Dubai: Yemen’s Abdul Rahman Ahmad Mohammad lit up the Dubai International Holy Quran Awards (Dihqa) with an impeccable performance, leaving the competition wide open.
The 20-year-old third-year student at the College of Islamic Science in the Yemeni city of Taez, didn’t falter at even a letter as he progressed from one question to another.
Coming from a big family, where five of his seven siblings are Hafiz (memorised Holy Quran), Mohammad won national Quran competitions which led to his selection for Dihqa.
“I’m proud to have been selected for such a prestigious event and I’m honoured to represent my country at this level; hope I can make my family and countrymen proud,” said Mohammad, following his performance at Dubai Chambers.
Mohammad’s performance has opened up the competiton further with several contestants staking claim to the top honours worth Dh250,000.
“I don’t think about the result, I m happy with my performance and leave the rest for Allah to decide,” Mohammad said.
This year’s contests have been particularly competitive with participant after participant giving performances that have turned the competition on its head.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Talha, 13, who completed memorising the entire Quran in just nine months, is another such participant who hopes to be among the top ten.
“I have worked really hard to reach here and I would really love to go back with the top honour,” said the grade seven student, who won several competitions to qualify for Dihqa.
The teenager from Rawalpindi got a year’s break from school to memorise the Quran and set himself a target to finish it by March last year.
“Talha is really focused, when he sets a task for himself, he doesn’t leave a stone unturned to finish it. He had set himself a target to finish memorising Holy Quran, which even his teacher didn’t and he finised it completing several pages on the last day of his targert,” said Talha’s father Rahat Ali, who has accompanied his son to the competition.
Though Talha stuttered a bit on his first question, he is confident he will fare well.
Today is the final day of the contests and the results will be announced on Wednesday at a glittering ceremony.
