A mind game to test memories
MIDRAND - The 9th National Quraan Memorisation Competition took place at Nizameye Masjid in Midrand.
Sponsored by Absa Islamic Banking, participants included some of the top Hifz students from across South Africa who demonstrated their ability to recite from memory, randomly selected sections of the Quraan-e-Kareem.
On average, each student recited 90 verses of the Quraan to a panel of three judges, including Qari Ayub Ishaq, Qari Basheer Ahmed Patel and Qari Rasheed Ahmed Dabelia, all of whom are the most senior reciters of the Noble Quraan worldwide.
Absa Islamic Banking has a long-held association with the competition and this is the fourth year that the bank has sponsored the event.
Uwaiz Jassat of Absa said, “Absa Islamic Banking has a clear sense of its business purpose – to help individuals, communities and businesses prosper and grow. We are proud to be associated with the National Quraan Memorisation Competition, as it holds a special place in the heart of the community which Absa serves.”
Islamic banking is based on Islamic law in which collecting interest is prohibited and ethical standards are upheld as are moral and social values. Fair sharing of revenue is important.
In 2012, the first independent research into the attitudes and behaviours of Muslims relating to Islamic Banking was conducted in South Africa by TNS Surveys. The research revealed the importance that Muslim parents place on introducing their children to the concept of Shari’ah-compliant banking (Islamic banking), the underlying principles of which are guided by the Quraan and Hadith. Absa Islamic Banking sees its sponsorship of this youth-focused event as a means to support the aspirations of Muslim parents.
Jassat said, “Absa acknowledges the personal sacrifices that these students have made to compete at such a level of excellence. They are the pride of their families and communities, and the bank is committed to supporting their endeavours through this sponsorship.”
Attendees at the event included the Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Mohammed Anver Surtee; Mohammed Almadhi, Ambassador of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia; representatives from the Religious Attaché of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia; members of the diplomatic corps and senior leaders of the Muslim community.
Out of 18 candidates, the following students were the chosen winners in their respective categories and will also take part at the International Quraan Memorisation Competition finals in Mecca:
- Five Juz Category: Adeeb Harneker
- 10 Juz Category: Muhammad Bhamjee
- Full Quraan Category: Ighsaan Basordien.
