Martyr’s daughter dedicates award to father

Abu Dhabi: Eight-year-old Dana Al Dhanhani, daughter of Emirati martyr Walid Ahmad Al Dhanhani, got the loudest cheer as she walked away with the top honours during the second edition of the Holy Quran Tahbeer Award on Tuesday at the capital’s National Theatre.

An emotional Dana immediately dedicated the triumph to her martyr dad saying, “This one is for him.”

Al Dhanhani sacrificed his life while fighting in Yemen in September last year.

Dana’s four-year-old younger brother, Ahmad, also hogged the limelight as he was the youngest contestant in the event.

Eleven-year-old Emiratis Aisha Mohammad Saeed and Hamad Abdullah were also among the 33 winners who were honoured at the event. “I love to listen to Quran recitation, and I was encouraged by my mother to always practise recitation, as well as participate in this competition,” said an elated Abdullah after receiving the award.

Aisha, who was beaming with excitement, said: “I feel so honoured to win such an award.”

For the first time, the event entries were open through the social media and over 1,000 people from 67 countries took part.

The General Director of the award, Shaikh Waseem Yousuf, speaking on the occasion, said that the event was launched through social media to target a wider audience.

“The award’s main aim was to encourage Muslims to participate in conserving Quran and understanding it — a topic that is of upmost importance to UAE leaders. Such competitions are important because they guide the youth in understanding the spirit of Islam and delivering its message to the world,” revealed Yousuf.

The number of award’s followers on social media reached 475,000 and the jury evaluated 800 people, 376 video participations and more than 1,000 audio clips on Instagram.

— Omnia is a trainee at Gulf News