The first translation of the Quran into the Igbo language has been published in Nigeria.
The translator, Muhammad Murtala Chukwuemeka, launched the Qur’an recently at the Ansar-Ud-Deen Mosque, Abuja.
Sheikh Chukwuemeka disclosed to BBC that it took him five years to translate the sacred Islamic text into Igbo from Arabic.
Chukwuemeka, a native of Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, described Islam as a religion of peace that forbids killings of fellow human beings.
Igbo is primarily spoken in south-eastern Nigeria, where the majority of people tend to be Christians.
Nigeria is Africa’s most-populous nation and has a mainly Muslim population in the north, with the south being largely Christian.However some members of the Igbo community follow other religions – and not all Igbos live in the south-east.
“We are calling on well-to-do Nigerians to assist in mass production of the holy book. Presently, we have printed 500 copies and 100 copies have already been sent to the South East.
More copies will be distributed across the Nigeria in the coming days.
