The Founder & the Inspiration

It was an act of inspiration that led Dr. Abdul Latif Jassim Kanoo to establish Beit Al Qur'an and nurture its development over the years from a mere idea into an internationally renowned and unique Islamic cultural institution. Dr. Kanoo, a member of a prominent Bahraini family, an engineer by profession and a former senior government officer and Shura Council member in Bahrain was guided in his efforts by his immense pride in his Islamic faith and heritage and a keen interest in the art of collecting historic Quranic manuscripts.

Dr. Kanoo's personal collection of very rare and beautiful Quranic manuscripts grew from small beginnings to expand in importance and fame to such an extent that he felt it should be preserved and protected for future generations. He was soon to realize that the heavy responsibility of holding such a fabulous collection transcended the concept of ownership to that of custodianship and it was this simple notion that inspired the idea of the establishment of Beit Al Qur'an. Dr. Kanoo felt that his personal collection should be housed in a specialized institution capable of protecting it and preserving it for posterity, an institution designed in all its aspects to serve Islam and the Holy Qur'an. His collection formed the nucleus of Beit Al Qur'an's great collection of Quranic manuscripts, which later grew to be one of the most important of its type.

Dr. Kanoo concentrated his boundless energy to raise money through donations from people from all walks of life, mainly from Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council, to build and maintain Beit Al Qur'an. Through his efforts, the late Amir of Bahrain, His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa opened Beit Al Qur'an to the public, in a ceremony attended by representatives from various parts of the Muslim World, on the 12th March 1990, a great institution "built by the people for all the people".