The official opening ceremony of the Holy Quran Tahbeer Award was held at Abu Dhabi National Theatre on Tuesday.
Launched under the patronage of Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister, and president of Baniyas Club, the competition aims to develop a new generation of young Muslims who have studied and memorised the Quran.
The competition, which began on June 5 and runs until July 8, is open to all nationalities and split into a number of categories based on age and the amount of the Quran memorised.
The examinations will take place at venues across the capital. The rewards for the winners include a grand prize of Dh40,000 for the all-ages category for memorising all of the Quran.
More than 3,500 people from more than a dozen countries have entered the competition so far, with contestants as young as five years old.
To encourage the reading of the Quran, organisers urged competitors of all ages to post snippets of their recitation on the competition's Instagram account, @TahbeerQuran – and already more than 200 people have done so.
Competition director and Abu Dhabi TV personality Waseem Yousef said he was thrilled.
“My heart is full of joy to be in front of all of you tonight,” he said. “The special thing about this competition is that it is not just about memorising the verses of the Quran, it is also about understanding its meaning and how its lessons of peace and moderation can be applied to all aspects of our daily lives.”
The final round will be held from July 1 to 3 at the The Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation in Khalidyah, and the winners will receive their awards and prizes during a ceremony at The Abu Dhabi National Theatre on July 8.
• Visit www.tahbeerquran.com for more details
