More than 45 contestants have performed so far at the 19th Dubai International Holy Quran Award, which has witnessed some scintillating performances, report Gulf News.
It says among the top performers so far are Abdul Majeed Mujahid from Yemen; Mohammad Zakariya from Bangladesh; Hassan Samoha from Thailand; and Azam Iqbal from the UK.
One such contestant is said to be 12-year-old Bangladeshi Mohammad Zakariya, who received the biggest applause for his rendition of the Quranic verses.
“I always dreamt of performing on this stage and I am really grateful to Allah for giving me this wonderful chance. I am pleased by my performance. But other contestants have also done really well,” said Zakariya, who started memorising the Quran at the age of seven, said Gulf News in its report on Tuesday.
The final ceremony of the 19th Quran competition will be held on 7 July with the winner walking away with Dh250,000.
Son of an imam of a mosque in Dhaka, Zakariya has reportedly participated in several international competitions, winning once in Egypt and securing third and forth positions in Jordan and Qatar respectively.
However, he was quoted to have said Dubai is the toughest and biggest stage where every Hafiz (Quran memoriser) aspires to perform.
Though he comes from a humble background, Zakariya has ambitions to reach the skies, according to the report.
“I want to become a scholar in Islam and a preacher, inspiring people with the beautiful message of Islam,” he was quoted to have said.
Source: Prothom Alo
Subahan allah, masha allah.