

The project and challenges

The project was initiated in 2017 by Al Isharah, a UK-based charity serving the deaf. It offers a club for deaf people with weekend supplementary schools and community events.

Through dedicated efforts and a deep understanding of both linguistic and cultural nuances, the team at Al Isharah has been making strides in creating an inclusive and accessible environment for deaf Muslims.

The project is being led by Azad Hussain, the CEO of Al Isharah. He himself is proficient in BSL, having learned it to integrate with the deaf community. 

“The Qur’an has a beautiful rhythmic flow, and we want to mimic it for deaf people,” he highlights. The goal is to stay true to the essence of the Qur’an. 

So far the translation and publication of 37 of the shorter surahs (Qur’anic chapters) have been completed, with 77 remaining.

“We have translated a further 14 chapters. They are currently going through the checking, filming and editing process. This is a very lengthy and tedious process in itself,” Hussain says. “We have to be diligent, as standards for Qur’anic recitation or translation are of utmost importance. 

“It can become more challenging as we go along as the chapters get longer.”

It is a slow process and, as Miah puts it, far from straightforward. “You need the right placement when you’re using the signs. You have to remember the verses, every single one of them,” he says, highlighting the importance of facial expressions and body language in BSL. They convey emotions and context, akin to intonation and punctuation in spoken languages.

“Honestly, it’s intrinsically challenging; you have to be spot on,” he emphasizes. “If there is a slight misplacement of signs, we have to repeat it over and over again.”

5%
World’s population with disabling hearing loss
(WHO)

25%
World’s Muslim population
(Pew Research Center)

6.5%
Great Britain’s Muslim population
(Muslim Council of Britain)

He studies and practices the signs before the final filming. In these filming sessions, led by the CEO, the translation team supports Miah with a member on either side of him, enabling him to pick up any cues through his peripheral vision so that, if needed, he can correct himself when signing certain words or lines. While it used to take him multiple sessions to film a surah, he can now confidently complete an entire one in a single day.

The team is keen to provide the deaf community, including locals, with a translation that is clear and understandable—and Miah plays a key part. As the main signer, it is important for him to understand what he is conveying; otherwise, he says, “I’d be parroting what is being shown to me without any emotions or expressions. But once I grasp the meaning, I can use appropriate facial expressions, place the signs in keeping with the rhythm of the recitation, and it all marries up.”

In English, additional information can be easily conveyed through captions, but sign language does not afford this luxury. “To address this, we developed a system of footnoting,” Hussain explains. “But footnoting is quite unfamiliar to the deaf community, so we had to find a way to visualize these footnotes as well.”

The translation process is rigorous to ensure accuracy and comprehensibility for everyone, regardless of their academic background. However, Haleem warns that even with robust protocols in place, there can be a disconnect between the original text and the translation.

“This disconnect is more pronounced for non-Arabic speakers who rely on translations that often fail to capture the nuances of the original text. Translators are literalists,” the academic cautions.

It can take several sessions and hours of discussions to even get to this stage because sometimes they do not have the “right” sign to illustrate certain concepts.

Hussain recalls one such session when discussions involved a surah that depicts the development of a fetus and described “a clotted substance.” “We had to try and find an appropriate sign which would encompass as many of these concepts as possible.”

He turned to his translation team—Barry-Alan Davey and Ghislane Seddiki—who realized that simply saying “fetus” in the translation would make it “too obvious and dilute the mystery.” They knew they “needed to create a sign that was ambiguous yet meaningful.”

Davey learned sign language because of his childhood selective mutism, a disorder characterized by an inability to speak in certain settings. He is a multireligious interpreter who has worked with Al Isharah since 2007. He has 25 years of experience working with other monotheistic religious organizations’ deaf associations. He is currently working with a number of synagogues and churches as well as in mental health settings, media and theater industries.

 “Although I’m a linguist,” Davey says, “there are times when I read an English translation and still need Ghislaine to clarify it for me. It’s then that I realize my understanding of the English text can sometimes be limited.”

Because the Qur’an has only one version, which is in Arabic, it is an advantage that Seddiki is a native speaker. She excels at capturing the nuances and context, which she makes sure to communicate to Miah at the filming stage. Miah works one-on-one with her to learn the necessary elements related to each verse.

She has been working on the BSL Qur’an project as a translator and a deaf consultant since 2017, having held various roles at the charity for the past 10 years.

Born deaf and raised in Morocco by her hearing parents, with one deaf sibling and one hearing, Seddiki received a lot of support both at home and at school and didn’t struggle to communicate or make friends.

“My family were very deaf aware, and I didn’t have any problems growing up,” she says. “They taught me how to integrate into the hearing world. But when I moved to the UK and my daughter was born deaf, I had to immerse myself more in the deaf community and started learning BSL.”

Seddiki attended a hearing school in Morocco, with continuous support and education from her parents. She has navigated numerous roadblocks in translating the Qur’an into BSL.

“The Qur’an is rich with metaphors, making it difficult to translate accurately into BSL. English translations often expand on meanings rather than providing a direct translation, which isn’t always true to what Allah (God) says,” she emphasizes. “I’ve been fighting to stick to Allah’s words as closely as possible.”

Seddiki argues that BSL is a proper language like any other, with its own grammar and semantics. “The Qur’an is one; we can’t change or misinterpret the tiniest accent or punctuation,” she says, advocating for an Islamic sign language that is accessible to people with different levels of understanding.

The goal

Through its dedicated work, the team has been navigating the intricate world of translation, cultural nuances and the unique needs of the deaf community. The camaraderie and shared laughter lighten the mood, helping its members through challenging discussions and filming sessions that can require up to 50 takes before achieving the perfect version.

“We don’t know of any translations of the Qur’an in any sign language that has been completed. This project is setting a precedent in visual translation of the Qur’an,” Hussain says, beaming with pride. “We now have deaf organizations from other parts of the world contacting us to understand our methodology. We pray our work will have a lasting impact for deaf people, not only in Britain but all around the world for generations to come.”

A translation effort for the deaf has also been in progress in Indonesia since 2017, led by the Quran Indonesia Project. It’s an impressive feat given that Indonesian sign language was only officially recognized by the government in 2016—despite the country being home to the world’s largest Muslim population at more than 242 million.

Deaf Reach, a charity in Pakistan, says there is no provision for the deaf to access the Qur’an in the world’s second-most-populous Muslim country—but there is hope.

“In 2014, Deaf Reach launched the country’s first digital Pakistani Sign Language (PSL) platform, offering free access to over 7,500 words and 250 sentences,” Aaron Awasen, director of research development, explains. Ongoing updates aim to incorporate regional variations of the language.

Deaf Reach also played a key role in advocating for legislation recognizing PSL, signed into law in December 2022, he added.

“In some countries, they think deaf people should be taught the Qur’an through explanation rather than translation,” says Sheikh Abul Barakat, a consultant imam and Islamic scholar who has been instrumental to the BSL project since its conception in 2017, noting the cultural differences in approaching deaf education within the Muslim world. “We are trying to produce an authoritative BSL version with the help of qualified professionals.”

Miah also believes it will have a profound impact on the lives of the deaf as they will no longer be “excluded” from learning the Qur’an. He says, “It will change them as they’d finally be able to understand it. It is humbling to know that I’m playing a part in making it accessible.”