Zainal (back row, left) with the organising committee, judges and winners of the Quran recital competition.
MIRI: It was a glorious night for SK Agama pupil Muhamad Izz Mukhali, who was not only named the ‘Best Qari’ of the two-day ‘Miri Inter-Primary School
Tilawah Al-Quran’, but also the ‘Overall Best Reciter’ of the competition, organised by Saberkas Night Market Surau Committee.
The competition also had Muhamad Izz’s brother Muhamad Izzi, who represented Saberkas Night Market, taking second place while Ahmad Nazim Hamim of SK Agama came third.
In the Qariah category, Muhamad Izz’s schoolmate Nurul Hadfina Hamim emerged victorious, leaving Nurul Khadijah Azman of SK Merbau and Mira Atasha Mohamad Romi of SK St Columba at respective second and third place.
Each winner took home RM300, while those placing second and third bagged RM200 and RM100, respectively.
They all also received trophies and certificates of participation.
The first-ever event, which concluded on Saturday
night, was aimed at instilling the love for Al-Quran in schoolchildren.
Nine ‘qaris’ and eight ‘qariahs’ aged 12 and below from nine primary schools took part in the competition, which had officials from Miri Islamic Religious Department (Jais) serving as judges.
According to Saberkas Night Market’s secretary Zainal Ed, the ‘tilawah’ was part of the programmes undertaken by the committee, which was set up last year to oversee the running of the trading centre.
“We have held ‘forum perdana’ (grand forum), ‘tahlil’ (songs of praise to Allah, traditionally conducted as prayers for the dead), ‘tarawih’ prayers during the month of Ramadan, as well as activities related to Hari Raya Haji and Maulidur Rasul celebrations,” he said.
On the inaugural ‘Miri Inter Primary School Tilawah Al-Quran’, Zainal on behalf of the organising committee expressed his gratitude to the sponsors, namely, Fatimah Bersatu Sdn Bhd, Bumiputera Traders Association Miri Sarawak (PBMS), Restoran Awang Mahyan, Shad & Partners, Miri Police Department, Velosi Sdn Bhd, Jaini Paip & Gas, Miri Street Buskers and Yayasan Amal Sarawak for their contributions towards making the event a success.