Waqar Naseem Wamiq RIYADH — The Islamic holy month of Ramadan offers lots of blessings and increases religious zeal among Muslims and it is also the month during which Holy Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is also the month when Muslims memorize the Qur'an and are awarded for it. During this Ramadan the Qur'an Memorization Center of Prince Faisal Bin Saad Mosque here held it's annual prize distribution ceremony for the 30 new Huffaz (persons who completely memorized the Holy Qur'an) that was attended by hundreds of people. Khayyam Akbar, Deputy Head of Mission Pakistan Embassy here, was the chief guest while Maulana Abdul Maalik Mujahid, director Darussalam, presided over the proceedings of the ceremony. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Makhzoob, Sheikh Muhammad Aal e Faryan and Tufail Ahmed Raja were guests of honor. The ceremony began with recitation of the verses of Holy Qur'an by Qari Shams ul Islam followed by beautiful recitations by the new Huffaz. Qari Asad Iqbal presented the annual report of the center. Five student speakers of the Qur'an center highlighted the importance of Islamic teachings in daily lives in their speeches. A live competition of Qur'an memorization was also conducted in front of the audience with the Huffaz reciting several verses of Holy Qur'an from various sections of Qur'an. The participants were so crystal clear in their diction and seemingly perfect in their recitation, while not making any mistake, to display their memorization skill and the efforts of their teachers. The 30 new Huffaz of the session were awarded shields and prizes of SR3,500 each presented to them by prominent personalities of Riyadh, including Bashir Ahmed Chaudhary of Al Khubaib Rice, Tufail Ahmed Raja and Darussalam publications. Akbar in his address congratulated the successful students upon memorizing the Qur'an and expressed his happiness in participating in such a beautiful ceremony for the second time. Akbar also congratulated Maulana Mujahid for his outstanding efforts. In his address, Al Makhzoob paid rich tributes to the teachers and students of the memorization center and pointed out the center as one of the best in Riyadh. Maulana Abdul Maalik Mujahid highlighted the greatness and excellence of Holy Qur'an and said, “The reason for our problems is due to our distance from the noble Qur'an.” He urged Muslims to study Qur'an with the understanding of its teachings. Qari Tanvir ul Islam conducted the proceedings of the ceremony and presented various forms of qiraat (recitation of verses from Holy Qur'an) in the styles of various renowned qurra (reciters of Holy Qur'an).
