Photo : Courtesy
On Saturday (May 18), the 2nd National Qur'an Competition and prize-giving ceremony for school-aged children were held at the Bryan Brown Theatre in Bankstown, Sydney. This serene and inspiring event was participated by numerous contestants representing six Australian states, along with their parents and many Muslim families accompanied by their children.
A nationwide Qur'an competition was organised earlier by Al Tadhkirah Institute (ATI), an educational subsidiary of the Islamic Practice and Dawah Circle (IPDC) during the holy month of Ramadan. For the second time this year, the competition attracted around 2,000 participants from different age groups for the recitation segment and over 350 participants for the memorisation of 2 Juz with Tajwid segment. This nationwide event also included over 50 institutes, 30 mosques, 70 renowned Shaikhs, and many respected judges from across Australia.
Winners of the 2 Juz memorisation with Tajweed segmentfrom New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory competed in the National Qur'an Competition held in Bankstown on this day.
The event was moderated by Sheikh Abdur Rahman, the Assistant Coordinator of ATI. The competition began at 9 amwith a welcome speech by Dr. Rafiqul Islam, the Central President of IPDC, followed by Sheikh Mohammad Abu Hurayra, the Imam of St Mary’s Mosque, explaining the rulesof the competition and introducing the judges’ panel. Participants of the event listened to and enjoyed the excellent Qur'an recitation all morning until the lunch break.
The prize-giving ceremony, which started after the lunch break, was participated by distinguished guests including the Grand Mufti of Australia Dr. Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, the President of Australian National Imams Council and Founder of United Muslims of Australia Sheikh Shadi Alsuleiman, the Chief Judge of the competition and Managing Director of Albayan Institute Sheikh Tarek al-Bekai, the sponsor organisation Rahim Aziz Foundation’s representative ArifurRahman, and Campbeltown City Council’s Deputy Mayor Ibrahim Khalil Masud.
In his speech, Dr. Ibrahim emphasised that the Prophet (peace be upon him) focused on building worshippers with great moral character for a prolonged period of time before buildinga place of worship, with the Qur'an being core element to this process. Therefore, learning Qur’an is of utmost importance for any Muslim. Sheikh Shadi highlighted that on the Day of Judgement, those who memorised the Qur'an and accepted by Allah would be commanded by Him to recite and proceed to paradise. He said, today's competition could be a little but important step towards that ultimate success. Dr. Rafiqul Islam, on behalf of Al Tadhkirah Institute and IPDC,expressed heartfelt thanks to all participants, their parents, andwell-wishers.
All participants in this year’s National Qur'an Competition received complementary awards from the honourable guests. Farhan Zahin from Western Australia was crowned National Champion, earning a $3,000 prize alongside the award. The second place, with a $2,000 prize, went to Hafsa Butool, and the third place, with a $1,000 prize, was awarded to Salman Mohammed, both from Victoria.
The organisers of Al Tadhkirah Institute encouraged all Muslim families and individuals in Australia to visit their nearest center and explore the Islamic learning opportunities available for their children and themselves.
Messenger/Fameema
