Assalamu Alaikom Wa Rahmatu Allahi Wa Barakatuh
For several years, the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh has offered community members of all ages the opportunity to compete in a quarterly Quran competition for prize money. Timing shifts year to year to ensure that one of the competitions always takes place in Ramadan, the month of the Quran.
The ICP board and treasury supports these competitions with generous cash prizes for all participants. The ICP religious director or imam offers an inspiration word at the beginning of each event and reads the list of winners at the end. The event is primarily organized by dedicated volunteers, teachers, current and former board members, staff, etc. Judges are handpicked volunteers from the community. No Muslim in Pittsburgh is barred from applying, participating, and being rewarded, even if they are from the ICP board, staff, volunteers, or competition judges, or their families, or non-members. Judges are to be trusted for impartiality. Everyone is limited to one single category of participation.
Surahs and categories are chosen with gradually increasing the amount to memorize based on age. The youngest will memorize approximately one page from the last surahs of the Quran. The next youngest (category 2) will memorize approximately 1.5 pages from the rest of juz' `Amma. If a participant joins us for every quarter for all the years they are eligible, they should have juz amma completely memorized by the time they age out.
Category three participants will memorize 2-3 pages per quarter. Category four with 4-5 pages per quarter. Category five with 6-7 pages. And category six with 8-12 pages (longer or shorter based on time allowed between competitons or the relative ease of the Surah).
If a student participates every single quarter according to their age, they should memorize more than half of the Quran by the time they finish college inshaAllah.
May Allah reward all and grant us success and inspire all our community to learn and follow His Book.
NEXT COMPETITION Date: December 20th
“The one who recites the Qur’an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely will be in the company of noble angels. But the one who recites it with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, will have twice that reward.”