Restoration of Old Qurans: A Ramadan Tradition in Libya
In this holy month, a large number of trained men and women are engaged in this work voluntarily, without receiving any payment.
Al Jazeera has published a report about this tradition, excerpts of which are as follows:
With the beginning of the month of Ramadan, a team of ten volunteers in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, has begun the restoration of Qurans with a spiritual atmosphere connected to the holy month.
Every day, the team members go to the Quran restoration workshop in Tripoli, where they engage in their work using essential tools such as scissors, glue, cardboard, and thread. In this spiritual environment, the only sound heard is the recitation of the Quran, playing from an old television in the corner of the room.
Khaled Al-Dribi, the most renowned Quran restoration technician in Libya, says the rising cost of Qurans has forced many people to turn to the restoration of their old copies.
The purchase of new copies of the Quran is common during Ramadan, but this trend has recently changed in Libya. Buying a Quran has become expensive, leading to an unprecedented interest in repairing old copies.
He explained that the price of Quran copies in Libya has significantly increased due to the lack of government printing, with some copies costing more than $20, which is very high.
Previously, prices were symbolic, or the Qurans were available to the public for free, he said.
Al-Daribi added that this issue is not limited to buying Qurans. “There is a spiritual connection between the Qurans and some customers. They come and insist on having their Qurans repaired because they have memories associated with them or because the Quran is a keepsake from their loved ones. Some even say that this Quran reminds them of the scent of their grandfather, father, or mother.
He noted that all repair and maintenance work on the Qurans is done voluntarily and funded through donations from charitable individuals.
“Those working in this organization do not receive any payment for their work.”
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Abdul Razzaq al-Arousi, a specialist in the repair and binding of the Quran, states that the maintenance and binding of the Quran vary depending on its condition and the extent of the damage.
Al-Arousi adds that repairing copies of the Quran that have sustained less damage takes no more than an hour, while those that are more severely damaged may require two hours or more.
“This process involves several stages, such as gluing with resin, stitching the spine, and replacing the paper spine (the area where the pages are bound). Some copies also require complete disassembly and reassembly, which takes a considerable amount of time and demands a high level of focus to ensure the Quran is restored to its original condition.”
Inside the restoration workshop, thousands of damaged or repaired Qurans await delivery to their owners.
Mabrook al-Amin, the workshop supervisor, said that restoration work requires a large number of technicians and that an electronic process is also involved in the maintenance of the Qurans, using graphic techniques and Photoshop to design damaged or missing pages of some copies of the Quran.
“Working with the Book of God is a great privilege, and despite the heavy workload, we do not feel tired. Instead, this work is an incredible blessing.”
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Since the beginning of the Quran restoration workshop in Tripoli in 2008, approximately half a million Qurans have been restored at this facility. Additionally, over 1,500 male and female trainees have participated in 150 training courses on Quran restoration and graduated.
Meanwhile, the number of Qurans restored by more than 40 subsidiary restoration workshops across Libya is around one million.
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