Young Hafiz's Invaluable Experience at Malaysia Int'l Quran Contest

TEHRAN (IQNA) - The youngest participant in the memorization category of the 57th International Quran Recital and Memorization Assembly has described his first experience competing outside his home country, Lebanon, as something invaluable for him.

Ahmad Ayman Dabbousi, 14, from the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, was among 11 participants competing in that category on the second day of the assembly.

Speaking to reporters, the 'young hafiz' (Quran memorizer) admitted that he was quite nervous about having to face more mature competitors, but motivation from his parents and teachers had given him some confidence and calmness.
Speaking through an interpreter, the second of three siblings, said he became interested in memorising the Quran since the age of seven years and successfully memorized the last chapter of the holy book at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

"I'm lucky to have special training from my teachers, namely Sheikh Usman Nagdah who teaches memorization and Sheikh Yahya Alimuddin, on tajwid. I revise daily after school to improve my memorization.

"In addition, I also train with my 13-year-old brother, Omar, who has the same interest. We always have a healthy competition together," he said.

His father, Fouad Dabbousi, 44, and mother, Luba Dannawai, 42, said having children interested in religious knowledge and able to memorise the Quran since small was a precious gift for them.

"We do not think of victory at all because he (Ahmad Ayman) is already a winner as he has memorized the entire Quran," said Fouad.

Islamic law lecturer from Uganda, Mubiru Yusof, 20, said it took him five years to memorise the Quran and had participated seven times in such competition

Mubiru, who recently participated in a similar event with 53 participants in Sudan, described the event here as the best he had ever participated in.
The 57th edition of Malaysia’s International Holy Quran Recitation and Memorization Competition was launched in a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening.

Representatives of some 70 countries are attending the five-day Quranic event, which is held in two categories of memorization and recitation of the Quran.

The theme of this year’s contest is “Unity the Pulse of a Nation’s Transformation.

Source: Bernama