Doha: The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf), in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, announced the opening of registration for the 62nd edition of the Annual School Qur'an Memorization Competition, held under the patronage of HE Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem Al Ghanem.
According to Qatar News Agency, the competition is one of the oldest Qur'anic competitions in the State of Qatar, having been established in 1961. Over the decades, it has served as an educational and faith-based platform that brings generations together around the Holy Qur'an, fostering spiritual values and moral development.
Director of the Department of Da'wah and Religious Guidance at Awqaf, Jassim bin Abdullah Al Ali, mentioned that the school competition continues to witness development each year, particularly with the integration of modern technologies in judging and evaluation committees to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Al Ali highlighted that the Ministry has allocated financial prizes and certificates of appreciation for all successful participants, along with special awards for first-place winners. He emphasized that the competition aims to motivate students to continue their journey with the Book of Allah and advance in their levels of Qur'an memorization.
The competition seeks to achieve educational and religious objectives, primarily strengthening the bond of young generations with the Holy Qur'an through recitation, memorization, and contemplation. It also aims to identify promising Qur'anic talents within the school community, support them, and guide them toward excellence.
Additionally, the competition promotes Islamic values and national identity by instilling moral principles and reinforcing students' sense of belonging through attachment to the two sacred sources of Islamic guidance: the Holy Qur'an and the Noble Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The competition is open to male and female students across all educational levels-kindergarten, primary, preparatory, and secondary-in public, private, and international schools. It includes two levels to ensure broad participation: the first level for students who have memorized selected portions of the Qur'an, and the second level for advanced memorizers who have memorized seven or more consecutive sections (ajza').
The Department of Da'wah and Religious Guidance stated that registration will be conducted electronically through the Ministry's official website. Registration opens tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 25, and will continue until Thursday, Feb. 5, with parents able to register their children directly to ensure no eligible student misses the opportunity.
The official testing and judging are scheduled to begin on April 12. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs calls on parents and school administrations to encourage students to participate in the annual Qur'anic competition, which plays a role in building a generation distinguished by knowledge and character, guided by the Qur'an and Sunnah.