Iranian Qari Inspired by Afghan Quran Reciter
The 60 edition of the international Quran contest of Malaysia is slated to kick off in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
Qaris and Quran memorizers from various countries have arrived in the Southeast Asian country to take part in the prestigious event.
Among them is Mokhtar Dehqan, a Qari who will represent the Islamic Republic of Iran in the recitation category.
He arrived in Malaysia for the competition on Saturday. He is accompanied by Quran master Seyed Javad Sadat Fatemi as a guide.
Before leaving for Kuala Lumpur, Mokhtar, who is from the holy city of Mashhad in northeast Iran, talked about his learning of the Quran and what motivated him to take the path of Quran recitation.
He said his parents were both Quran teachers and first source of inspiration for him to learn the Quran.
He started learning the Quran at the age of 8. He learned Tajweed from his mother and then began frequenting Quranic sessions in Mashhad.
As for recitation, he said it was an Afghan master who inspired him to become a Qari.
“We (my siblings and I) have a good voice and (thus) I was looking for an opportunity to recite the Quran. In one of the (Quranic) sessions, Soleiman Jafari, an Afghan Quran master living in Mashhad, recited the Quran and his voice had a great impact on me. So much so that I started crying. … This sparked the motivation in me to take the path of Quran recitation.”
Asked whether one of his main yearnings is to win titles in national and international Quran contests, Mokhtar said he is only after performing an inspiring and effective recitation.
“Since starting to become a Qari, I was seeking to reach a level of recitation that when I recite the Quran, it would affect the listeners.”
Elsewhere, he said he has practiced in preparation for the Malaysia Quran contest and consulted Iranian representatives in the previous editions for an optimal presence in the competition.
http://iqna.ir/fa/news/3711645
