Iranian Qari Says Saudi Arabia’s Otr Elkalam Int’l Quran Contest among Most Difficult to Win
Speaking to IQNA upon arrival at the Imam Khomeini (RA) International Airport here, he described the competition as one of the most difficult Quran contests in the world to win.
He said it is not like the contests in Iran or Malaysia which include Taqhiqh style of recitation as contestants in the Otr Elkalam event should also have mastery over Tarteel recitation.
It is well known that Tarteel recitation is at a high level in countries like Saudi Arabia and Morocco and this makes it very difficult to win the competition, he noted.
Shahmoradi also noted that there was no restriction on the participation of qaris in Otr Elkalam international Quran contest and a large number of qaris from different countries took part in the contest.
“As Seyed Jasem Mousawi from Iran had taken part in (the first edition) last year and won the fourth rank, I also decided to participate in the Quranic event this year and, thank God, had a successful presence.”
Asked about the features of his recitation that helped him win the top prize, the Iranian reciter said it was first a blessing from God and next his imitation of the Quran recitation style of late Egyptian qari Sheikh Muhammad Rifat.
He also noted that the competition was held in seven stages, with the first three organized online and the rest in person in Saudi Arabia.
He further said he had no idea whether a recent thaw in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia had any effect on his success in the competition.
Shahmoradi received a cash prize of three million Saudi riyals for winning the top rank in the Quran recitation category.
The other three finalists in this category were Abdul Aziz Faqih from the host country who finished runner-up and Moroccans Zakariya al-Zirak and Abdullah Al-Dughri who came third and fourth, respectively.
In the category of Adhan (announcing the call for prayers), contestants from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Lebanon and Britain won the top four titles, respectively.
The second edition of the Otr Elkalam international Quran competition was held as an initiative of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA).
It was launched on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan (March 23).
The competition is designed to highlight the rich diversity of cultures in the Islamic world, and the vocal methods of reciting the Quran and raising the call to prayer.
This year, the contest attracted 50,000 Muslim entrants from more than 100 countries, all vying for qualification.
Of the 2,116 contestants who made the cut, 36 participants (18 from Quran recitation and 18 specializing in the call to prayer) qualified for the final stages.
In this competition, participants demonstrate their vocal capabilities by reciting verses of the Quran before a jury composed of experts in recitation, phonetics and maqamat (music structures).
The jury consisted of Sheikh Ahmed Nahas, the muezzin of the Grand Mosque in Makkah; Sheikh Mishari bin Rashed Al-Afasy, a well-known reciter and imam of the Grand Mosque in Kuwait; Abdul Rahim Nabulsi, secretary-general of Reciters and Teaching Recitation in Morocco; Bahloul Saeed Abu Arqoub, an expert in maqamat and a judge in international Quranic competitions from Libya; and Sheikh Ahmed Mansour, leading reciter of Al-Azhar Mosque in Egypt.
The total prize money for the competition exceeded 12 million Saudi riyals ($3.2 million).
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