Four represent Ghana at 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’an Competition
Accra: Four young Ghanaians, comprising two males and two females have safely arrived in Saudi Arabia to represent the country at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The Ghanaian delegation comprises Abdul Razaq Usman Musah, competing in the male category in the Full Qur’an and Tajweed; Abdul Latif Yakun, Full Qur’an and Tafseer; Zainab Abdul Rahman, Full Qur’an and Tajweed; and Fatima Mohammad Sani, Half Qur’an and Tajweed.
The participation of the two female contestants is particularly significant as this year’s edition of the competition has introduced a separate women’s category for the first time since its establishment.
The four contestants qualified to represent Ghana through their mastery of Qur’anic memorisation and recitation and are expected to compete alongside 330 other contestants from 132 other countries.
Mr Yussif Jajah, Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and Member of Parliament for Ayawaso North, recently received the Ghanaian delegation and commended the contestants for their discipline, commitment and hard work.
He said their participation provided an opportunity for them to demonstrate their Qur’anic knowledge while projecting Ghana’s cultural identity on the international stage.
Mr Jajah presented the delegation with a cash token to support their travel needs and wished them success in the competition.
The 46th edition of the competition opened in Makkah on Thursday, attracting a record 334 contestants from 133 countries, according to the organisers.
Held under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the competition is organised by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance and runs from August 6 to 19.
The women’s competition will be held at the Hilton Convention Hotel in Makkah, while the men’s final rounds and closing ceremony will take place at the Grand Mosque.
The competition seeks to encourage Muslims, particularly young people, to memorise, recite, understand and reflect on the Holy Qur’an while promoting excellence in Qur’anic studies.
Contestants are competing in five categories: memorisation of the entire Qur’an according to the seven authenticated readings; memorisation of the entire Qur’an with interpretation of its vocabulary; memorisation of the entire Qur’an; memorisation of 15 juz’ (parts); and memorisation of five consecutive juz’.
The total prize fund for this year’s competition is SR10.26 million (US$2.74 million), the largest in the history of the event.
The organisers have also arranged cultural programmes and visits to historical and Islamic sites in Makkah and Madinah for participants and their companions.
The Ghanaian delegation is expected to use the platform to showcase the country’s growing interest in Qur’anic education and the development of young people with expertise in memorisation and recitation.
At the 45th edition of the competition in 2025, Chad’s Mohammad Adam Mohamed won the first-place prize of US$133,151, while Saudi Arabia’s Anas bin Majid Abdulla Al-Hazmi and Nigeria’s Sanusi Bukhari Idrees placed second and third, receiving US$119,836 and US$106,520, respectively.
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