MAKKAH — On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region, will patronize on Wednesday a ceremony to honor winners of the 42nd King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorizing, Reciting and Interpreting the Holy Qur’an.

The competition was organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, represented by the Secretariat General of the Holy Qur’an competitions at the Grand Mosque.

Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and Supervisor General of the Competition Dr. Abdullatif Al Al-Sheikh noted that this international competition, which holds the name of the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been receiving over decades the support and interest of the wise leadership of this country whose leaders have taken the responsibility of caring for the Holy Qur’an and the biography of Prophet Mohammed – peace be upon him – which represent an unalterable constitution and approach for this blessed nation.

In a statement on the occasion, he voiced his gratitude and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for his care and sponsoring this competition that has witnessed several qualitative leaps and developments during his reign.

The international competition has seen the participation of the elite memorizers of the Holy Qur’an from 111 countries and embodies the continuous Quranic giving for this country in a way that matches Saudi Arabia's status as the place of the revelation.

The total value of the awards for the current version of the competition stands at SR2.7 million. The initial qualification round was held on Safar 14 and 16, 1444 Hijri at the residences of the 153 participants from 111 countries, with the qualification of 96 for the finals. The all-time number of contestants in the competition since its inception exceeded 6,453 people from various countries of the world. — SPA