DOHA: A Filipino national, Muhammad Nadhir Asgar, has won the coveted first prize in the Katara Prize for Quran Recitation, taking home QR500,000 ($137,300) after beating scores of contestants from several Arab countries with a recitation that surprised judges with its clarity and beauty of diction. Asgar, who speaks fluent Arabic, hails from Cagayan province of the Philippines.
This is the first time a non-Arab has bagged the prestigious prize in the competition which is in its third year. The competition, which was held at the Katara Cultural Village in Doha, was telecast on Qatar TV during Ramadan and the results were announced on Sunday. A total of QR1.5m was given away in prize money to five winners.
“I didn’t expect to win the first prize. But I was confident I would win some prize as I prepared for the competition. It’s the will of Allah and I thank Him for the favour,” Muhammad Nadhir Asgar told The Doha Globe.
The second prize of QR400,000 was won by Mohammed ben Sidaira of Algeria, third prize by Abdalbasit Warrash from Morocco (QR300,000), fourth prize by Belal Hamawi from Syria (QR200,0000) and the fifth prize by Edje Amar Ould Sisd Ahmed from Mauritania (QR100,000).
A total of 100 reciters participated in the competition from Algeria, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Guinea, Pakistan, Belgium, the United States, Canada, Iran, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Holland, Bosnia, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, France, Mali and Mauritius, among others.
The maximum number of participants was from Egypt and Morocco, with 15 each. There were 10 participants from Algeria and three from the Philippines. There were 1,700 applicants for the competition this year, from which 100 were selected for the final stage.
An Iraqi won the first prize in second edition of the competition last year and a Libyan won in the first edition.
Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara, said the Katara Prize for Quran Recitation has achieved its goal of promoting and discovering new talents in the learning and recitation of the Quran. The prize has now become popular among Muslims all over the world and is one of the most keenly awaited competitions in Quran recitation.