International Sharif Bible Society
- ISBS -
OUR HISTORY
The Sharif Bible Society was founded in 2002 in France. In 2007 it was incorporated as The International Sharif Bible Society, a 501(c)3 tax-deductible California corporation with its headquarters in Sacramento, California.
The Sacramento team has four staff members that focus on translation, literature creation and sales. An additional operating facility in Cairo, Egypt has three local staff members who handle layout and proof-reading. Volunteers in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Cairo, Egypt and many other locations work to reach Muslims with God’s Word and the message of Christ’s love throughout the Middle East and North Africa and wherever they have immigrated or sought refuge.
The first complete Sharif New Testament was published in 1990. The complete Sharif Bible was published in 2000. Between the Bible and the New Testament, the International Sharif Bible Society has printed more than 1.7 million copies, with the majority distributed in limited access countries. In addition, various mission endeavors use the Sharif New Testament in evangelism among the local as well as refugee peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. Those mission groups include Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Assemblies of God, Campus Crusade for Christ, YWAM, Open Doors, Frontiers, Hosanna, etc.
The Sharif Bible is now in print as well as in audio and video. It is also available in text and/or audio on YouVersion and on various mobile devices. Currently Jesus Film is preparing an edition of the Arabic Jesus Film using the Sharif Bible.
The Sharif Bible also publishes a yearly Prayer Guide with a weekly prayer focus that challenges, informs, and directs Christians to pray for Muslims. 2023 marks the 33rd year of its publication. It is now available in several languages: French,Chinese, Spanish, Russian, etc.
Sharif Bibles Distributed
STATEMENT
OUR MISSION
We are an interdenominational non-profit corporation with a mission to translate, publish and distribute the Bible for Muslims.
Such translation should be accurate (faithful to the original text), natural (in language familiar to the reader), and clear (easy to understand).
The Sharif is the easiest Arabic Bible to understand. When you read it, the language just flows. You enjoy the Word. You feel like it is a letter from your heavenly Father directed to you personally, one that you can share easily with others.
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has been kept from Muslims for years by incomprehensible translations using foreign names and terminology, and in some cases foreign grammatical constructions that are meaningless in Arabic. Compared to these wooden swords,
the Sharif translation is like a precision scalpel, sharp as a razor, which the Holy Spirit can use to operate on men’s hearts and give them new life in Christ. Let’s pray that God removes any obstacles to its printing and distribution throughout the Muslim world.
