Makkah | 9 August 2025. The Grand Mosque in Makkah hosted, today (Saturday), the opening of the final rounds of the 45th King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Quran, organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, under the generous patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may God protect him.

On the first day, the judging panel heard recitations from 14 contestants from around the world, with sessions divided into two periods: a morning session with four contestants and an evening session with ten, across the competition's five categories.

The day's list of participants included representatives from Chad, Mali, Palestine, Kenya, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Thailand, South Sudan, Nigeria, Syria, Hong Kong and Switzerland, in addition to another contestant from Palestine. An elite panel of experienced international reciters and judges is overseeing the judging, specializing in Quranic sciences and recitation rules.

The listening sessions continue tomorrow, Sunday, 16 Safar 1447H, across morning and evening periods, as participants compete for top places in this prestigious competition, one of the most prominent Quran competitions in the Islamic world.

The listening hall inside the Grand Mosque saw a large turnout of visitors, worshippers and companions of the participants, alongside officials from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, in a solemn, faith-filled atmosphere resonating with beautiful recitation voices, a scene embodying the spirit of competition in memorizing and reciting the Book of God in the holiest place on Earth.