Five Memorizers, Four Qaris Compete on 1st Day of Iran Int’l Quran Contest

TEHRAN (IQNA) – On the first day of the final round of Iran’s 39th International Holy Quran Competition, five Quran memorizers, four reciters, and three Tarteel reciters went on to the stage Sunday to showcase their Quranic talents and skills.

The first day began with recitation of verses from the Quran by Iranian qari Ali Qassemabadi as an honorary reciter.

Then representatives of Iraq, Canada, Afghanistan, and Iran in the recitation category, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Bangladesh and Gambia in memorization, and Denmark, Tajikistan and Iraq in Tarteel, performed the recitation before the panel of arbiters.

Among the five memorizers, only one failed to get the full points in Husn Hifz (good memorization), which signifies a tight race for the top prize in this category.

The performance of Sheikh Mahmoud Hassan, a visually-impaired memorizer from Bangladesh, touched the audience in the competition hall more than others.  

The program on Sunday also included a Tawasheeh (religious singing) performance by the Habl al-Matin group from Zanjan Province.

A number of Quranic officials, including director of the IRIB Quran TV and managing director of the International Quran News Agency were among the audience at the competition hall.

  

The inauguration ceremony of Iran’s 39^th International Holy Quran Competition was held Saturday afternoon concurrent with Eid al-Maba’ath (marking the appointment of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the last messenger of God).

A total of 52 participants from 33 countries vie in the final round of the event. The competitions of men’s categories are staged on February 19-21 from 3:30 to 9:00 PM, local time, while the women’s categories are held on February 19-20 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, local time.

The categories include memorization, recitation and Tarteel for men and memorization and Tarteel for women.

The competition’s closing ceremony is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, February 22, with Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi in attendance.

A total of 149 Quran reciters and memorizers from 80 countries, including 114 men and 35 women, took part in the first round.

The motto of this edition, like the previous one, is “One Book, One Ummah”, a testimony to the significance that the Islamic Republic of Iran attaches to unity and fraternity among Muslim nations.

Iran’s Awqaf and Charity Affairs Organization annually organizes the international Quran contest with the participation of Quran activists from various countries.

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