Imam Khomeini said: "The Quran is a table that is spread for all classes. That is to say, it has a language which is the language of both common people, philosophers, mystics and the people of cognizance. The fact of the matter is that, there are subjects in this noble Book the most important of which are spiritual subjects."
Imam Khomeini was seriously preoccupied that this divine Book would be introduced and taught in a way that everyone would benefit from this blessed table. In view of this, one of the cultural achievements pertaining to the Quran is the expansion of publication of the noble Quran and supervision of the publication of this great divine scripture. In the early 1990s, the Center for Publication of the Quran was established by the order of Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei.
The prominent position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the world as the Motherland of the Islamic world required it to take the Quran seriously into consideration, with a completely scientific and specialized approach. Therefore, specialized centers of providing various needs at the presence of expert and efficient forces were set up, including research on writing skills, artistic and technical affairs, computer preparation, monitoring and revision of various publications of the Qur'an, printing, publication and communication with cultural organizations and institutions in the country and the world. Each unit benefited from the support of specialized councils at the presence of the most prominent professors and experts of the Quran in the country.
For the first time in the Islamic world, the Center for the Publication of the Quran designed and launched the "Comprehensive System of Writing the Quran." This system is intended to provide researchers with the basics and perfect information on the methods specified for writing the Quran.
The staff of this system believe that the knowledge of different styles of reciting the Quran constitutes an important part of the Quranic sciences. In addition, the sensitivity of the scholars of the Islamic world toward the issue of writing the Quran and the high importance of applying a single method for writing the Quran is an effective factor to embark on the field as a specialist.
Hence, the "Comprehensive System of Writing the Quran" was launched with the aim of providing researchers of this field around the world with the access to all scientific, research and digital information, and the ability to search the Quranic words.
Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, there were few publishers of the noble Quran and there was no specialized supervision on the printing of God's Final Revelation. In August 1986, the responsibility to oversee the publication of the Quran was ceded to the Islamic Propagation Organization. Ever since, more than 1,000 publishers of the Quran have been working in the country. From August 1986 to the end of 2018, the licenses for publishing 165 million and 932 thousand and 900 volumes of the Quran were issued by Dar ul-Quran Karim. However, considering the licenses issued before 1986, this number will amount to 200 million volumes.
Ahmad Haji Sharif, a publisher of the Quran, says that before the revolution, there was a small number of translations of the Quran. Among the translations of that era mention can be made of the works of late "Elahi Qomshei" or late "Mesbah". Going back 100 years before them, the translations of the Quran were confined to a translation of "Basir al-Molk" and several other translations. Today, under the auspices of the Islamic Republic of Iran, more than 130 translations of the noble Quran have been done in the country, more than 90 of which are Farsi translations, 35 translations are in languages like English, French, German, Kurdish, Turkish, and Swahili. Before the revolution, however, only the English translation of the Quran was available.
Significant work has been done in the field of calligraphy of the Quran. The calligraphy and decoration of the Quran is a sign of the artists' dedication to this divine Book. With the help of intellectual and artistic beauties they increase the enthusiasm for reading the Quran in the individual. Before the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, the only calligraphy of the Quran was written by Taher Khoshnevis, but now more than seventy calligraphers write the Quran completely and then publish it.
In recent years, in order to fulfill the call of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to promote the Quran among the public, this holy book has been published with the fine artistic works of Iranian artists and maestros of calligraphy. It is believed that the Osman Taha script, though it is beautiful, is somehow difficult to read.
One of the calligraphies that has taken the lead in previous years is the calligraphy of late Nayrizi; the calligraphy maestro who wrote the Quran more than 90 times. Regarding his calligraphy, the Leader said in 1993: "The version that I want is that of Ahmad Nayrizi. I like it, but some corrections have to be made on it. A single calligraphy has become common in many parts of the world, but what is the problem of publishing a special script of the Quran in Iran? Look, the Quran is published in India and Pakistan in a particular way which has also been accepted. So, what necessitates to use Osman Taha script?
Hussein Ali Matin, a master of bookbinding, states: "The conveyance of a book from generation to generation is an important way of conveying the culture and civilization of every society, and the art of binding keeps these books durable. For this reason, publication of the Quran has always been a concern for every Islamic country, and the Iranians also used fine leather and paper in binding the Quran."
Mehdi Qara Sheikhloo, head of Dar ul-Quran Karim (Noble Quran Center) says: "The Noble Quran Center includes two parts of correction and evaluation, each of which has specific tasks. Today we are glad that during the 4 decades of the Islamic Revolution, nearly one thousand publishers are engaged in the field of the Quran and they have published 150 copies of the Quran."
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