DUBAI 29 May 2017: Ibrahim Mohammed Bu Melha, Adviser to the Ruler of Dubai for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs and Head of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, DIHQA, Organising Committee, has paid tribute to the sponsorship of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to the Award and his generous support of its activities that have made it a renowned Quran competition worldwide.
The organising committee is set to receive 103 competitors from Islamic countries and foreign communities around the world who will participate in the 21st edition of the award. The activities were begun with a lecture programme at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, DCCI, on Saturday.
“The Quranic festival hosted by the emirate of Dubai on an annual basis is a celebration of the Holy Month of Ramadan, when the Quran was initially revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),” Bu Melha said.
This is in line with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to make the year 2017 a ‘Year of Giving.’ It is also in view of the tireless effort of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to promote the culture of giving and volunteering, and support Quran study and memorisation.
The top winners will take home lucrative prizes, which are the largest worldwide, he noted. “The first winner will be presented with Dh250,000, while Dh200,000 will go for the second place, and Dh150,000 for the third position,” he said.
Up to Dh350,000 will be presented to the winners from the fourth to the tenth positions, while Dh2 million will be presented to the remaining participants from the 11th position to the final competitor. These are apart from those contestants with the most beautiful recitation, he added.
Bu Melha said that for the first time the competition will see over 100 full Quran memorisers, who meet the strict conditions of registration.
“All the contestants need to clear the initial qualifying tests to appear for the final examinations in public, to make sure that only competent memorisers who accurately and professionally memorise the Quran appear on the stage,” he said.
Popular scholar Dr. Omar Abdelkafy started the lecture programme with a talk on ‘God’s Blessing’ at the DCCI on Saturday. Dr. Mohammed Imam initiated the eight-day women’s-only programme with a lecture on ‘Final Safe Haven for Man in an Over-Disturbed World,’ at the Dubai Women’s Association.
Sheikh Sayyad Ibrahim Khalil will start the nine-day foreign community programme with a lecture in Malayalam on ‘Quranic Version for the Moderate Society’ on 31st May, he said.
“The international competition will run from the 7th day of Ramadan, or 2nd June, to the 18th day, or 12th June. The concluding ceremony will be held on the 20th day, or 14th June, during which the top winners, Islamic personalities, and competition judges will be honoured,” he added.
By Rajive Singh