PUTRAJAYA – Before entering the printing room at Malaysia’s largest Quran production center, every worker follows the same ritual: performing wudu, the Islamic act of purification carried out before prayer to prepare the body, mind and spirit.
“If they want to touch the Quran or work here, they must always be in wudu,” said Muhammad Asyraf Amir, a guide at the Nasyrul Quran Complex in Putrajaya, roughly 28 kilometers (17 miles) from Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian authorities identify Nasyrul Quran as the world’s second-largest Quran printing facility, behind the King Fahd Quran Complex in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Press Agency reports that the Medina complex produces more than 20 million copies each year, with translations available in 79 languages. Nasyrul Quran, meanwhile, has the capacity to print as many as 3 million copies annually in 30 languages.
How the Quran is produced
Nasyrul Quran produces about 15,000 copies a day. Between 50 and 80 workers monitor each stage of the carefully controlled process.
Production starts with pages printed on large sheets. Workers examine them to make sure the colors match exact standards, while specialists search for errors before the sheets move forward.
Those specialists, known as Lajnah Tasheh, must either speak Arabic fluently or have memorized the entire Quran.
After approval, machines fold roughly 8,000 sheets per hour. The folded pages are inspected again, then grouped into sections, sewn together and enclosed in hard covers.
The Lajnah Tasheh conduct another review at that stage. Every Quran is also weighed separately, providing a way to identify missing or duplicated pages.
Asyraf said a finished copy should weigh about one kilogram (2.2 pounds). Any significant difference could signal a production error.
A vision for a distinctly Malaysian Quran
Islam had reached the Malay Peninsula by the early 14th century, spreading over generations through Muslim traders who traveled maritime routes linking Southeast Asia with India and the Middle East.
Today, Islam is Malaysia’s largest religion, practiced by 63.5% of the population, according to the nation’s 2020 census.
Quranic texts were available in Malaysia long before Nasyrul Quran was established. But the organization’s founder imagined an edition that would express the country’s own artistic character.
“People viewed the Quran as something that came from Arab countries,” said Abdul Latiff, chairperson of Yayasan Restu, the nonprofit behind Nasyrul Quran. “Then we realized we could train people here to copy the Quran.”
The effort began in 1987 with only two people. A decade later, they completed their first manuscript.
“Copying the Quran is an art because it involves calligraphy,” Latiff said. “The script itself is art.”
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Quran manuscripts carry the imprint of local cultures
Because Malaysia is not an Arabic-speaking nation, teaching the language was one of Latiff’s team’s first challenges.
After training in Arabic and calligraphy, the team explored ways to “illuminate” its manuscripts. The centuries-old practice involves adorning pages with intricate designs, vivid colors and, at times, gold details framing floral and geometric patterns.
“We also stress Islamic principles of beauty, unity and cooperation,” Latiff said. “Religion does not belong to one race or culture. It is a global tradition that can adapt to local colors and motifs.”
The complex translates the Quran into dozens of languages, and each edition incorporates flowers and other designs associated with the countries where those languages are spoken.
Latiff said the Chinese Quran took seven years to finish. Professors and lecturers fluent in both Chinese and Arabic supervised the work, while the colors and decorations drew entirely from Chinese artistic traditions.
“When you visit a mosque in Beijing, it looks different from mosques in Arab countries or Malaysia,” Latiff said. “That is Islam’s beauty: it can reflect local colors, motifs and traditions.”
Art opens the Quran to new audiences
The Nasyrul Quran Complex displays rare manuscripts, including Mushaf Malaysia, a handwritten edition.
Writing a single page by hand can take six to 10 hours. Completing the roughly 600-page Quran may require two to seven years.
Yayasan Restu trains its calligraphers at a college dedicated to Islamic calligraphy and Quranic art. Each master develops a recognizable signature, evident in details such as letter spacing and stroke thickness.
Some of the manuscripts created by these artists are especially valuable. One edition made for a former prime minister contains 302 designs and is valued at 35,000 ringgit ($8,600).
Nasyrul Quran supplies copies for both commercial sale and donation. Nongovernmental organizations seeking Qurans for charitable distribution receive them at no cost, provided they do not resell them.
Latiff said the complex hopes to translate the Quran into 30 more languages in the coming years, advancing its broader goal of making Islam’s holy book accessible to people across cultures.
“We want to tell people, ‘Look, we can live together. Islam is a religion of peace,’” he said. “We use art to help people appreciate beauty. Through beauty, peace can emerge.”
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