Dad's help made his journey with Quran easy

Abdulaziz Saeed Halwan Abdulla Al Mehri

While many Quran memorisers attribute the virtue of their memorisation to their mothers, it is different for Qatari contestant Abdulaziz Saeed Halwan Abdulla Al Mehri.
The 20-year-old memoriser, who is competing with 81 other contestants in the 20th edition of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA), thanked his father for his support.
"My father, who memorised the Holy Quran in full, was a great help to me in my journey with the Quran," he said. "Mum, who is also a Quran memoriser, has assisted me much and provided me with a suitable atmosphere."
Abdulaziz, who is a student of Shariah at the Umm Al Qura University in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, stole the show with his tuneful recitation.
"I have started memorising the Holy Quran at a study centre under the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs when I was nine, but finished after seven years because of not regularly attending the classes."
Believing that memorisers are favoured and blessed by Almighty Allah and will be rewarded in life and after death, Abdulaziz insisted on memorising the Quran. "The Quran is spiritually uplifting and takes you to a higher serene world."
Abdulaziz said he used to memorise one to two pages per day whenever he had free time. "I have learnt the Quran from many competent tutors, and managed to memorise it as per the Hafs bin Asem School of Recitation, and then studied the same as per the Shuaba as narrated by Hafs."
Showing exceptional performance in a nationwide Quran contest, Abdulaziz has been nominated by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Qatar, for participation in the 20th edition of the Award this year.
"I have participated in so many local Quran competitions, such as the Shaikh Jassim Al Thani contest and the Shaikh Ghanim Al Thani contest, in which I secured advanced positions."
Abdulaziz has also participated in several international Quran competitions in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and finally in Dubai. "Participating in these contests, which attract memorisers from across the globe, is in the service of the Holy Quran."
These contests also represent a good chance to meet with Quran memorisers from other countries, and know about their culture and different ways of memorising, he underlined. "I really wish to be a scholar of Shariah in the future and teach the Quran to all Muslims."
14-year-old Egyptian contestant Abdalla Moustafa Mohamed Aboushousha said he was honoured to partake in the award which he believed is a big dream for all Quran memorisers around the world. "This is mainly due to the reputation of the award in Arab and Islamic countries," he said wishing to be a preacher and Quran scholar in the future.
14-year-old American competitor Adeen Shahzad Rehman commended the award about which he heard from the Internet. "Showing exceptional performance in more than 20 local contests, I have been nominated for the award by the Islamic Centre in New York," he said. He had been ranked third in an international Quran contest in Kuwait.
The performance of the 15-year-old Thai competitor Master Husein Samoh impressed the audience. "I have full command of Arabic language which my father, the professor of Islamic Shariah in Madinah, has taught me."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com