Dubai: Seventeen-year-old candidate Ahmad Burhan became the first American participant to win the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) on Tuesday, walking away with a prize of Dh250,000.
A national champion in several American Quran competitions and a second runner-up at an international competition in Kuwait last year, Burhan left behind 103 other participants from across the world as he received the coveted award from Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Participating in just his second international competition, the grade 11 student from the northern US state of Minnesota was obviously elated at achieving something that his compatriots couldn’t in several previous attempts.
“It’s a great feeling and an unbelievable result. I never thought I would win, because the competition was tough, but I am grateful to Allah for this blessing. It is particularly sweet to know that I am the first American to win here,” said Burhan, who began memorising Quran at the age of seven and completed it at 12.
Burhan became the fourth American to be among the top two for the last four years at DIHQA, with American contestants grabbing the second place in three previous editions.
An African-American of Somali origin, Burhan migrated with his family to the United States when he was nine months old and grew up near the city of Minneapolis.
“I thank my teacher Shaikh Hasan Abdul Nasir at the Abu Bakr Siddique Quran Centre and I am also grateful to my parents and siblings for their support. This has been an amazing journey and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the support,” said Burhan, speaking to Gulf News as he was being mobbed by fans following the closing ceremony of DIHQA.
Following Burhan closely were two North African participants, Hamzah Al Basheer from Libya and Mohammad Maarif from Tunisia, who won the joint runners-up prize of Dh200,000, while Algerian Ahmad Herkat won the third prize.
On Tuesday, Shaikh Ahmad also honoured Shaikh Ali Bin Abdul Rahman Al Huzaifi with the Islamic Personality of the Year Award.
One of the longest serving imams of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, Shaikh Huzaifi is among the leading Islamic scholars and one of the most respected voices in the Islamic world.
Addressing the gathering before he received the Dh1-million prize, Shaikh Huzaifi highlighted the path for believers to succeed in this world and hereafter.
“In order to succeed in the world and hereafter, it is important to believe in Quran and live life according to its instructions. This is a sure formula for success,” said the imam of the Prophet’s Mosque, which is considered the second holiest place in Islam.
The DIHQA’s Islamic Personality of the Year Award is among the most prestigious awards in the Islamic world, honouring the leading scholars and institutions of the Islamic world for their services to the Quran over the last 22 years.
