Great fervour for Hadith, Quran contest

Young Muslim girls of all nationalities have come from all over the UAE to join the Annual Quran and Hadith Sharif Memorisation Contest that will be held here during Ramadan.

Organised by the Sharjah Women's Club, the contest aims to strengthen youngsters' bonds with the Holy Quran and promote Islamic culture.

For the first time, participation has been opened to older age groups, enabling girls over 20 to take part, a club official told Gulf News yesterday.

She said there were three times as many applicants than last year, necessitating screening tests to limit their numbers.

"Surprisingly, we even had children under six years eager to join the contest with parts of the Holy Quran they have memorised. This reflects parental keenness on the religious upbringing of their children," the official said.

The contest covers three levels of Holy Quran memorisation. Applicants for the first level must be able to memorise 30 parts of the Holy Quran. Those applying for the second level must memorise 20 parts, while 10 parts would be the minimum required to qualify for the third level.

"Women above 20 years were exempted from this condition and they were able to enter the contest with five parts only or more."

Further, a separate contest will be held for Hadith Sharif - the sayings of the Prophet Moham-med (PBUH).

A panel of judges will supervise the contest and announce the winners, who will be presented with cash prizes and certificates of merit in a special ceremony to be attended by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairperson of the Supreme Family Council.

Lectures will be held on ways to improve one's ability to memorise the Holy Quran and the benefits of Ramadan. One lecture will be dedicated to answering religious questions that concern women.

Apart from the contest, the Sharjah Women's Club offers classes in Islamic studies. In the summer, it also offers religious classes for children, which review the life and Sunna of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and teach them Islamic morals.

After completing these classes, the children take part in a competition that assesses their religious knowledge.

Meanwhile, the club has been making preparations for its chess and football tournaments to be held during Ramadan.