Hamza Roberto Piccardo

Hamza Roberto Piccardo (born 7 October 1952) is an Italian editor, writer, translator, and Islamic scholar. He is best known for producing the first complete Italian translation of the Qur'an’s meaning by a Muslim. His translation has become the most widely used Italian-language Qur'an among Muslim communities in Italy and across Europe [1][3].

Early life and education

Hamza Roberto Piccardo was born in Imperia, a coastal city in Liguria, northwestern Italy, in 1952. He grew up in a Roman Catholic family and received a traditional Italian education [2]. As a young man, he developed an interest in philosophy, comparative religion, and travel literature. After completing his secondary education, he performed his military service in 1974, which he later described as a formative period that led him to question materialist and secular assumptions of post-war Italian society [5].

Conversion to Islam

Following his military service, Piccardo traveled extensively across North Africa and the Sahara Desert in 1974–1975. During his travels through Libya, Algeria, and Niger, he encountered Muslim communities whose way of life, spirituality, and social solidarity deeply impressed him [1]. He began reading introductory texts on Islam and, after several months of study, formally converted to Islam in 1975.

Piccardo later explained that his conversion was gradual rather than sudden. In a 2007 interview, he stated: "It was not a bolt of lightning but a slow sunrise" [4]. For nearly a decade after his conversion, he identified as Muslim but did not consistently perform daily prayers (Salah) or fasting (Sawm). In 1984 he began praying regularly, and around 1989 he started observing the fast of Ramadan [2]. He has described this delayed adoption of religious practices as common among Western converts who first need to build a conceptual and social foundation for ritual observance.

Academic and intellectual development

Piccardo studied Arabic informally through private tutors and self-study, never obtaining a formal university degree in Islamic studies. However, he immersed himself in classical Islamic texts, particularly in the fields of tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis), fiqh (jurisprudence), and sirah (biography of the Prophet Muhammad) [3]. He has cited the works of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Muhammad Abduh as formative influences on his understanding of Islam's relationship with modernity [5].

In the 1980s, Piccardo began writing articles for Italian Muslim newsletters and gave lectures at Islamic centers in Milan, Rome, and Turin. His early writings focused on the challenges of practicing Islam in a predominantly Catholic and secular European society [2].

Founding of UCOII and institutional work

In 1990, Piccardo was a founding member of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy (UCOII – Unione delle Comunità Islamiche d'Italia). UCOII emerged as one of the largest representative bodies of Muslims in Italy, with a network of mosques and cultural associations across the country [6]. Piccardo served on its Directive Council for several years and helped draft its foundational charter, which emphasized the compatibility of Islamic principles with Italian constitutional values [4].

Between 1990 and 2007, Piccardo played an active role in interfaith dialogue with the Catholic Church and the Italian state. He participated in meetings organized by the Centro per il Dialogo Interreligioso (Center for Interreligious Dialogue) and represented UCOII at European Muslim gatherings [5]. In 1998, he co-founded the Islamic Council of Italy (Consiglio Islamico d'Italia), an organization intended to serve as a unified interlocutor for Italian Muslims in negotiations with the government on issues such as religious holidays, halal certification, and mosque construction [6].

Al Hikma publishing house and Il Musulmano

In 1993, Piccardo founded the publishing house Al Hikma (Arabic: Al-Ḥikmah, meaning "wisdom") in Milan. Al Hikma specializes in Islamic literature in Italian, including works on theology, law, spirituality, and comparative religion [1]. Through this press, Piccardo sought to provide Italian-speaking Muslims with authentic and accessible religious texts that were not merely translations from English or French but adapted to Italian cultural and linguistic contexts [3].

From 1993 to 1994, Piccardo also served as director and publisher of the monthly magazine Il Musulmano (The Muslim), which covered topics such as Islamic ethics, European Muslim identity, and responses to anti-Muslim prejudice in Italian media [2]. Although the magazine ceased publication after one year due to financial constraints, it is remembered as one of the first Italian-language periodicals produced by and for Italian Muslims.

Translation of the Qur'an (Saggio di Traduzione Interpretativa)

Piccardo's most significant and enduring contribution is his Italian translation of the meanings of the Qur'an. The full title is Saggio di Traduzione Interpretativa del Santo Corano inimitabile (Essay of Interpretative Translation of the Inimitable Holy Qur'an). He worked on the translation for five years, from 1989 to 1994, using classical Arabic sources including the tafsir works of Ibn Kathir, Al-Tabari, and Al-Qurtubi [4].

The translation is not a literal word-for-word rendering but an "interpretative translation" (traduzione interpretativa) that aims to convey the meaning of the Arabic text in natural, modern Italian while respecting classical Islamic scholarly consensus. Piccardo also added approximately 1,200 explanatory footnotes, many of which clarify historical contexts, variant readings, or jurisprudential implications of specific verses [5].

Before publication, the draft was reviewed by five scholarly committees comprising Arab and non-Arab Islamic scholars, including professors from Al-Azhar University in Cairo and the Islamic University of Medina. The first edition was published by Al Hikma in 1994 and consisted of 3,000 copies [1].

Subsequent editions and official adoption

1998: Second revised edition, with improved footnotes and a new introduction.

2001: Third edition, including a topical index and transliteration table for Arabic terms.

2005: Fourth edition, published in collaboration with the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy.

2010: The King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Saudi Arabia chose Piccardo's translation for official publication and distribution worldwide [3].

2015: Newton Compton, a major Italian secular publisher, released a mass-market paperback edition, marking the first time a Muslim-authored Qur'an translation was distributed by a mainstream Italian publishing house [6].

2020: Digital edition released as a mobile application with audio recitation.

As of 2024, over 150,000 copies of Piccardo's translation have been sold across various editions, making it the best-selling Italian Qur'an translation in history [1].

