The Marrakesh Qur'an tablets and the old Saturday market recitation sessions adjacent to the Moroccan city of Beni Mellal brought a German physician of Moroccan origin to the Otr Elkalam competitions. Salah al-Din Mutabid memorized the Holy Qur'an in those places. With distinguished performance and elaborate intonation, Mutabid mastered the recitation according to the styles of Warsh, Qalun, and Hafs. All those who listened to him were impressed with his humble recitation, which drew him to several European Islamic centers and finally to the German city of Essen. Tuesday's episode of Otr Elkalam, one of the initiatives of the General Entertainment Authority, witnessed the competition of Mutabid, who combined medicine with leading the prayers, against his Yemeni counterpart Yusef Hussein, who works as al mentor in Yemeni Qur'an schools. Mutabid qualified for the next stage thanks to his distinctive voice, vocal capabilities and the beauty of reciting the verses of the Holy Qur'an. In the adhan track, the competition intensified between the Saudi muezzin Abdulrahman al-Subhi, with his experience in raising adhan at the Roxbury Mosque in Boston and the Islamic University Mosque in Malaysia, against the Yemeni Issa Al-Jaadi, who raised adhan passionately with distinguished employment of the maqamat (music structure). Al-Jaadi qualified for the next stage of the competition, which is the largest of its kind in the world. Otr Elkalam, which is broadcast daily during Ramadan on MBC and the Shahid digital platform, sheds light on the distinguished voices in reciting the Holy Qura'n and raising adhan. It also contributes to increasing the knowledge of the participants and viewers through the jury's notes on Tajwid, recitations, and maqamat. The competition aims to show the various cultures of the Islamic world and their diversity in Qur'an recitation and raising adhan, introduce the tolerance and moderation of Islam, honor creative talents in the recitation and adhan, and present a show that highlights the aesthetics of the Qur'an and its various recitation styles.
