Royal Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), presented awards to the 20 winners of the “Otr Al Kalam” program in its final episode, broadcast today.
Mohammed Al-Sharif, a contestant from Saudi Arabia, was awarded SAR 2 million for winning first place in the “Call to Prayer” (Adhan) category, while Yunus Shahmeradi, a contestant from Iran, was awarded SAR 3 million for achieving first place in the Quran Recitation category.
Today, the competition concluded after earning six Guinness World Records, which recognized it as the largest Quran competition in terms of participating countries, attracting a record number of participants in the Quran recitation and Adhan categories. Moreover, the competition set two other records for granting the largest prizes in both the Quran and Adhan competitions.
The final episode saw Turki Al-Sheikh honoring winners in Quran recitation and Adhan categories. Iranian contestant Yunus Shahmeradi was crowned winner of the Quran recitation category, earning first place and a prize of SAR 3 million. Meanwhile, Saudi contestant Abdulaziz Al-Faqih won second place, receiving SAR 2 million. Moroccan contestant Zakaria Al-Zayrak won third place, and a prize of SAR 1 million, while his compatriot Abdullah Al-Deghri won fourth place, and SAR 700,000.
Mohammed Al-Sharif, from Saudi Arabia, secured first place in the Adhan category and was awarded SAR 2 million. Dia Al-Din bin Nizar Al-Din, from Indonesia, came second, receiving SAR 1 million. Meanwhile, Raheef Al-Hajj claimed third place, earning SAR 500,000, and Ibrahim Asad, a contestant from the UK, received SAR 300,000.
The episode was dedicated to crowning this year’s “Otr Al-Kalam” winners. It opened with a Quranic recitation by Yunus Gharbi, the Moroccan contestant who won the competition’s first edition, followed by an Adhan by Mohsen Kara, last year’s Turkish Adhan category winner.
The Quran and Adhan competitions are part of this year’s strategic partnership with the Muslim World League and among GEA’s global initiatives. The competition facilitates participation in the qualifiers by Muslims worldwide through simple steps.
The preliminary qualifiers for this year’s competition began in January 2023, with 50,000+ participating contestants from 165 countries, before the final qualifiers. Subsequently, 50 finalists competed in the Quran recitation and Adhan categories through the Otr Al Kalam program, broadcast on MBC, and its online platform Shahid.
The competition is a key initiative led by GEA during the Holy month of Ramadan. GEA presents content that aligns with Ramadan’s spiritual ether, while adopting standards and guidelines that enhance competitiveness, with multiple stages and qualifiers ensuring outstanding talents reach the finals. Otr Al Kalam, which broadcasts the competition, is among the most popular Ramadan programs. It enjoys a huge following in the Islamic world and numerous nations across the globe.
Source: Bahrain News Agency