Dubai: The young Malaysian participant who was eventually declared the winner of the recitation event at the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) event had the jam-packed audience in a thrall.
The contest began at midnight on Thursday after the conclusion of programmes associated with the event. The prizes will be announced on Saturday at 9.30pm in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the Cultural and Scientific Association.
There were seven participants in all who vied for the top three prizes. A Turkish contestant and a Kuwaiti participant were adjudged second and third respectively in the recitation event.
Showcasing talent
Thirteen-year-old Mohammad Bin Ahmad Zahid's performance moved some members of the audience to tears.His recitation of verses from Surat Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent, The Mercy Giving) of the Quran during the stage of the competition when each participant was given seven minutes to showcase his talent went down especially well with those assembled.
The other contestants in the fray were from Yemen, Mauritania, Libya, and Somalia.
Speaking to Gulf News, other participants at the event recalled how they had pursued their Quran studies. Senoussi Daoud from Chad said he had memorised the Quran along with his three siblings in a Khalwa, a traditional mosque school in Africa.
The 20-year-old is a high school student at a public school that imparts the Saudi curriculum.
"Memorising the Quran is part of one's cultural upbringing in Chad. Most people in my hometown memorise the Quran," said Daoud.
Solidarity
He told Gulf News the Khalwa also served as key centres of education for those wanting to learn the Arabic language.
"Everyone in the Khalwa shares equally what is available. The values and the experiences of the Khalwa help to forge a solidarity among its members which lasts for a lifetime," said Senoussi.
Ahmedou Salem Taleb, a 21-year-old participant from Mauritania, said students used a lawlah, a small wooden tablet, to take notes while memorising the Quran back in his home country and generally across North Africa.
Students would then repeat what they memorised around 300 times-using the Misbah (counting beads), he said.**I got this article from Gulfnews and i felt compelled to put it here.I know adik Muhammad (above picture) because he's a constant figure at Masjid Taqwa, TTDI. Although i didn't know him personally, i can tell he is the pride of TTDI residents. I had a conversation with his father once and he told me adik Muhammad is a Hafiz since he was 8 years old! And his other siblings also wanted to follow suit.Amazing huh! When i asked how he did what he did, he said he planned everything about the education of the children wih his wife since they were really little. They sacrificed a lot in the early stages, instilled interest of Islam and Al-Quran in their children's heart while at the same time worked hard to balance their childhood life.It really sounds like a lot of work, but for all i can see now, it was all worth it!In my heart, I hope i can do the same with my children when the time come
The contest began at midnight on Thursday after the conclusion of programmes associated with the event. The prizes will be announced on Saturday at 9.30pm in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the Cultural and Scientific Association.
There were seven participants in all who vied for the top three prizes. A Turkish contestant and a Kuwaiti participant were adjudged second and third respectively in the recitation event.
Showcasing talent
Thirteen-year-old Mohammad Bin Ahmad Zahid's performance moved some members of the audience to tears.His recitation of verses from Surat Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent, The Mercy Giving) of the Quran during the stage of the competition when each participant was given seven minutes to showcase his talent went down especially well with those assembled.
The other contestants in the fray were from Yemen, Mauritania, Libya, and Somalia.
Speaking to Gulf News, other participants at the event recalled how they had pursued their Quran studies. Senoussi Daoud from Chad said he had memorised the Quran along with his three siblings in a Khalwa, a traditional mosque school in Africa.
The 20-year-old is a high school student at a public school that imparts the Saudi curriculum.
"Memorising the Quran is part of one's cultural upbringing in Chad. Most people in my hometown memorise the Quran," said Daoud.
Solidarity
He told Gulf News the Khalwa also served as key centres of education for those wanting to learn the Arabic language.
"Everyone in the Khalwa shares equally what is available. The values and the experiences of the Khalwa help to forge a solidarity among its members which lasts for a lifetime," said Senoussi.
Ahmedou Salem Taleb, a 21-year-old participant from Mauritania, said students used a lawlah, a small wooden tablet, to take notes while memorising the Quran back in his home country and generally across North Africa.
Students would then repeat what they memorised around 300 times-using the Misbah (counting beads), he said.**I got this article from Gulfnews and i felt compelled to put it here.I know adik Muhammad (above picture) because he's a constant figure at Masjid Taqwa, TTDI. Although i didn't know him personally, i can tell he is the pride of TTDI residents. I had a conversation with his father once and he told me adik Muhammad is a Hafiz since he was 8 years old! And his other siblings also wanted to follow suit.Amazing huh! When i asked how he did what he did, he said he planned everything about the education of the children wih his wife since they were really little. They sacrificed a lot in the early stages, instilled interest of Islam and Al-Quran in their children's heart while at the same time worked hard to balance their childhood life.It really sounds like a lot of work, but for all i can see now, it was all worth it!In my heart, I hope i can do the same with my children when the time come
