AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Hamza Roberto Piccardo is the first Muslim who has translated the Holy Quran into the Italian language.
His rendering is considered among the most credited and has been welcomed by Muslims in Italy.
It is estimated that up to 120 million people in over 30 countries speak the Italian language.
Islam is the second most practiced religion in Italy and according to 2023 figures, some 2.5 million Muslims live in the European country, most of them being of Moroccan descent. Many other Muslims in the country are originally from Albania, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Senegal, Egypt and Tunisia.
There have been 12 full translations of the Quran in Italian so far. The first Italian translation of the Holy Book of Islam was released in 1547 by Andrea Arrivabene. While he claimed it was translated from original Arabic, it seems that his rendering was based on the translation of the Quran by Robert of Ketton.
Among the most important Italian translations of the Quran are those by Ludovico Marracci (1698), Vincenzo Calza (1847), Panzeri (1882), Violante (1912), Branchi (1913), Bonelli (1929), Bausani (1955), Martino Mario Moreno (1967), Federico Peirone (1979) and Fuad Kabazi (1984).
But it was Hamza Roberto Piccardo who first translated the Quran into Italian as a Muslim.
Piccardo was born in 1952 in northwest Italy. After finishing military service in 1974, he went to Africa and learned about Islam there. He converted to teh religion in 1975.
He served as the head of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy as well as spokesperson of the European Muslim Network. He is not currently serving any executive position.
He founded the publishing house Al Hikma in 1993 and published the first edition of the Quran in Italian translated by Muslims, among other books.
It took him five years to finish the rendering, which was proofread and edited by five committees.
The first edition was published in 1994 by Al Hikma and so far 150,000 copies of the translation have been sold.
Piccardo says he knows many Italians who have converted to Islam after reading the translation.
Currently, Piccardo’s is the most known and best selling translation of the Quran in Italian.
His translation has been recognized by many Islamic organization in Italy and other countries. The King Fahd Quran Printing Complex in Saudi Arabia chose his translation for publication in 2010.
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