Doha, Qatar: Minister of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs HE Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanim honoured the winners of the 11th "Al Muhaddith Al Saghir" competition.
During a ceremony attended by the students and their parents, His Excellency handed over the honourary plaques to those who scored the highest grades in this public contest in the presence of HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Thani, and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education HE Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi.
The event was organized by the Awqaf's Department of Da’wah and Religious Guidance.
The top achievers were 20 standout students who received plaques engraved with the names of the Prophet’s Companions. Additionally, 103 students earned top marks at level five (Elite 1), along with five students at level six, 12 students from the Audio Education Complex, and five students from the Al Noor Center for the Blind.
Addressing the ceremony, HE the Minister of Awqaf emphasized that the contest has been evolving year after year in terms of participant numbers, categories, and organizational aspects.
His Excellency noted the inauguration of a new branch for the elite and the addition of two branches, with the first one steeped in the science of Hadith terminology through memorisation of the Al-Bayquniyyah Poem, while the second is a newly introduced category titled "The Little Grammarian,” dedicated to memorising the Ajrumiyyah text.
In addition, His Excellency congratulated the students and expressed his profound happiness about this participation and interaction between male and female students, as well as parents and schools, which evidently broke the record.
Overall, 12,381 students were registered in this edition, of whom 8,328 qualified from 443 schools statewide, along with 1,313 parents. Female winners will similarly be honoured on Monday in the presence of women leaders from the Awqaf, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), alongside honourees and their mothers.
The ceremony featured the screening of a documentary film on the life of Imam Ibn Ajurrum, Abu ʿAbd Allah Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Dawud Al Sanhaji, highlighting his scholarly journey, upbringing, and contributions to Arabic grammar, most notably his authorship of Al Muqaddimah Al Ajurrumiyyah, regarded as one of the foremost didactic texts in the field of Arabic linguistics.
The contest is intended to inculcate the love of the Prophet, as well as decent morals in students, and pursue his footsteps through applying his Hadiths, as the contest has been keen on fostering societal engagement through the participation of parents, thereby solidifying the communication between students, parents, and schools to enhance memorisation and focus in students, and at the end of the day, they literally excel.
Furthermore, the competition is primarily aimed at reinforcing the Arabic language and spreading exemplary conduct among students and their peers in other schools, in addition to filling their leisure time.
These competitions are the product of a collaboration between the Awqaf's Department of Da‘wah and Religious Guidance, the General Department of Endowments, and the MoEHE, represented by Jassim bin Hamad Secondary School for Boys, Umm Al Qura Primary School for Boys, and Al Iman Secondary School for Girls.
The organising committee has granted valuable cash awards to the top-ranking winners across all eight levels of the competition, roughly worth between QR 200 and QR 2,500 depending on the level and grade. The awards include male and female students and parents.
Award values for the plaque recipients range from QR 4,000 to QR 6,000.