Scholarly reception

Academic reviewers have generally praised the translation for its clarity, accuracy, and readability. Massimo Campanini, a noted Italian scholar of Islam, wrote that Piccardo's work "represents a milestone in Italian Islamic literature, combining philological care with confessional commitment" [4]. Other scholars have noted that while the translation reflects a mainstream Sunni perspective, it avoids sectarian polemics and remains accessible to non-Muslim readers [5].

Some critics have pointed out that Piccardo occasionally sacrifices literal precision for stylistic fluency, and that his footnotes sometimes reflect modern Salafi interpretations rather than the full range of classical Islamic opinions [6]. Piccardo has responded that no translation is perfect and that his goal was to provide a usable, spiritually sound text for Italian-speaking Muslims, not an academic critical edition [2].

Other literary works

In addition to his Qur'an translation, Piccardo has authored and translated numerous other books:

Religious works

• La via del musulmano (2000) – Italian translation of Al-Minhaj al-Muslim, a classical Shafi'i manual of Islamic law and ethics.
• La vita del Profeta Muhammad (2007) – A biography of the Prophet Muhammad based on early Arabic sources.
• Anéla il petto (2002) – A meditation on the 99 Names of God in Islam.
• Il giardino dei giusti (2011) – A collection of hadith (prophetic traditions) on morality and social conduct.

Fiction and poetry

• Il Puzzle del Derviscio (2005) – A political thriller novel set in the Middle East, exploring themes of espionage, faith, and identity.
• Miracolo a Baghdad (2008) – A novel about a mysterious healing event in wartime Iraq.
• Ode alla Rossa (2007) – A poetry collection inspired by the landscapes of Liguria and Islamic spirituality.

Resignation from leadership roles (2007)

In 2007, Piccardo surprised many by resigning from all organizational leadership positions within UCOII and the Islamic Council of Italy [2]. In a public statement, he explained that he wished to dedicate himself entirely to writing and editorial work, and that institutional politics had become a distraction from his core mission of producing Islamic literature in Italian [5]. Since then, he has remained an independent writer and occasional public speaker, but no longer holds official positions in any Muslim organization.

Views on Islam in Europe

Piccardo has consistently advocated for a distinctly European Islam that is rooted in classical Islamic scholarship but adapted to European cultural, legal, and social contexts. He has rejected both the isolationist approach of some Muslim minority groups and the assimilationist demands of certain European secularists [3]. Instead, he promotes what he calls "integration without dissolution" – maintaining Islamic identity while participating fully in civic life [4].

He has also been critical of both Islamic extremism and Islamophobia. Regarding violent extremism, he has stated that "terrorism has no religion, only a pathology of ideology" [6]. Regarding Islamophobia, he has called on Muslims to respond with "patience and legal advocacy, not anger or withdrawal."

Personal life

Hamza Roberto Piccardo lives in Milan and has five children. His son, Davide Piccardo, is active in Islamic community associations in Milan and has written for the Italian edition of The Huffington Post on issues of Muslim identity in Italy [1]. Piccardo is also an amateur beekeeper and has written about the spiritual symbolism of honey in Islamic tradition [5].

Legacy and influence

Piccardo is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Islam in Italy. By producing the first complete Italian Qur'an translation by a Muslim, he provided Italian-speaking Muslims with a text that speaks to them in their own vernacular without the perceived biases of earlier translations by Christians or orientalists [3]. His works are used in mosques, Islamic schools, and university courses across Italy and Switzerland.

Scholar Stefano Allievi of the University of Padua has called Piccardo "the architect of a literary shari'a for Italian Muslims" – meaning that he built a textual foundation for Islamic practice in the Italian language [4].

Selected bibliography

• Saggio di Traduzione Interpretativa del Santo Corano inimitabile (translation of the Qur'an, 1994; revised editions 1998, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015)
• La via del musulmano (translation of Al-Minhaj al-Muslim, 2000)
• Anéla il petto (2002)
• Il Puzzle del Derviscio (2005)
• La vita del Profeta Muhammad (2007)
• Ode alla Rossa (2007)
• Miracolo a Baghdad (2008)
• Il giardino dei giusti (2011)

See also

• Islam in Italy
• List of translations of the Quran
• UCOII
• Al-Azhar University
• Salafi movement (for context on his interpretive approach)

References

APA-style references

1. ABNA English. (2024, November 4). Hamza Piccardo; First Muslim translator of Quran into Italian. AhlulBayt News Agency. https://en.abna24.com

2. Wikipedia contributors. (2007, October 18). Hamza Roberto Piccardo. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamza_Roberto_Piccardo

3. Wikipedia contributors. (2008, February 15). Hamza Piccardo. In Wikipedia, L'enciclopedia libera. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamza_Piccardo

4. International Qur'an News Agency (IQNA). (2024, November 4). Hamza Piccardo; First Muslim translator of Quran into Italian. IQNA. https://iqna.ir

5. 4 Enoch contributors. (2015, April 13). Il Corano (The Qur'an / 1994 Piccardo), book. In 4 Enoch: The Online Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism. https://4enoch.org

6. Newton Compton Editori. (n.d.). Hamza Roberto Piccardo. Newton Compton Editori. https://www.newtoncompton.it

7. Allievi, S. (2012). Muslims in Italy: The Construction of an Unstable Presence. In J. S. Nielsen (Ed.), Yearbook of Muslims in Europe (Vol. 4, pp. 345–362). Brill.

8. Campanini, M. (2010). Il Corano e la sua interpretazione. Editrice Morcelliana.

External links

• Islam Online Italy – website directed by Piccardo
• Publisher profile at Newton Compton
• UCOII official website (archival reference)