Highlights of Egypt’s ‘State of Recitation’ Quranic Program
It is a special talent competition for the recitation of the Quran in the Arab country.
‘State of Recitation’ is the largest talent search competition in Quranic recitation and Tajweed in Egypt, produced in cooperation with the Ministry of Awqaf and the United Media Services Company, with the aim of identifying talents and outstanding reciters from different provinces of the country.
Hosted by Aya Abdelrahman, ‘State of Recitation’ marks a groundbreaking step in supporting Quranic talent, reviving the authentic Egyptian school of recitation, and reinforcing Egypt’s longstanding role as a leading beacon of Quranic excellence and enlightened religious scholarship.
The first and second parts of this program were broadcasted on Egyptian satellite channels on November 14 and 15, and immediately after the first performances, they attracted the attention of Quran-loving users in the Arab world, because as videos from different parts of this program went viral, other audiences from Arab countries such as Kuwait, Jordan, and Qatar joined the audience of this Egyptian program.
One of the data-x-items of this program was a beautiful Munafisah recitation that captivated the hearts and delighted all the viewers. Munafisah means taking turns to recite verses from the Holy Quran.
This Munafisah was performed between Muhammad Ayoub Asif, a famous British qari, and Muhammad Hassan Al-Qalaji, an Egyptian participant who is only 12 years old and is nicknamed the miracle of Sharqiya Province.
The two competed in the recitation category amidst the interaction and great admiration of the jury and the audience. Moments after the program aired, the same interaction was also taking place on various social media pages, where a large number of Arabic-speaking users began to compare the two, although everyone agreed on the magnificence of their recitations.
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Muhammad Ayoub Asif, a famous British reciter from England, appears as a guest of honor in various episodes of the program and performs 6 Munafisah recitations with the participants in several items. The Pakistani-born reciter is very popular in Egypt and the Arab world after spending 10 full years in Cairo and learning the principles and rules of recitation in different Maqams. Ayoub started his life as a football player for the English club Arsenal and then turned to the world of Quran recitation.
You can watch the video below.
A Masterful Performance by a Brilliant Qari and Hafiz
Mohammad Ahmad Hassan, a brilliant 19-year-old qari and memorizer of the Holy Quran, gave an impressive performance in the program, which surprised the judges and the audience.
This enlightened memorizer recited verses from Surah Yusuf with his melodious voice and established his position as one of the leading voices of the future generations in the art of Quran recitation.
He began memorizing the Quran at the age of three, and at the age of eight, with the help of his family and teachers who discovered his beautiful voice and high skill in the rules of Tajweed, he memorized the entire Quran.
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The observers praised his performance in this competition and emphasized that his balance in Quranic recitations and the stability of his voice tone, despite his young age, have made him an outstanding role model among young reciters, and his future in the world of recitation is promising and full of achievements.
Trending on X and Google
The program ‘State of Recitation’ has also trended on the X and Google social networks and has topped the list of the most popular programs on the X network in Egypt and several Arab countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan.
The performances of the participants in the two categories of recitation and Tarteel were met with public acclaim, and touching moments such as the tears of Yousef Abdul Aziz, a participant in the recitation section, during recitation and the kissing of the hand of Qari Muhammad Ahmed Hassan (a visually-impaired reciter and Hafiz) by Mustafa Hassani, an Egyptian missionary, were among the beautiful scenes of the program, which sparked a wave of admiration and sharing on social media, with users describing the program as “a call from heaven” and “the return of spirituality to television”.
Recording the entire Quran with the voices of top performers
The total prize value for Dawlet El Telawa reaches 3.5 million EGP. The two first-place winners in the recitation and Tajweed categories each receive 1 million EGP, along with the honor of recording the entire Holy Quran in their voices for broadcast on the Misr Quran Kareem channel.
They will also be granted the prestigious opportunity to lead Taraweeh prayers at Imam Hussein (AS) Mosque during the upcoming Ramadan.
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Meanwhile, Al-Azhar’s Counter-Extremism Watchdog praised the ‘State of Recitation’ television program in a statement, emphasizing that this program demonstrates Egypt’s historical position in nurturing Quranic voices.
The center described the program as an advanced model for confronting extremism by understanding the meanings of the Quran and purifying the soul through humble performance.
The performances in this program touch hearts and bring peace to souls, it said, adding that this event returns man to the essence of the message of Islam, which is based on mercy and peace, and protects him from extremism and fanaticism.
The center emphasized: “The State of Recitation highlights Egypt’s historical position in cultivating Quranic voices and introduces the unique Egyptian school of recitation; a country that introduced the greatest and most influential reciters to the Islamic world.”
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