Moroccan wins beautiful Quran recitation award

Beating 15 other competitors, Moroccan contestant Mouad Daouik won the ‘Most Beautiful Recitation’ contest in the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (Dihqa) on Wednesday night .

Five top winners of the most beautiful recitation with the organisers. -Supplied photo

The competition also had participants from African countries, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bangladesh, Brunei, Afghanistan, Qatar, and the UK vying for the honour.

Ibrahim Bu Melha, Adviser to the Ruler of Dubai for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs and chair of the award organising committee, said the other winners were Ally Mwalimu (Tanzania), Omar Baeisa (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Khaled (Yemen), and Mohammad El Fawal (Lebanon).

The winners, adjudged on the basis of melodiousness, tonal quality, articulation and delivery, received cash prizes of Dh5,000, Dh4,000, Dh2,000, Dh2,000, and Dh1,000 respectively.

The top 10 contenders at the main Holy Quran memorisation competition are to be announced on Friday night and the Islamic Personality of the Year will be honoured in the concluding ceremony.

Bu Melha said the 18-day award saw a rich cultural programme enriched by lectures in various languages — Arabic, Bengali, Malayalam, and Tamil — apart from stiff competition by Quran memorisers from 78 countries. The Dh1 million Islamic Personality prize goes to Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, Grand Shaikh of Al Azhar. Last year, it was given to renowned Indian scholar Dr Zakir Naik.

The 12-category award, instituted to serve the Holy Quran and promote the standard of Quranic performances, contacted over 160 countries to participate. It is held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Prizes worth Dh950,000 await the top 10 Quran memorisers with the first to receive Dh250,000, the second Dh200,000, and the third Dh150,000. Winners coming in the fourth to 10 places will receive Dh65,000 and lesser amounts.

Bu Melha said contestants who score 80 per cent and above will get a bonus of Dh30,000; a Dh25,000 bonus goes to competitors with 70 to 79 per cent, and Dh20,000 to those getting less than 70 per cent records.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com