Doha, October 31 (QNA) - The 31st Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani Holy Quran Competition began Saturday with the launch of its Quran Categories division for Qatari men and women, drawing 1,073 contestants vying for top honors across five levels of Quran memorization. The competition is organized by the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs.
The four-day qualifying tests will run through Tuesday, Nov. 3, under a schedule designed to distribute contestants across testing sessions. Male contestants will be tested during evening sessions at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, while female contestants will take their tests at the Department of Da’wah and Religious Guidance’s Women’s Activity Center in Al Waab during morning and evening sessions.
Women account for 619 of the registered contestants, compared with 454 men. The five categories require contestants to have memorized 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 parts of the Holy Quran, allowing each participant to compete at a level commensurate with their memorization and build on that achievement in future editions.
Deputy Chairman of the Sheikh Jassim Quran Competition Committee Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani said the division charts a national path to preparing memorizers of the Noble Quran and nurturing Qatari talent. He highlighted that its purpose doesn’t stop at a single edition but extends to providing a motivating atmosphere for contestants to enhance their memorization skills until they can memorize the entire Noble Quran.
He added that the regulations offer contestants opportunities to advance to higher categories. He noted that the competition has produced many outstanding memorizers, some of whom have progressed to compete in the full Quran category. Some have also represented Qatar at international forums, while the competition has supplied mosques with national talent to serve as imams.
The 16 judging panels overseeing the competition are divided equally between male and female contestants and staffed entirely by Qatari judges, underscoring the substantive role of national Quranic talent and the country’s adroitly cultivated expertise, Sheikh Abdulrahman noted.
The competition is also part of Awqaf’s broader pursuit of fostering Quranic culture and nurturing talent, in accord with its 2025–2030 strategic plan and Qatar National Vision 2030.
These efforts are instrumental in entrenching national identity, reinforcing values and harnessing the potential of human capital as a prime driver of sustainable development. (QNA)