To help deaf Muslims not just memorize verses but understand their meaning, the group also plans to release an educational board game about the basics of Islam as well as 10 sign-language DVDs explaining some prayers.

“It’s changing everything,” Mr. Surya said of the project. “The videos also have their own message: If you want deaf Indonesians to learn Islam, they must learn sign language. Islam is not limited to what you read, but much more what you understand.”

The idea for a sign-language Quran began in 2017 when Mr. Surya met Archie Fitrah Wirija, founder and executive producer of the Quran Indonesia Project.

Mr. Wirija’s nonprofit group was already trying to get young people interested in the Quran by producing audio recordings of the book in Arabic, Indonesian and English, voiced by popular Indonesian singers and actors.

“It was like the Quran was not cool enough,” Mr. Wirija said, explaining his decision to use celebrities and create an Quran smartphone app.

The sign-language project took off with help from Galuh Sukmara Soejanto, a deaf Indonesian teacher and disability rights activist. She coached Mr. Surya on the finer points of translating the Quran into sign language, and his progress was monitored by an organization for deaf people based in Jidda, Saudi Arabia.