35th International Qur'an Contest

Tehran hosted the International Qur'an Contest for the 35th time from 19-25 of April. 370 guests from 84 countries had participated in the greatest Qur'anic event in the world with the motto of "One Book, One Ummah".

Messenger of Mercy, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) said, "The example of Qur'an and the people is like the example of the rain and the earth. As the earth is dead and dry, suddenly God sends rain onto it and the earth jolts; then He sends torrential rains and the earth jolts again and grows. Then, He causes streams to flow in valleys till the earth grows and the plants sprout and God brings out what is the source of ornament for the earth and the food for people and animals. Qur'an acts like this with the people who accept it."

Tehran hosted the International Qur'an Contest for the 35^th time from 19-25 of April. 370 guests from 84 countries had participated in the greatest Qur'anic event in the world with the motto of "One Book, One Ummah". The noble Qur'an, speaking on the spiritual attraction of this scripture, says in ayah 23 of surah Zumar, "Allah has sent down the best of discourses, a scripture of similar motifs, whereat quiver the skins of those who fear their Lord, then their skins and hearts soften to Allah's remembrance. That is Allah's guidance by which He guides whomever He wishes; and whomever Allah leads astray, has no guide."

In the inauguration of the 35^th Qur'anic contest, the message of the great exegete of Qur'an, Ayatollah Abdullah Javadi Amoli was presented to the audience. Part of the message read, "It is narrated from the blessed Prophet of Islam that 'Islam surpasses and nothing will surpass it.' The revelation-based school of Qur'an and the progeny of the Prophet are always victorious and no school is peer to the divine revelation. And this expounds the Qur'an's being comprehensive and a reference as two pivotal elements of such conferences and congresses. The former means that the Qur'an encompasses every ideological, moral, legal and jurisprudential need; and the latter means that it is the reference for all religious sources. God has sent down the Qur'an as the unbreakable cord and hanged it onto the earth. One end of this cord is in the hand of God. The Qur'an has been sent down; meaning that it has been hanged. It means this cord is unbreakable and will be immune from every harm. And if a person wants to be safe he should cling to this cord and whatever plays a role in terms of religious needs, happiness and dignity of human community exists in the noble Qur'an."

When the Egyptian memorizer of Qur'an, Mohammad Rashaad Abdul-Samee' Aziz, was getting ready to recite Qur'an, he looked so fervent. He said, "The noble Qur'an has been the point of a great revolution and the source of bliss in my life. I can even say that it has been my entire life. I can say that I can live without food and water but I cannot survive without Qur'an. The Qur'an is the very air that I breathe."

On how to materialize the instructions of the Qur'an, the Egyptian memorizer continued, "Nowhere in the noble Qur'an has it been mentioned that we sent this book for people to learn it by heart; rather it is said that people should read it and reflect on it. This means to get prepared for practice. The wise should reflect on the noble Qur'an. The Prophet said, 'If a person memorizes the Qur'an and puts it into practice; it is as if he has crowned his parents and the light of these two crowns will be brighter than the sun.' He has also said, 'He who reads the Qur'an and thinks that he is superior than others, he has indeed belittled what God has glorified. Thus, those who learn the Qur'an and practice its teachings are the noblest people among the Ummah and are the owners of goodness. They are known as the household of God among people and God boasts about them."

The role of the noble Qur'an in guiding and unifying the Islamic Ummah is the most important goal of such confabs. Deputy of Iran's Endowment and Charity Affairs Organization said that international Qur'an contests can be effective in closing the ranks of Muslims against the Global Arrogance and Zionism.

Mohammad Mustafa Haderi, memorizer of the noble Qur'an from Bulgaria, said, "Muslims from all over the world, taking part in these programs, share their Qur'anic teachings. All of them get together in one place to show that although they live in different regions of the world they share a common point, Islam which unifies them. In spite of the lapse of many centuries, we still witness the miracles of this heavenly book."

The noteworthy point in the 35^th round of Qur'anic contest was the active participation of the clergymen, women and blind people in the competitions. The competitions in the section of the clergymen was held in the holy city of Qom. The holding of competitions among women increases their motive for further Qur'anic activities. This helps families cement their life on the basis of divine teachings.

Iraqi referee, Kowsar Hadi Mohammad, said, "This contest is a good convergence and shows the endeavor of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the domain of Qur'an and activities of women in this holy field. We witness good events in terms of quality. I didn't think the activities of Iranian women to be at this level and quality as Arabic is not their mother tongue. This is worthy of praise."

Explaining communion with the Qur'an as a factor for promotion of spirituality among families, this Iraqi lady continued, "The Qur'an has such a radiance and spirituality that if a mother or wife gets acquainted with it she'll be able to make both the climate of the family and raising of her children Qur'anic. Thus, she will lead such a society towards becoming Qur'anic."

Imam Ali (AS) said, "Qur'an is the leader of the day and light of the night and if the world is like a dark night it is the Qur'an which illuminates this dark night."

Imam Sadeq (AS) also, says, "Qur'an is the covenant and command of God for His creation; so, read 50 ayahs every day."

Referring to these statements of the first and sixth Infallible Successors of the Prophet, Iran's Parliament Speaker, Ali Larijani, said during the closing ceremony of the 35^th round of Qur'anic contest in Tehran, "These competitions make an example of models of cultural development in the world as some experts consider cultural development as the infrastructure of working in society. The main core of growth and development in a society is the path of Qur'an. The path of Qur'anic development for countries is communion with Qur'an and this is the law of Qur'an… the book which God calls it as the basis of distancing from darkness and the divine mercy unto the servants. Definitely, this book is not out of cultural parameters. The Prophet of Islam says, "Those who maintain the Qur'an in their heart are the greatest people and humbleness before God is the highest degree in the divine court which will be obtained by the reciters of Qur'an."  

RM/MG