Doha, November 08 (QNA) - The Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs has announced that Phase One tests are rolling for male and female residents in both full and partial memorization of the Holy Qur'an, as part of the 30th Sheikh Jassim bin Muhammad bin Thani Noble Qur'an Competition organized by the Ministry.

Fahad Ahmed Al Mohammed, member of the organizing committee, clarified that memorizers of both genders are competing in one of the most honored sciences, with 15 participants qualifying for the second phase from each category, including 15 full memorizers and 15 males and females in partial memorization.

The competition is distinguished by its encouragement of memorizers, male and female, to recite in multiple Quranic readings and to preserve this knowledge by heart, a unique feature that sets it apart from international Qur'an competitions, where winners in full memorization with a specific narration are required to participate with a different narration in the subsequent competition, Al Mohammed highlighted.

He explained that this prerequisite encourages memorizers to learn a variety of narrations, helping to spread this branch of Quranic science.

This year's competition registers 68 competitors of both genders to compete across 13 different narrations, with a total of 1,493 male and female participants from 57 nationalities in the first phase, including 731 who memorized portions of the Holy Qur'an and 384 full memorizers, he pointed out.

Khawas Huffaz (full memorizers) refers to Quran teachers, male and female, outstanding reciters, well-known Qaris, Imams, Mu'adhins, previous competition winners, or any winners of international competitions.

The number of female participants registered stands at 79 in this category and 299 in the partial memorization category. Oversight of the tests is conducted through 11 committees for male participants, each composed of a Chair, a Committee Member, and a Representative from the Organizing Committee, while female participants are supervised by 8 judging committees for both categories.

The first phase tests are scheduled to roll until November 12, with male participants tested at Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab Mosque during morning and evening sessions.

The morning session commences at 7:30 a.m., and the evening session starts at 3:00 p.m. Female participants are tested at the Women's Activity Center in the Al Waab area during the evening session, beginning at 2:30 p.m. (QNA)