Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf), in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, announced the opening of registration for the 62nd edition of the Annual School Qur'an Memorization Competition, held under the patronage of Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs HE Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem Al Ghanem.
In a statement issued today, the Ministry said that the competition is one of the oldest and most prestigious Qur'anic competitions in the State of Qatar, having been established in 1961. Over the decades, it has served as an educational and faith-based platform that brings generations together around the Holy Qur'an, fostering spiritual values and moral development.
In this context, Director of the Department of Da'wah and Religious Guidance at Awqaf, Jassim bin Abdullah Al Ali said that the school competition continues to witness notable development each year, particularly through the integration of modern technologies in judging and evaluation committees to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Al Ali noted that the Ministry has allocated valuable financial prizes and certificates of appreciation for all successful participants, in addition to special awards for first-place winners. He stressed that the competition aims to motivate students to continue their blessed journey with the Book of Allah and to advance steadily in their levels of Qur'an memorization.
The competition seeks to achieve a range of educational and religious objectives, foremost among them strengthening the bond of young generations with the Holy Qur'an through recitation, memorization, and contemplation, so that it may serve as a guiding light in their lives.
It also aims to identify promising Qur'anic talents within the school community, support them, and guide them toward excellence while refining their skills.
In addition, the competition promotes Islamic values and national identity by instilling noble moral principles and deepening students' sense of belonging through attachment to the two sacred sources of Islamic guidance: the Holy Qur'an and the Noble Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The competition is open to male and female students across all educational levels - kindergarten, primary, preparatory, and secondary - in public, private, and international schools.
It has been designed to include two main levels to ensure broad participation. The first level is dedicated to students who have memorized selected portions of the Qur'an, ranging from Surat An-Nas to Surat Ash-Shura, according to their respective grade levels, allowing participants to compete based on their abilities.
The second level is reserved for advanced memorizers who have memorized seven or more consecutive sections (ajza'), up to complete memorization of the Holy Qur'an. This level is subject to strict standards related to memorization accuracy and performance.
The Department of Da'wah and Religious Guidance explained that registration will be conducted electronically through the competition's designated portal on the Ministry's official website, in order to facilitate procedures for participants.
Registration opens tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 25, and will continue until Thursday, Feb. 5. Parents are able to register their children directly through the competition link to ensure no eligible student misses the opportunity.
The Ministry noted that the official testing and judging are scheduled to begin on April 12.
The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs called on parents and school administrations to seize this opportunity and encourage students to participate in the annual Qur'anic competition, which plays an effective role in building a Qur'an-centered generation distinguished by knowledge and character, guided by the Qur'an and Sunnah in service of their community and nation.
