Rabat – Elias Al-Mahiawi, a prominent Quran teacher from Morocco, placed first at the twentieth International Quran Competition in Tanzania on Saturday.
This esteemed accolade is awarded to outstanding reciters and memorizers of the Quran.
Al-Mahiawi’s win came following a contest held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, during the holy month of Ramadan. Over 500 participants from various countries competed for the title.
Al-Mahiawi was presented with the prestigious award on Saturday by Hussein Ali Muni, the president of Zanzibar.
Egyptian Ahmed Shehab won second place, Iranian Mohsen Qassem secured third, and Turk Muhammad Yahya Yildizgan came in fourth. Contestants were evaluated by a panel of nine referees from Morocco, Yemen, Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa.
Al-Mahiawi dedicated his victory to Moroccan King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan people, expressing his deep honor in serving the Quran during the blessed month of Ramadan.
Al-Mahiawi holds a master’s degree in Islamic studies and serves as a Quran teacher at the Bogda Center. His success in Tanzania adds to his impressive list of achievements, having previously garnered numerous awards for Quran memorization and recitation in countries such as Ethiopia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Bahrain.
In 2022, Al-Mahiawi won the first place of the International Quran Recitation Competition in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This is not the first time Moroccans have shone in international Quran recital competitions. In November 2023, Moroccan Quran reciter Iyass Hajri won first place in the International Quran Competition in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Another Moroccan Sara Belmamoun won the 63rd International Quran Competition in Malaysia in August 2023, securing first place in the women’s Quran recitation category.
Earlier in the same year, Moroccan Quran reciters Abdullah Al-Dughri, Zakariya Al-Zirk, and Youssef Al Habti were among 16 contestants who qualified for the semifinals of the international Saudi competition titled “Otr Elkalam.”
