This year marks third edition of competition

The Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), and the Education City Mosque have announced that the third edition of the AlUtrujah Holy Qur’an Competition is underway. The final rounds will take place at the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan at Minaretein (Education City Mosque building).

The competition, divided into four different age groups – including schoolchildren and adults – encourages participants to memorize the Holy Qur’an, and highlights the Qur’anic verses and stories that focus on botanical terms.

Fatima Al Khulaifi, Manager of QBG, said: “AlUtrujah is the name of the pleasant citron fruit. The name of the competition was selected based on the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): ‘The example of the believer who reads the Holy Qur’an is the example of AlUtrujah; its taste is delicious and its scent is pleasant.’

“The competition encourages the Qatari community and students to memorize the Holy Qur’an and to act upon it being the Holy Book of Allah, the guidance and mercy for human beings. This edition of the AlUtrujah Competition helps Qatar’s community, and students in particular, better understand the message of the Holy Qur’an, particularly in the important area of botany.

“This is an important part of Islamic heritage and religion, and we look forward to educating the community in this area. This year, we have added a new category for adults to memorize two chapters from the Holy Qur’an; Surat Al-Baqarah and Al Imran.”

Last year’s edition of the AlUtrujah Competition featured more than 1,500 participants representing 34 Arabic-and non-Arabic speaking nationalities. The competition – the final rounds of which have been attended by more than 800 schoolchildren from across Qatar –supports QF’s community development objectives by encouraging people to embrace and participate in initiatives based on cultural traditions.

Mohamed Al Ghurbani, Head of Islamic Affairs, Community Development, QF, said: “The competition is open to all students until the age of 12 in Qatar, including students of QF schools and non-QF schools. All rounds of the competition will be conducted at Minaretein (Education City Mosque). The first round of the competition started on April 28 and runs until May 5, 2019, after Asr prayer while the eligible competitors will move on to the final rounds that will take place in Ramadan.”
A number of activities are being held during the competition, including community lectures and a daily quiz on plants mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in order to enrich the general information of the public based on plants and cultural traditions. People can participate in the daily quiz by following the social media channels of the Education City Mosque and QBG during the Holy Month of Ramadan.