Islamabad-Ulema Committee constituted by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training on Tuesday reached a consensus on the translation of Holy Quran to be taught in schools.

The meeting was chaired by Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training, Engineer Muhammad Baligh ur Rehman 

The committee, which has representation of scholars of all major Islamic schools of thought, has been formed for having a consensus on translation of Holy Quran to be taught in schools pursuant to the approval of Compulsory Teaching of Holy Quran Act, 2017. The members of the committee have been recommended by the highest national body of country’s seminaries, Ittehad Tanzeemat-ul-Madaris Pakistan (ITMP) and included Maulana Manzoor Ahmed Mangel (Wafaq ul Madaris ul Arabia), Allama Syed Arshad Saeed Kazmi (Madaris Ahl-e- Sunnat), Maulana Najeebullah Tariq (Wafaq ul Madaris us Salafia), Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman (Rabitat-ul-Madaris ul Islamia) and Allama Sheikh Muhammad Shifa Najfi (Wafaq ul Madaris-u-Shia).

Talking to the members, the minister said that government has formed the committee of esteemed scholars of country with sincerest intentions to have such translation of Holy Quran taught in schools that is endorsed and approved by all major Islamic schools of thought.

“Efforts made in the past to bring forth consensual translation of Holy Quran have not brought the desired outcome; but I am hopeful that the present committee with representation of all major religious institutions of the country and backing of national body of Madaris ITMP, will be successful in forging consensus on single translation text of Holy Quran”, he said.

“All my prayers and best wishes are for this committee to provide much awaited gift for the nation,” he said.

The participating clerics extended their gratitude to the minister and greatly appreciated the government’s initiative to introduce compulsory teaching of Holy Quran with translation in schools.

They expressed all out support for the noble objective and agreed to bring out consensus based translation text of the Holy Quran for the purpose of teaching in schools very soon.

The Compulsory Teaching of Holy Quran Act 2017 entails mandatory teaching of Nazra Quran in classes 1 to 5 and the translation of Holy Quran in classes 6 to 12 in all federal public schools and private schools in ICT and federally administered territories. The bill has been approved by the National Assembly and is currently in the Senate for approval.