Deputy Governor of Mecca inaugurates the 27th King Salman Award for the Holy Quran qualifiers
His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, inaugurated the preliminary rounds of the local competition for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Award for Memorization, Recitation, and Interpretation of the Holy Quran for boys and girls, in its 27th session, at the Governorate headquarters in Jeddah. The inauguration was attended by the Director General of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance branch in Makkah Region, Dr. Salem bin Hajj Al-Khamri.
This competition comes as an extension of the generous care and great attention that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given to the Book of God Almighty since its founding. The Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region affirmed during the launch that the generous support provided by the wise leadership - may God support it - to programs for memorizing the Holy Quran and caring for its memorizers reflects the firmly established Islamic identity of this blessed country, and embodies a strong approach in encouraging children and youth to turn to the Book of God in recitation, memorization and contemplation, which contributes to consolidating the tolerant Islamic values in their behavior and practical life.
This award holds immense importance both locally and regionally, as it bears the name of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and is considered one of the most prominent Quranic competitions organized annually by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance. The competition aims, in its general context, to connect the sons and daughters of the Kingdom with the Holy Quran, strengthen their religious and national identity, and foster a spirit of healthy competition among those who have memorized the Book of God, which positively impacts their intellectual development and guides them towards moderation and balance.
During the inauguration ceremony, His Highness viewed a detailed presentation outlining the history of the competition, its various stages, and the rigorous judging mechanisms employed to ensure fairness among the participants. The competition features intense competition among male and female participants across six diverse categories catering to different levels of memorization. These categories include: memorizing the entire Holy Quran with the seven canonical readings according to the methods of Al-Shatibiyyah and Al-Taysir; memorizing the entire Holy Quran with an explanation of its vocabulary; memorizing the entire Holy Quran; and categories for memorizing twenty, ten, and five consecutive parts, respectively. Excellent performance and proper recitation (Tajweed) are required in all categories.
These preliminary rounds, held in various regions of the Kingdom, including the Makkah region, are a crucial stage in qualifying elite memorizers to participate in the national finals. The Ministry has allocated substantial cash prizes for the winners of this round, totaling seven million Saudi riyals, which will be distributed among the top performers in the various categories, reflecting the high regard and celebration held for those who have memorized the Quran.
