Bangladeshi Stakes Claim for Top Prize at Dubai International Quran Contest
As the contest crosses the halfway mark, participants have raised the bar, delivering heart-warming performances, GNews reported.
Among the top performers so far are Abdul Majeed Mujahid from Yemen; Mohammad Zakariya from Bangladesh; Hassan Samoha from Thailand; and Azam Iqbal from the UK, apart from some others.
Following his soulful performance on Monday night, the 20-year-old Yemeni contestant said he is confident of scoring well in the competition.
“All praise be to Allah for helping me perform here, I feel I have done well. Hope I have impressed the judges enough,” said Mujahid, who comes from a family of Quran memorizers.
A teacher of Quran and a first year university student in Sharia and law, the man from the city of Taez in Yemen, is aspiring to become a scholar in the science of Quran recitation.
Mujahid secured second place at the international Quran competition in Kuwait last year.
Held in the auditorium of Dubai Chamber at Deira Creek, the Award plays a significant role in inspiring and encouraging young people to learn the Quran.
One such contestant is 12-year-old Bangladeshi Mohammad Zakariya, who received the biggest applause for his rendition of the Quranic verses.
“I always dreamt of performing on this stage and I am really grateful to Allah for giving me this wonderful chance. I am pleased by my performance. But other contestants have also done really well,” said Zakariya, who started memorizing the Quran at the age of seven.
Son of an imam of a mosque in Dhaka, Zakariya has already participated in several international competitions, winning once in Egypt and securing third and forth positions in Jordan and Qatar respectively.
However, he says Dubai is the toughest and biggest stage where every Hafiz (Quran memorizer) aspires to perform.
Though he comes from a humble background, Zakariya has ambitions to reach the skies.
“I want to become a scholar in Islam and a preacher, inspiring people with the beautiful message of Islam,” he added.
Another ambitious contestant, who has won hearts with his performance, is Hasan Samoh from Thailand.
The 17-year-old from Pattani also hails from a family of Quran memorizers and hopes to get enrolled in the Islamic University of Madinah next year.
This year the annual Award has 82 competitors from across the globe and the judges seemed really impressed by the participants.
Shaikh Mohammad Tamim Al Zoubi, Head of the Award Arbitration Committee, said all the memorizers who sat for the competition are excellent and their recitation is beautiful.
He particularly hailed non-Arabic participants for their fluent performances. “Foreign participants reciting Arabic verses fluently just like native speakers is actually one of the miracles of the holy Quran, which has been made easy for recitation as mentioned in Verse 17:54 of the holy Quran. It is, therefore, simple for old or young, male or female, Arabs or non-Arabs to recite,” said Shaikh Al Zoubi.
The final ceremony of the 19th Quran competition will be held on July 7, with the winner walking away with Dh250,000.
