33rd Sultan Qaboos Quran Competition: Finals Slated for Wednesday
The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque will host the finals, according to the Oman Daily.
The Quran contest is organized and supervised by the Sultan Qaboos Supreme Center for Culture and Science.
It is considered the most prominent local competition in the field of Quran memorization and recitation, and annually sees a large participation of Quran memorizers from different governorates of the Sultanate of Oman.
Abdullah bin Saeed Al-Qanubi, a member of the jury panel, said that the judging criteria for the competition were carefully determined. According to him, the total score was 100, including 75 points for memorization, 20 points for Tajweed (rules of recitation) and 5 points for good performance.
He explained that this year, the judging committee focused on a detailed assessment of performance, especially the quality of voice, fluency of recitation and correct pronunciation of letters and their characteristics.
Al-Qanubi also explained that the error calculation system is precise. A warning deducts half a point, while a full point is deducted if a contestant starts to recite a verse but does not complete it. However, if a contestant corrects his mistake without the intervention of the judging committee, no error is recorded. In the Tajweed section, errors are calculated at half a point for each mistake, even if the same mistake is repeated.
Ibrahim bin Hamoud bin Harb Al-Busaidi, a member of the preliminary round jury, explained that for each level of the competition, usually eight qualified contestants advance to the finals. This number can sometimes increase to nine if some contestants have the same score.
He noted that participation in the preliminary stages this year increased significantly, exceeding 1,000 participants compared to last year. The increase also reflects the high level of competence of the participants, with several holding multiple certificates in Quran recitation. Some have even travelled outside the Sultanate of Oman to train and prepare for the competition.
Al-Busaidi stressed that this high level of participation reflects the awareness of Omani society of the importance of the Holy Quran and its commitment to adhering to its teachings.
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The jury visited 25 centers in different governorates to provide an opportunity for the largest possible number of participants.
The competition has expanded significantly over the decades, reaching this level of scale after starting with just two centers in Muscat and Salalah. This expansion is a response to the growing interest of Quran memorizers. The total number of participants in this year’s competition reached 2,800 at various levels.
The Sultan Qaboos Holy Quran Competitions consist of seven levels suitable for different ages and categories, from memorizing the entire Quran to memorizing two Juzes (parts) for children under seven.
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