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The King Abdul Aziz International Qur’an Recitation and Memorization Competition began at the Grand Mosque here yesterday with 164 contestants from 53 countries and organizations vying to win the top prizes.
In a statement on the occasion, Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh expressed his happiness over the presence of a large number of contestants who have come from different parts of the Islamic world.
“This shows how much the Muslim countries and communities care about learning and memorizing the Holy Qur’an,” he said. Many countries and communities conduct local contests to send their outstanding candidates to the Makkah competition.
“A large number of young Muslim men are now interested in taking part in this annual competition that plays an important role in spreading the message of the Qur’an,” the minister said. He thanked the government for its continuous support for the efforts aimed at spreading the message of the Qur’an.
The contest, which is named after King Abdul Aziz, encourages young men in the Islamic world to learn and memorize the Qur’an, recite it in the proper way and study the meaning and interpretation of its verses.
Ibrahim Al-Dossary, head of the jury, urged the contestants to uphold the values of the Qur’an and Islam and read the holy book with piety and meditation. Yesterday the judges heard recitation from 38 contestants in the competition’s five categories.