Holy Qur’an has great significance in the life of Muslims. It is our mentor, guide and instructor after the Noble Prophet (PBUH). Muslims recite, practice and abide by the laws mentioned in Quran. We keep it close to our heart and mind.
Writing Quran in different styles and on different metals is no new trend. It has been done since centuries and is rapidly flourishing. The recent one is the wooden Quran!
In Indonesia, the world’s largest wooden Quran is getting attention from National as well as International Media.
A man named Shofwatillah Mohzaib has carved the Entire Holy Qur’an on the wood of wood of Tembesu Tree (Fagraea Fragrans).
It’s the largest wooden carved Qur’an in the world and measures 1.77 by 1.40 meters around 5.8 by 4.6 feet.
It’s located in Palembang, the capital city of Indonesia’s South Sumatra Province.
Mohzaib has used Tembesu tree for carving the Holy Book as its strong, durable and quite popular in Southern Sumatra.
The idea came in the mind of Mohzaib in the year 2000 when he was studying calligraphy at the Great Mosque of Palembang.
Calligraphy, an art that has always been a part of Islamic culture, seems to take on a surreal form in the hands of Shofwatillah Mohzaib. It would be difficult to find any Islamic structure without any form of calligraphy on it.
Mohzaib started turning his idea into reality. He first wrote the verses from the Qur’an on cardboard. After that he sought approval from the Muslim Experts, then made copies of verses from the tracing papers to carve out on the Tembesu wood.
It took a month to do one page. Shofwatillah Mohzaib finished the production in the forms of 30 Quranic Juz over a period of 9 years. During some stage of development, Mohzaib even faced problems such as shortage of wood and money. The production got private donations from several large donors.
The Qur’an by Mohzaib is located in Al Qur’an Al Akbar Museum in Palembang. Millions of visitors from different countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Malaysia, Singapore, United States and Canada are visiting the museum every month.
They are now planning to build a movie theatre inside the museum to educate visitors about the Miracles of the Holy Qur’an.
The Largest Wooden Qur’an in Indonesia is not only amazing the visitors but also boosting the local economy and bringing happiness and prosperity in the life of locals.
