MANAMA: Bahraini Mohammad Mujahid won one million riyals (BD100,500) after being placed third in an international Quran recital and prayer contest.
More than 40,000 contestants from 80 countries took part in Otr Elkalam (Scent of Speech) – a competition launched by the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority.
The contest was divided into two categories and participants were judged for their skills in reciting the Quran and the call to prayer.
The competition was launched in 2019, but had to be postponed several times following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thirty-six contenders finally made it to the grand finale last month.
Moroccan Younes Mustafa Gharbi won the first place in the recitation category, followed by British contestant Mohammed Ayoub Asif and Mr Mujahid.
In the call to prayer category, two Turkish contestants, Muhsin Kara and Albijan Celik came first and second respectively while Saudi contestant Abdul Rahman Bin Adel was placed third .
“Seeing the large number of people participating from all over the world, I never thought I would reach this far,” Mr Mujahid told the GDN.
“But I had faith in God and in myself and my abilities and I worked hard.”
He started learning Quran at the age of six, when he started reciting with his father by his side.
“The first step I had to take was to learn the nuances of the language from a mentor who would read along with me,” said the 30-year-old.
“I achieved it by reading alongside my father and shaikhs in mosques, who would correct my pronunciation.
“I listened to shaikhs for hours on end, reading a single verse around 100 to 150 times and trying to imitate them. I would then record myself and listen to my own recitation.”
However, Mr Mujahid pointed out that with time, he carved out his own style.
“Mohammad Mujahid’s success is not a coincidence,” said Islamic Education Society Quran Recital Centre head Shaikh Hassan Tayeb.
“Bahrain has overwhelmingly supported Quran recitation and learning by setting up centres across the country.”
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