THE QUR’AN – FOREVER GLORIOUS

The National Qur’anic Recitation Competition, which started in 1986, was introduced with the objective of encouraging Muslim youths in the recitation and memorisation of the Glorious Qur’an. The Competition also seeks to forge unity and Islamic brotherhood among Muslim youths and the Ummah in general; to make the youths intensify learning the correct recitation of […]

The National Qur’anic Recitation Competition, which started in 1986, was introduced with the objective of encouraging Muslim youths in the recitation and memorisation of the Glorious Qur’an. The Competition also seeks to forge unity and Islamic brotherhood among Muslim youths and the Ummah in general; to make the youths intensify learning the correct recitation of the Holy Qur’an in the manner it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace; and to enhance the quality of learning Tajweed and the sciences of the Qur’an.
The first Competition in the series was held in Sokoto in 1986 as a pilot to determine the level of attendance, recognition and acceptance among the Muslim community across the country. At that maiden edition nearly three decades ago, Hafiz Aminu Maina from Kano State emerged winner of the male category, while Hafiza Nafisa Yusuf Abdullahi, also from Kano State, won the female category. As history almost always repeats itself, Kano State’s Kabiru Abubakar Musa Abubakar emerged winner in this 27th edition in Gusau, although Bauchi State’s Aishatu Adam Muhammad emerged best Hafiza in the female category.
Going by the huge success recorded at the maiden event in Sokoto in 1986, the Competition immediately became an annual national event hosted by various states of the country. Twenty seven years down the line, the competition has not only achieved the four main aims for which it was introduced to pursue, it has also successfully put the country on the map of high profile countries known for their great performance in Qur’anic memorisation, recitation and studies.
The Competition has produced many winners that have represented the country in international Qur’an Recitation Competitions in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Malaysia, Egypt and many other countries and, according to Professor Riskuwa Arabu Shehu, Vice Chancellor of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, organisers of the Competition, some judges of the Nigerian National Competition had since gained international recognition, as they are usually invited to participate at international competitions.
In a paper titled “Qur’anic Recitation Competition in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges” delivered at the opening ceremony, Professor Ja’afar Makau Kaura lamented that Islamic matters do not sometimes receive the necessary and adequate attention of some Muslim leaders partly because of the fear of being called reactionary or fundamentalist, yet these same leaders are eager to be associated with soccer-winning receptions. This, the scholar said, is certainly a source of concern for the good of the Competition, which is the pride of all Muslims in Nigeria.
The Grand Closing Ceremony – presided over by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and host Governor AbdulAziz Yari Abubakar – also had in attendance two serving governors (Adamawa’s Nyako and Sokoto’s Wamakko) as well as three former governors; Sokoto (Bafarawa), Kebbi (Aliero) and Zamfara (Yariman Bakura). House Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was present during the opening ceremony. Notable absentees include the Governors of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Borno, Gombe and Yobe States, as well as many ministers and members of the National Assembly from those states.
One of the side attractions at the event was a symbolic sheathing-of-the-sword between two implacable political foes – incumbent Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko and his predecessor and former boss Attahiru Bafarawa. The two warmly embraced, ostensibly in the spirit of the Qur’anic occasion. The audience hailed this newly-discovered show of brotherhood.
The winners got a deluge of prizes; Zamfara Governor Yari showered them with cars, cash, hajj seats, laptop computers, digital Qur’ans. Moreover, additional cash and valuable gifts donated by individuals were shared to the winners, including precious jewellery for the top female winner.
The organisers should as matter of principle, and urgency, sue the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) for its failure to air the event live after receiving full payment for same many weeks before the commencement of the event; NTA even failed to attend the closing ceremony where the Vice President was present.
That was Yusuf Dingyadi.
Wikipedia’s entry on Hafiz (Qur’an Memoriser) has this to say: “…Huffaz are highly respected within the Islamic community. They are privileged to use the title “Hafiz” before their names. They are tested on their knowledge. For example, in one test they are asked to continue the recitation of a passage taken randomly from the Quran. As they do not know which passage will be chosen, they must know the whole text in order to be sure of passing…
To give some idea as to the nature of this undertaking, the Quran’s 114 Surahs (chapters) contain some 6,236 verses comprising some 80,000 words or 330,000 individual characters…[And during Islam’s earliest days], memorization was…considered more secure—a manuscript could easily be destroyed, but if the Qur’an was to be memorized by many huffaz, it would never be lost. Having memorized the Quran, the hafiz or hafiza must then ensure they do not forget it. To ensure perfect recall of all the learned verses requires constant practice…
The Islamic website www.islamweb.net gives some practical suggestions for those wishing to memorise the Quran: Use the same Mus-haf (copy) when you read the Quran and stick to it so that you may become familiar with it; Try to find a knowledgeable reader, a Shaykh (scholar) who is well versed in the rules of Tajweed (correct recitation); Read and memorise the Quran within a group rather than individually; Repeat what you have memorised to yourself frequently…
Islamweb further suggests: Begin memorising the Quran from the last section (Juz’) and work backwards, as the verses in the last section are shorter and more familiar; Listening to an audio cassette of the Quran will assist you in memorising what you have read; Try to read the Quran in a quiet location and stick to this if you can, as this will put you in the right mood to memorise the Quran and keep you away from any distractions; Make reading and memorising the Quran a daily activity and allocate a special time devoted to this purpose.
The website concludes: Try to read with a reasonably loud voice and listen to your reading. Avoid reading silently – reading aloud will help you overcome laziness and tiredness; Set a certain amount of verses to read and memorise from the Quran at every session. Start with a small amount and then increase gradually. Do not be driven by your enthusiasm as this will shortly wear out. It is more important to persevere in memorising, no matter how small the amount is; Once you have memorised the Quran, endeavour to acquire its manners, apply it in your life and act upon it, as this obligation is more emphasised on those who know it by heart, says Islamweb.
Finally, the Qur’an, forever Glorious, will forever remain protected since Allah Himself has said: “Inna nahnu nazzalnaz zikra wa inna lahu lahafizun.” (We have, without doubt, sent down the Message [Qur’an]; and We will assuredly protect it.) Surah Al Hijr 15:9.
An example of this protection? The miracle of these young reciters/memorisers. Allahu Akbar!