The ‘Ran Thaaj’ Quran Competition was among the “best” coordinated Quran recitation competitions held in the Maldives to date, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The Maldivian leader made these remarks while speaking at the closing ceremony of the ‘Ran Thaaj’ Quran Competition held in the indoor hall of the Maldives Centre for Social Education on Sunday evening.

The president was accompanied at the ceremony by First Lady Fazna Ahmed, Vice President Faisal Naseem, state dignitaries, and government officials at the ‘Ran Thaaj’ grand finale.

Taking the podium at the event, President Solih stated that the Quran competition, organized by RaajjeTV mirrored the commonness of youth with genuine love for reciting Quran and pursuing knowledge on the holy book.

Adding that the competition proved that there are many capable members of the youth communities across the nation with the skills and ability to recite the Holy Quran with the proper rules of recitation, President Solih shed light on the importance of proper guidance, training and experience in encouraging more youth to become someone who has memorized the Holy Quran and someone who can recite the Holy Quran in Tajweed.

This, the president noted, consecutively boosts the number of people qualified to compete in international competitions and win gold medals.

Describing the ‘Ran Thaaj’ Quran Competition to be unique in its aim to assist participants strengthen their skills and having paved the way for participation in worldwide Quran competitions, President Solih stressed on the value of imparting the love for Holy Quran in the hearts of young people.

The Maldivian leader also noted that the competition’s inclusion of an element focusing on Quranic knowledge and interpretation contributed to its overall success.

Sunday’s ceremony saw President Solih presenting prizes including a grand prize of MVR 300,000 to Mohamed Saaee, the winner of the competition.

Second-place winner Fathmath Thuqa Haleem received prizes from Fl Fazna, with runner-up Yaeesh Mohamed Niyaz having received prizes from VP Naseem.

‘Ran Thaaj’ was an initiative of Raajje TV in partnership with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment for this year’s fasting month of Ramadan.

Auditions for the ‘Ran Thaaju’ Quran Competition were carried out across six regions of the country, with a total of 111 participants. 20 finalists were selected for the competition through these auditions. The competition promised a grand prize of MVR 300,000.

The round of auditions featured 10 renowned Qaris in the Maldives, with the competition’s judges panel being comprised of Al-Qari Ibrahim Shifau, Al-Qari Mohamed Thaufeeq, Al-Qari Abdul Waheed Abdulla and Sheikh Nasrulla Ali.

Open to individuals between the ages of 16 – 45, the competition is so far the biggest such competition  held in the Maldives.