Qur’an Memorizers Honored in Qassim.

BURAIDAH, 9 April 2004 — Thirty-one Qur’an memorizers were honored at a special function held on Wednesday night in Al-Asyah governorate, 65 kilometers east of Buraidah in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia..

Al-Asyah Philanthropic Society for Memorizing the Holy Qur’an organized the event.

This was the fifth batch of graduates — 22 male and 9 female — to be declared successful after undergoing a month-long examination attended by more than 50 applicants.

“The remaining graduates will sit another exam to be determined next year,” said a society member.

Assaf Al-Assaf, governor of Al-Asyah and society president, urged philanthropists to donate to the charitable project which looks after youngsters studying the Qur’an.

The graduates received cash prizes and certificates from Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University at the ceremony attneded by many scholars, parents of students and members of the public.

Al-Asyah Philanthropic Society has 1,600 students in 60 groups spread throughout different mosques in Al-Asyah, the smallest governorate in Qassim region. More than 100 students have graduated and are now leading prayers in the local mosques or working as teachers.

Kingdomwide, there are more than 435,000 students studying in such societies, a 14 percent increase compared with last year, said Abdullah Hamad Al-Mazroe, the general secretary of holy Qur’an memorizing societies in the Kingdom.

“There are more than 5,000 students who completed learning the Qur’an by heart,” he added.

Among the graduates was a 16-year-old student who memorized the entire text while living in his tent in the desert.

“My day finishes at sunset as we do not have electricity in the desert,” said Fahad bin Saleh Al-Harby.

“Every day I drive for 30 kilometers from my tent in the sand dunes to the mosque where I study,” he added, thanking his parents for saving him the hard job of attending to their cattle in the afternoon while he went to the mosque.

A surprise came with the introduction of a seven-year-old Indian who memorized half the Qur’an. Amanullah Ali recited samples to the delight of the audience.

A number of people donated cash and gifts to the young reader at the end of the ceremony.



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