His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, inaugurated the preliminary rounds of the local competition for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Award for Memorization, Recitation, and Interpretation of the Holy Quran for boys and girls, in its 27th session, at the Governorate headquarters in Jeddah. The inauguration was attended by the Director General of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance branch in the region, Dr. Salem Al-Khamri, amidst significant official interest reflecting the Kingdom's profound commitment to the Holy Quran.
An extension of the Kingdom's approach to serving the Quran and Sunnah
This launch comes within the rich historical context of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which, since its founding by King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman – may God have mercy on him – has adopted the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet as its constitution and guiding principles. This competition is an extension of the ongoing efforts of the wise leadership – may God support them – to support and nurture those who memorize the Book of God, and to encourage young people to engage with the original sources of Islamic legislation, thus strengthening the values of moderation and balance in society.
During the meeting, the Deputy Governor of Makkah Region affirmed that the generous patronage of this award embodies the high status of the Holy Quran in the hearts of the rulers, and confirms the continuation of the established approach in supporting memorization programs, not only as a mere memorization of texts, but as a consolidation of great values and contemplation of sublime meanings that positively reflect on the behavior and work of individuals, which contributes to building a conscious generation that adheres to its religion and is beneficial to its homeland.
Competition categories and stages
During the inauguration ceremony, His Highness viewed a detailed presentation outlining the competition's stages and the rigorous judging mechanisms employed to ensure fairness among the participants. This year's competition is distinguished by its diverse categories, encompassing all levels of memorization, with male and female participants competing in six main categories:
- The first branch: Memorizing the entire Holy Quran with the seven canonical readings from the paths of Al-Shatibiyyah and Al-Taysir “narration and understanding”.
- The second branch: Memorizing the entire Holy Quran with good performance, proper recitation, and interpretation of the vocabulary of the Holy Quran.
- Third branch: Memorizing the entire Holy Quran with good performance and proper recitation.
- The fourth branch: Memorizing twenty consecutive parts with good performance and intonation.
- Fifth branch: Memorizing ten consecutive parts with good performance and intonation.
- Branch Six: Memorizing five consecutive parts with good performance and intonation.
Million-dollar prizes and community impact
The preliminary rounds currently being held in the Makkah region aim to select the elite memorizers to represent the region in the national finals. This competition is gaining significant momentum due to its substantial prize money, totaling seven million riyals, distributed among the winners in various categories, thus fostering a spirit of healthy and fruitful competition among the sons and daughters of the nation.
This course is expected to have a broad positive impact, as such Quranic gatherings contribute to raising the level of proficiency among memorizers, discovering talents and melodious voices, in addition to strengthening the Islamic identity of the youth, and connecting them to the Book of God in recitation, memorization and practice.
