The first round of the international Holy Quran and call to prayer competition in the quarter-finals witnessed the participation of the visually impaired Moroccan contestant Younes Gharbi, who has been memorizing the Holy Quran by listening and repeating it all his life and has become a strong competitor in the Quranic competitions he participates in.
Gharbi has become the first contestant to qualify for the semi-finals in the Holy Quran recitation category. His performance was distinguished in the application of the provisions of tajwid, taking into account the maqams, and the use of sound layers in their appropriate positions. He gave a beautiful recitation that impressed the viewers and the jury, which increased its members to 13 after the Secretary-General of the competition, Dr. Fahd Al-Andas, joined it in the first round of the quarter-finals.
The only competitor for Younes at this stage, which includes two contestants for each round, was the Yemeni reciter Osama Abu Zeid, who was born in Madinah and was a student of the Imam of the Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Akhdar. He is one of the most distinguished contestants in recitation and performance, and he won the votes of many members of the jury, but the largest share of votes was for his Moroccan competitor Younes Gharbi.
In the call to prayer category, the Libyan contestant Abdul Fattah Ali Jehider competed with his Syrian counterpart Khalil Benshi, who was a muezzin in many major mosques in Syria and recited the Holy Quran in many mosques in Bahrain. He qualified for the semi-final of the competition, which is the first of its kind in combining the Holy Quran recitation and the call to prayer in one competition.
The Holy Quran recitation and call to prayer competition, which is the first of its kind in the world, has educational dimensions because it evaluates the contestants and highlights observations related to their participation for the benefit of those interested in reciting the Holy Quran and delivering the call to prayer.
The quarter-final qualifiers for the international Holy Quran and call to prayer competition began today on Otr Elkalam (Scent of Speech) TV show, which is broadcast on the Saudia TV channel and the Shahid platform at 5 pm.