The Cirebon Language Translation Al Quran Is Completed By The Ministry Of Religion

Officers showed the translation of the Cirebon language Qur'an in Cirebon City, West Java. (ANTARA/Fathnur Rohman)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) together with the Siber Islamic State University (UIN) Syekh Nurjati have completed the Al Quran translation program into Cirebon.

Chief Executive of the Cirebon Language Al-Quran Translation Ahmad Yani said this was an effort to strengthen Islamic da'wah through a local wisdom approach. Including to bring the understanding of Al-Quran closer to regional languages.

According to him, the use of local languages not only makes understanding easier for the community, but also plays a role in the preservation of the Cirebon language which is the identity of the regional culture.

Through this translation, we want to indict the Al Quran in Cirebon which is closely related to people's lives here. This language is an identity that reflects the character of the religious Cirebon people," said Yani in Cirebon, West Java, Tuesday, October 29, quoted by Antara.

He said this program also shows the commitment of UIN Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon and the Ministry of Religion's Lecture, Religious Affairs and Organizational Management Center (LKKMO) in lifting local wisdom.

This program, he said, involved a long process starting with the formation of an interpreter team in 2020 until the validation process in 2023.

Yani said that the team consisting of experts from the Quran, cultural observers from Cirebon, and academics played an important role in ensuring the accuracy of the contents of the translation.

In addition to the translator team, the scholars from Islamic boarding schools around Cirebon also took part in the translation validation process.

"The presence of the ulama as validators can ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the translation, so that it is in accordance with Islamic teachings and can be accepted by the community," he said.

As a modernization step, he said, the translation of the Cirebon Qur'an is also difficult to convert into digital form.

As for digital forms, he revealed that as many as 300 printed copies were also available which could be distributed to Islamic boarding schools.

"We hope that the local government can support the doubling of the number of copies so that this translation can reach a wider community," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the LKKMO Puslitbang of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion, Moh. Isom appreciated the translation team, which had translated the Quran into Cirebon.

He revealed that the purpose of this translation was as an effort to preserve, as well as protect Cirebon language from extinction.

"Cirebon language is one of 10 regional languages included in the Al Quran digitization program," he said.