Translator of Maori Quran Shakil Monir passes away

Well respected and a renowned scholar Shakil Ahmad Monir who pioneered translating the Holy Quran from Arabic to Te Reo Maori passed away after a brief illness on Tuesday, August 1 at his residence in Karachi, Pakistan.

Mr Monir was of Indian descent born in Monghyr in Bihar, India in 1932, a professor of Science and Religion and an ardent member of the global Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

In the late 1980s under the instruction of the then fourth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad took the responsibility of translating the Holy Quran into the Maori language.

Mr Monir explored several options of translation of the Quran into this unique language but came to realise that to do full justice to the translation and the translator will have to be in a unique position to have a grasp of all three languages – namely Arabic, English, and Maori.

When he couldn’t find such a person, Mr Monir took upon the responsibility himself to learn Maori language for several years, finally taking over 20 years to fully translate and publish the Maori translation of the Holy Quran.

The Maori translation of the Quran is referred as Kuranu Tapu and was released in April in 2010.

He spent a considerable amount of time in New Zealand to complete this task. His grasp of the Maori language saw him earn respect and friendship of many Maori elders.

“Mr Monir’s desire was to serve mankind through the propagation of the peaceful message of Islam that saw him work in a number of capacities in many different parts of the world, including the Indian sub continent, several African countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand,” a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya community said.

Despite his achievements throughout his life, Mr Monir remained a humble person willing to spend his time and money for the benefit of the mankind. He fully funded the translation project from his own pocket.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, fast-growing international revivalist movement within Islam. Its motto of ‘Love for all and hatred for none’ is evidenced through the peaceful actions of its millions of followers. Its New Zealand branch is a registered charitable organisation, and endeavours to be an active and integrated community within the wider society.