The 25th National Quranic memorization and recitation competition, with the participation of 123 Indian reciters and memorizers, was inaugurated this morning at Iran Culture House in New Delhi by Iran Culture House in collaboration with the Embassy of Iraq, New Delhi and the India Islamic Cultural Center on 14^th September, 2024.

The opening ceremony of this competition was held in the presence of  Dr. Fariduddin FaridAsr, Cultural Counselor of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi, Mr. Uday Hatem Counselor, Embassy of Iraq in New Delhi, Hujjatul-Islam Al- Hamid Derayati, Professor of Mashhad Seminaries and Hafiz and Commentator of the Holy Quran and Mr. Ali Akbar Kazemi, a Renowned recite from Iran, Mr. Saeed Hamyani, a Jury Member, Mohammad Riaz Mazaheri, the head of the Tajweed Div. Nadwatul Ulema, Mohammad Alauddin Qasemi, the head of the Tajweed branch of Darul Uloom Devband and hundreds of participants were held.

The opening program began with the recitation of a few verses of Holy Quran by Qari Ali Akbar Kazemi, while Dr. FaridAsr, welcomed all the participants in this competition, expressed his hope that on these blessed days, for three days, we have gathered around the Holy Quran and the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) to serve the Quran and Let us benefit from the grace and blessings of this holy book.

He said: These competitions are held in order to spread the culture of the Quran among the layers of the society and deepen the connection between the contestants and the audience with the transcendental concepts of the Quran.

Mr. Uday Hatem, from embassy of Iraq, while sincerely thanking the Cultural Counselor of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi for inviting him to this enlightening gathering, emphasized that the Quran is not just an ordinary book. Rather, it is the book of God and the book of guidance, and meditation on the Qur'an and the implementation of the commands of this holy book are necessary in our daily lives.

Hujjat al-Islam Derayati, one of the referees sent from Iran, who is also one of the commentators of the Holy Quran, discussed the technical points of memorization and expressed his hope that all reciters and memorizers of the Holy Quran would be able to follow these points. Recite the Holy Quran as much as possible.

At the end, Ali Akbar Kazemi, one of the Iranian judges of the field of memorization (Tajvid, sound and tone) of this competition, discussed important points about reciting the Holy Quran and the technical points of Tjavid, tone and sound.

In this competition, 58 reciters from 9 Indian states (Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir, Telangana, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan) and 65 reciters from 10 Indian states (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kashmir, Bihar, Telangana, Gujarat, Delhi) and in the Tafsir competition of Surah Kahf (verses 60 to 100), 127 people (men and women) from 8 states of India (Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Kashmir, Gujarat, Ladakh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh) have participated.