Launch of the program to teach the ten readings in the Grand Mosque
The General Presidency for Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina announced a pioneering Quranic initiative: the launch of a Quranic recitation program aimed at teaching and mastering the Holy Quran. The introduction of the ten canonical readings (Qira'at) at the Grand Mosque is a strategic step to enhance the care given to the Book of God and to disseminate its teachings among visitors to the Two Holy Mosques from all corners of the earth.
Objectives and details of the Ten Readings Program at the Grand Mosque
This blessed launch comes in implementation of the directives of the President of Religious Affairs, Sheikh Professor Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, as part of a package of initiatives adopted by the Presidency to care for and venerate the Book of God Almighty. The program features the distinguished participation of imams of the Two Holy Mosques, lending a high level of faith and scholarship to these study circles. The program primarily aims to provide a leading educational service focused on mastering recitation and disseminating the established readings of the Quran among a select group of male and female students who benefit from these circles daily. This ongoing project also seeks to cultivate a generation of reciters and memorizers who embody the ethics and moderate values of the Holy Quran, while enriching the religious and cultural experience of those visiting the Grand Mosque.
The historical extension of the educational message of the Holy Mosque in Mecca
The Grand Mosque in Mecca has never been merely a place for worship; since the dawn of Islam, it has been the foremost school and the great university from which the sciences of Islamic law and the Quran originated. The Companions of the Prophet and their Successors held study circles and recitation sessions within the precincts of the Sacred House, allowing Muslims to learn Quranic readings with their unbroken chains of transmission (isnad) back to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This contemporary initiative is a natural and bright extension of that great historical legacy, reviving the role of Mecca's arcades in producing prominent reciters and scholars of Quranic recitation. The preservation of these established readings and their chains of transmission in the holiest place on earth represents a deeply rooted historical and religious commitment that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to uphold, generation after generation.
Regional and international impact of reading programs
The benefits of this Quranic program extend beyond the Kingdom's geographical borders to encompass the entire Muslim world. Locally, the program contributes to instilling a culture of memorizing and promoting the Holy Quran among members of society, and to providing a high-quality educational environment befitting the sanctity of the place. Regionally and internationally, the program highlights the Grand Mosque's scholarly and guiding message globally, as millions of Muslims flock to Mecca annually, including students eager to learn the different readings of the Quran. When these memorizers return to their countries, they become ambassadors of moderation and tolerance, and bearers of the Holy Quran with its authentic and widely transmitted readings, thus enhancing the Kingdom's positive influence and soft power in the Muslim world.
Keeping pace with the comprehensive development in serving the guests of God
The Presidency of Religious Affairs affirmed that this blessed step aligns closely with the developmental goals of the services provided at the Two Holy Mosques. Offering high-quality and distinguished education reflects the magnificence of the Quranic message and keeps pace with the comprehensive development the Kingdom is witnessing in serving the pilgrims, thus making the journey of the pilgrim, Umrah performer, and visitor a complete spiritual experience that embodies the highest meanings of devotion to the Holy Quran and its sciences.
