Lebanese Qari Suggests Quran Interpretation Seminar on Sidelines of Students Contest
The 6th International Quran Competition for Muslim Students is slated to be held in Mashhad, northeast of Iran, on January 30- February 3, 2017.
Quran memorizers and reciters from among Muslim university students of different countries are expected to take part in this edition of the contest.
The Iranian Academics Quranic Activities Organization, affiliated to the Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, has organized the competition biennially since 2006 with the aim of fostering unity and cooperation among Muslim world students and elevating the level of Quranic activities.
Sheikh Khalid Barakat, the Sheikh-ul-Qura (senior Quran reciter) of Akkar Governorate in northern Lebanon, in an interview with IQNA said that the competition provides an opportunity for enhancing the participants’ knowledge about different Quranic fields.
He suggested that brief educational courses on Quran memorization and Quran recitation skills could be held for the contestants on the sidelines of the main programs.
Another event that can be organized as a sideline program is a seminar on thematic interpretation of the Quran, in which speakers can discuss interpretation of Quranic concepts like Jihad, justice, benevolence, and moderation, Sheikh Barakat added.
He said Quranic contests like this one can have a leading role in promoting awareness in the younger generation about Quranic teachings.
The Lebanese Qari also said that participation of Shia and Sunni students from across the world in the competition is a manifestation of Muslim unity that has been emphasized in verse 103 of Surah Al Imran of the Holy Quran: "And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves…”
Sheikh Barakat further called on the organizers of the contest to add a women’s section to the Quranic event, stressing the importance of women’s participation in Quranic events.
Sheikh Khalid Barakat is a professor of Quranic sciences at the Islamic University of Beirut.
He has written a number of books in Quranic fields including "Moderation in the Quran”.
The Quran expert has also served as a member of panel of judges in international and regional Quran competitions in different countries like Iran, Tunisia, Indonesia, Russia, Bahrain, Italy and France.
