Further to a recommendation by the second session of the Higher Council of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulema, held in Fez on 24-25 Safar 1440H, corresponding to 3-4 November 2018, on holding an annual Quranic competition, the Foundation is organizing the final phase of the third competition of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulema for memorization, recitation and psalmody of the Holy Quran. The competition will be held on 13-16 Muharram 1444H, corresponding to 11-14 August 2022, at the Mohammed VI Mosque in Dar es Salaam, the United Republic of Tanzania.

It will be attended by the presidents and members of the Foundation’s sections from 34 African countries. Eighty-eight (88) contestants representing the Foundation’s thirty-four sections will compete, over a three-day period, for the first places in three fields, namely:

• Complete memorization and tarteel, using Qira’at Warsh, after Nafi’
• Complete memorization and tarteel, using any one of the other Qira’at
• Tajweed (psalmody), with the memorization of at least five

The Foundation has allocated symbolic and encouragement rewards to the first three winners in each category of the Quranic competition.

An additional monetary incentive will be given to the three winners in the Warsh Qira’at category. The Foundation has also allocated a reward for the youngest male and female contestant, and also to the youngest male and female memorizer from the United Republic of Tanzania, in addition to honorary rewards to a sheikh and a reader from Tanzania, as well as incentive prizes for the remaining contestants.

On the sidelines of the competition, the Foundation will organize, on the premises of the Mohammed VI Mosque in Dar es Salaam, an exhibition of the holy Quran, on Thursday, 13 Muharram 1444H, corresponding to 11 August 2022, in order to contribute to glorifying and honoring the Book of Almighty God.

This exhibition will introduce the history of the Moroccan Qur’an, its aesthetic particularities and its artistic diversity over a period dating back to the first centuries of Islam in Morocco, up until this day. It will cover the time of manual manuscripts to the era of printing and the emergence of institutions specialized in printing the Holy Quran in the Kingdom of Morocco, such as the Ministry of endowments and Islamic Affairs and the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Edition of the Holy Quran.

Through this exhibition, the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulema seeks to shed light on all that the Kingdom of Morocco does, under the august leadership of the Commander of the Faithful and President of the Foundation, His Majesty King Mohammed VI – may God assist him – to preserve the Kingdom’s long-established traditions in the production of the holy Qur’an through the centuries, up until this day.

All participants in the Quranic competition will benefit from a workshop on the Calligraphy of the holy Qur’an, to be supervised by experts in the art of calligraphy, drawing, precision and correction. This workshop aims to acquaint the beneficiaries with the techniques of writing the holy Quran, including choosing the appropriate calligraphy, a task that requires full clarity, in addition to respecting the Quranic script, as well as accuracy in writing the letters and the signs of suspension (waqf) in the Qur’an.

The Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulema also expresses its thanks and gratitude to the scholars, members of the Foundation’s section in the United Republic of Tanzania, particularly the president of the section, the honorable Sheikh ABUBAKAR ZUBEIR MBWANA, for their active participation in the preparatory work and in providing the proper conditions for the success of the finals. The Foundation also expresses its full appreciation to the Tanzanian authorities concerned and thanks them for their interest and cooperation regarding this blessed Quranic event.