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The Islamic Bulletin
Volume X No. 23 Page 7
print Islamic books. The cost of printing a Braille book is much
higher than printing other books.
Due to the success of Madrassa An-Noor, people from other
countries approached them for assistance in starting a school for
the blind. As a result, they have embarked on an Outreach
program organizing Quranic Braille workshops in different parts
of the world. Workshops were held in India, Mauritius, England,
Scotland, Bangladesh, Mozambique and locally in other parts of
South Africa. The demand of such workshops is very high. The
purpose of these workshops is to train teachers and empower
them so that the blind can benefit directly.
Due to the recent increase of students wishing to study at
Madrassa AN-Noor, the center has acquired a larger facility. The
new location for the school is a farm in Cedara, which is about
17 kilometers from the old school site. Not only will this school
teach religious instruction, but sports, activities, and other
important living skills. They are requesting that Islamic Bulletin
readers make Dua’ for their success and that Allah (Ta’ala)
accept their efforts.
For more information, you can email them directly at:
info@mnblind.org
Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but
it is the hearts which are in the breasts that
grow blind.”
Quran 22:46
In South Africa, the government provides secular education
through its special schools for the disabled. However, the
Muslim community always felt a need for an institution that
would cater specifically for their religious requirements. Parents
were particularly anxious about their children’s Islamic
education. Although the Holy Quran was available in Braille,
there was no teacher or special school for the blind. The best
any parent could hope for was for their child to attend the
conventional religious school.
Due to large class sizes and time constraints at regular religious
schools, it was not possible for a disabled child to get special
attention. A disabled child requires special attention and needs
help to travel the extra mile.
Many members of the South African community were not
aware of this reality. Since the learners were few in number,
they felt that it would be very expensive to run a special school
for the disabled and the money could be productively utilized
elsewhere.
However, some dedicated parents including a religious leader
took up the challenge. The religious scholar began by learning
Braille and soon thereafter Madrassa An-Noor For the Blind was
established in 1986 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The
location of this first school was a converted garage complete
with carpeted floors and a few desks to place the Qurans on.
The school for the blind started with one student who began
learning the “Qaaida” or primer. A short time late, a few other
students joined. In less than a year, three students completed
the Holy Quran. All of their Quranic lessons were taught in
Braille.
At most libraries for the blind around the world, very little
Islamic literature in the English language is found. The Blind
use Braille, audio recordings and computers for information.
With the advance of technology, screen reading software
programs are also widely used.
At Madrassa An-Noor for the Blind, they built their own
recording studio and began producing “Talking Books”. They
also established a Braille printing press that enabled them to
Madrassa An-Noor For The Blind
Would You Like To Finish Reading
The Holy Quran Every Month?
CHECK THIS OUT!!!
Read 4.5
Pages
X
5
Prayers a day
X
30
Days
=604
pages
(Number of pages in
the Qur’an )
WOW!!
See how easy it is to read the entire Quran each
month, just by spending a few minutes after
each prayer.
WHAT AN INVESTMENT !!!
If you are in a real hurry, you can finish it once
every two months by reading just 2 pages after each
prayer.
Just a reminder:
Each letter a person reads counts 10 hasanat (virtues)
What about a word ??
What about a line ??
What about a page ??
What about the whole Qur’an ??