Lecture series to set stage for Quran Award
Competition featuring record field of 104 Quran memorisers from around the world to begin on May 23
The 22nd edition of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) begins today with a series of lectures that will continue till the sixth day of Ramadan.
According to DIHQA organisers, the lecture programme will have eminent scholars addressing the faithful for six nights at the Dubai Chamber, while the seven-night womenonly programme will be held at Dubai Women’s Association.
Apart from the main lecture series, eight other lectures will be held in several languages for expatriates, at the Shaikh Rashid Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum Indoor Sports Hall of Al Wasl Sports Club.
Following the lecture programme, the much anticipated Quran competition will begin on the seventh day of Ramadan, or May 23, with the participation of a record 104 Quran memorisers from around the world.
One of the biggest competitions of its kind in terms of prize money and participation, the annual contest has inspired hundreds of youngsters from around the world to take up memorisation of the Quran.
Spreading its reach with every passing year, the competition this year has attracted 104 entries. Last year, 103 participants began the contest but 12 were disqualifed before the final round for not being up to the minimum standard.
A brainchild of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the award was established in order to encourage young Muslims to memorise and understand the Quran, and to spread the Quranic values of peace and love.
500 questions
“Each participant needs to have memorised the enitre Holy Quran perfectly and should also recite it eloquently from the passages they are asked to recite,” said Ahmad Al Zahid, member of the organising committee and Head of DIHQA’s media unit.
According to the organisers, more than 500 questions have been prepared for the contestants this year and they will be put to participants randomly through a software programme. Another important segment of DIHQA is the Islamic Personality of the Year Award.