Al-Qalam 
By Azra Hoosen
From nine-year-old beginners to seasoned champions, voices of every age and background filled Masjidul Mubarak in Belhar during the 20th International Qur’aan Recital Awards (IQRA) recently.
The event, now a fixture on the South African Islamic calendar, once again reminded audiences that Qur’aanic recitation is as much about nurturing hearts as it is about ranking winners.
This year’s finals brought together nearly 50 contestants, representing provinces such as Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape, alongside international entrants from Malawi, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zambia, Tanzania, Zanzibar and the USA.
Organised by the South African Qur’aan Union, Madrasah Tarteelul Qur’aan, Awqaf SA and Masjidul Mubarak, the annual competition has grown from its modest beginnings in 2005 as a Cape Town provincial contest into one of the country’s premier Qur’aan platforms, drawing reciters from across South Africa and abroad.
Founder, Chairperson of the South African Qur’aan Union and coordinator of IQRA, Sheikh Muntahaa Kenny, told Al-Qalam about the competition’s evolution: “Today, we not only have categories for different age groups but also a female division, which has broadened beyond Cape Town to include contestants from other provinces, and the standard is higher than before.”
This year also highlighted the role of families in nurturing reciters. Multiple siblings from both the Allie and De Vries households secured top positions. “Families play a crucial role in developing young reciters. It cannot stop at memorisation alone. Parents need to continuously encourage their children, whether through deeper Qur’aanic sciences or by nurturing proficiency in public recitation,” he said.
The youngest participant this year was just nine years old, which Sheikh Muntahaa recognises as a sign of the competition’s bright future.
The finals reminded audiences that recitation competitions are never predictable. “We’ve seen contestants who topped the preliminaries not feature at all in the finals, and others who placed third in the prelims emerge as clear winners,” he said.
Sheikh Muntahaa noted that at the end of the day, it comes down to who performs best on that particular day.
The “Champs of Champs” category, which brings together past winners with international guests, was won by Ahmad Saalim of Tanzania. Cape Town’s Abdurahmaan de Vries and Zanzibar’s Mi’raaj Khamis took second and third place, respectively.
Over the years, IQRA has served as a launchpad for South African reciters on the global stage, with participants excelling in competitions abroad. “As a country, we’ve gained confidence in public recitation. Our name is recognised internationally. Practice and experience have been key ingredients in that success,” Sheikh Muntahaa explained.
Still, challenges remain: “Many of our reciters come from non-Arabic backgrounds. They can recite beautifully, but sometimes lack understanding of the meanings. This affects how they stop or continue verses. We need to develop that aspect if we want to keep raising our international standing.”
To bridge the gap, IQRA has invested in developmental programs between prelims and finals, with senior teachers mentoring contestants in Cape Town, Benoni and Pietermaritzburg. “KwaZulu-Natal, in particular, has steadily produced a growing number of talented reciters,” Sheikh Muntahaa noted.
For Sheikh Muntahaa, the essence of IQRA has never been about trophies or monetary rewards. “We deliberately don’t publicise prize amounts. We don’t want material gain to be the motivation. What inspires us are moments of sincerity, like when contestants help one another, even while competing against each other. That spirit of Qur’aan is what we want to nurture,” he said.
As IQRA turns 20, its ambitions are widening. “We want to see this model replicated in Southern Africa. Countries like Tanzania and Zanzibar already send contestants. Our hope is that other neighbours will also adopt this initiative to train and showcase reciters,” Sheikh Muntahaa said.
Sustaining such growth, however, depends on continued community and institutional support. Organisers expressed gratitude to sponsors and partners, while urging greater involvement from businesses and individuals.
“At its heart, IQRA is not just a competition. It is about honouring the Qur’aan, raising the standard of recitation, and preparing young South Africans to carry the beauty of the Qur’aan to the world,” Sheikh Muntahaa said.
Visual recordings of the event are available on the South African Qur’aan Union’s Facebook and YouTube platforms.
