A Telugu translation of the Holy Qur'an was released here this week at a function hosted by Hyderabad Young Men's Association and Telugu Academy of Jeddah. The Telugu translation of the Qur'an done by Dr. Abdul Raheem Muhammad Moulana, head of kidney and hypertension center at King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Makkah, has been printed at the King Fahd Qur'an Printing Complex in Madina. Abdul Khayyum Khan (IPS), Additional Director General of Police in Andhra Pradesh state in India, released the Telugu translation. Khan was in the Kingdom to perform Haj. Having come for a religious purpose he was reluctant to talk on any controversial topic even though he also happens to be the spokesman of the police department of Andhra Pradesh. Dr. Abdul Raheem Mohammad Moulana also hails from Hyderabad but has been in the Kingdom since 1975 and acquired Saudi citizenship in 1983. Although the Holy Book was earlier twice translated into Telugu, the translations were indirect coming from English and Urdu, whereas Dr. Moulana's is translated directly from Arabic. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Moulana stressed the importance of distribution of the Holy Book and said Muslims should dutifully pass on a copy of the Qur'an to their non-Muslim brethren. He wondered why copies of the Qur'an were not kept in hotel rooms all over the world as is done with copies of the Bible in many countries. It's the duty of every Muslim to spread the word of Allah, he said. Muhammad Saleem, Manager Zahid Tractors Rental, concurred with Dr. Moulana's views. But, he said, it was extremely important that Muslims should display exemplary behavior in their daily affairs and in their dealings with non-Muslims. Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki, general secretary of the Hyderabad Young Men's Association and Telugu Academy Jeddah, welcomed the guests and other dignitaries and presented a brief overview of the achievements of the association.
