A Visit to Jakarta’s Bayt al-Qur’an

Abstract

Nearly one hundred years ago the Dutch scholar C. Snouck Hurgronje, writing in the Netherlands Indies, published his article 'Islam and phonography' in which he described a contemporary interest in recordings of suras of the Qur'an made available for the phonograph. At the time, this innovation caused both interest and debate among Muslim scholars as to whether the use of this medium was Islamic, although it soon became accepted. The phonograph was later succeeded by the audiocassette. Now there are many interactive products available for the computer-literate Muslim- from various indexed and hyper-linked Qur'ans accessible through the internet, to CD-ROM packages designed for users who wish to learn to recite the Qur'an at home. Perhaps the most astounding aspect of the CD-ROM is its capacity to join the visual and aural experiences of the Qur'an. Yet, like its bakelite predecessor, the CDROM has evoked a modern debate over the application of such technology and the Islamic qualifications of its creators.