First National ‘Zayen al-Aswat’ Quran Competition Opens in Qom
Hosted at a complex near Jamkaran Mosque, the opening featured recitations by young participants aged 14 to 24, filling the halls with what one observer described as a “spiritual and uplifting atmosphere.”
The inaugural recitation was delivered by Seyyed Mohammad Hosseinipour, the winner of Iran’s International Quran Competition last year, setting the tone for the day’s contests.
Competitions were held simultaneously in two halls: in the main venue, young adults took part in tahqiq recitation, while the secondary hall hosted teenagers in categories of imitative recitation and munafasa. International judges evaluated the performances closely.
According to the organizing committee, 1,686 individuals from all 31 provinces applied for the competition, with 94 advancing to the final stage.
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The event is organized by the Al al-Bayt (AS) Institute’s Quranic Affairs Center under the slogan “Quran, the Book of the Faithful.”
Mohammad Hadi Eslami, executive secretary of the competition, emphasized the broader mission of the initiative. “Our aim goes beyond holding a contest. We want to identify and nurture ‘messengers of the Quran’—reciters who can carry the message of the Quran and the Islamic Revolution to the world,” he told IQNA.
The event is held with the support of Hojat-ol-Islam Seyyed Jawad Shahrestani, representative of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali al-Sistani in Iran, alongside several cultural and Quranic institutions. All recitations are being recorded and will be made available through the Al al-Bayt Institute’s media platforms.
The opening day concluded with competitions running until late evening.
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The closing ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at the Imam Kazem (AS) Institute in Qom. It will be broadcast live on Quran TV and feature the presence of leading Quran reciters including Ahmad Abolqasemi, Hamed Shakernejad, and Karim Mansouri.
The final session will recognize winners in three groups: school students, university students, and seminary students, marking the conclusion of the inaugural “Zayen al-Aswat” national Quran competition.
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