ABU DHABI // Ahmad Murshed could not speak or read a word of Arabic six years ago when he challenged himself to learn the Quran from cover to cover.
Today the Indian high school pupil, 18, is among the winners of the annual Quran Memorisation Award by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, or Awqaf.
“My father is an imam. He started teaching me the Quran when I was 12, and two years ago I went to a teacher to study its interpretation,” said Ahmad who took first place in the award’s male expatriate category.
The years spent memorising the Quran were not difficult because the goal was rewarding, said Ahmad, who plans to continue his Islamic studies along with engineering at university.
“Seeking Allah’s pleasure is the biggest gain, and after I memorised the Quran many of my friends said they also wanted to start learning. It is not something to neglect,” he said.
Ahmad was among 141 winners who attended an awards ceremony held on Sunday night at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Abu Dhabi.
The award has seven categories, including memorising all 30 parts of the Quran. The overall winner received Dh30,000, with Dh25,000 for second place and Dh20,000 for third. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, praised the winners for their dedication and posed with them for photos.
Impressed by nine-year-old Reem Al Hammadi’s ability to recite verses from the Quran, Sheikh Saif invited the youngster and her family to perform the Haj this year.
“Maybe when he saw her on stage he was impressed by her character,” said Reem’s mother, Ameena Al Hammadi.
Sheikh Saif met the girl along with Dr Mohammed Al Kaabi, head of Awqaf, and asked her to recite the dua’a after learning that she had done so at the Zayed Humanitarian Day event on Friday last week.
Mrs Al Hammadi said she was surprised that Reem was chosen to take part in the event because she had not fully learnt the dua’a a couple of days earlier.
“They asked her if she could memorise it at home and she said yes,” said the mother. “I was scared we couldn’t do it, especially since it is a big official event, but she was braver than me.”
hdajani@thenational.ae
Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
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Where to donate in the UAE
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.