Quran Contest Closes Preliminary Stage in UAE
The eight-day qualifying examinations started in Al Ain city, followed by Dubai, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Abu Dhabi, according to a top official.
Head of DIHQA Organizing Committee and Adviser to the Ruler of Dubai for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs Ibrahim Bu Melha said the contest named after the wife of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, saw a stiff competition.
"The annual contest saw the participation of Quran memorizers from the Quran study centers of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowment, Maktoum Quran memorization centers, along with school and university students,” Bu Melha said, an Emirati newspaper reproted.
The final examinations will be held from Jan.30 to Feb.9, he added. "The concluding ceremony for male contestants will be held on February 16 while top female winners will be honored on Feb.17.”
Participants in the first category, be they Emiratis or residents, need to memorize the Quran in full (30 parts) whereas applicants for the second and third branches have to learn 20 and ten parts in turn, he explained. "Residents aged up to 10 may compete in the 5-part category while Emiratis aged up to 10 may participate in the 3-part category,” he said.
Full Quran memorizers, who should have participated in a previous edition of the same contest may compete in the 7th category dedicated for Qiraat (Rewayas) or art of recitation - spanning the schools of Warsh, Qaloon, and Al Duri. Residents aged up to 21 years, who memorize the Quran in full, may also participate in this category while female contestants have no age limit.
Bu Melha said Emiratis, men or women, of any age may however compete in any of the award’s nine categories, except the 6th one which is only open for memorizers up to 10 years of age, as well as the recently opened two sections for new Muslims and special needs Quran memorizers.
Meanwhile, the arbitration committee for male memorizers included Sheikh Mohammed Anas Al Shehi, Sheikh Abdullah Al Ansari, Sheikh Kamal Taher, and Sheikh Sami Daheem.
The jury panel for female contestants included Sara Abdul Samad, Asma Hassan Al Marzouqi, Abeer Al Johari, Razan Adnan, Kholood Mohammed Mutawea, and Fatima Ahmed Zul-Norain.
