Maguindanao tops PH Qur’an reading competition

BEYOND the readers’ singsong melody, Qur’an reading is an art, a bridging education and a form of cultural diplomacy to Southeast Asian countries that formed the region’s International Qur’an Reciters’ Assembly (IQRA) in 1961.The competition was aired live crystal clear over DXMS-AM in Cotabato City, DXGD-AM in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi and DXMM-AM in Jolo through the broadcast facilities of Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation (NDBC) from Bahay ng Alumni in the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.Two readers from Maguindanao are slated to represent the Philippines to the 2018 IQRA in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this month, after winning the national competition in Quezon City on March 25.The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) said Nuhman Pimbayabaya, topped the qari, or the male category of the contest and Raihana Ambangala won the qaria, the female category of the 2018 National Qur'an Reading Competition (NQRC).Pimbayabaya, the 2017 defending champion, who belongs to the Iranun tribe of Maguindanao won over other male contestants with a scorecard of 96.46 percent. For her part, Ambangala a 19-year-old student from Guindulungan, Maguindanao, recorded a winning rating of 96.6 percent. She also won the championship of the 2017 Southeast Asian Youth Qur'an Reading Contest hosted by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at the International Convention Center of Brunei Darussalam from September 15 to 17 last year.The annual International Qur’an Reciters’ Assembly (IQRA) will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia tentatively in the first week of April. It was held last on April 7, 2017.NCMF Commissioner Abdulhadi Daguit said that while Ambangala will represent the Philippines’ qaria in the IQRA, third placer Yusoph Pandita of the National Capital Region will likely represent the country’s qari, since the champion and the second placer would no longer be eligible to take part as a rule, having already participated three times in the Malaysian event.More than 1,000 people from the Muslim communities of Metro Manila attended the event held at the University of the Philippines (UP) Bahay ng Alumni in Diliman, Quezon City.In this year’s national competition, the second place in the female group (Qaria) went to Jamila Saracan of Lanao del Norte, while Monaifah Alawi of the Caraga Region emerged third place.For the male bracket (Qari), Mohammad Nadhir Asgar, Jr. of Lanao Sur emerged second place, while Yusoph Pandita of NCR ended third place.Guest speaker Chairman Sheriff M. Abas of the Commission on Elections, cited the significance of the NQRC.The Philippines was one of the first seven countries that formed and participated in the International Qur’an Reciters’ Assembly (IQRA) in 1961. Tunku Abdul Rahman, who would later become the the first Malaysian prime minister, organized the IQRA.Seven countries— Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Sarawak and the erstwhile Malay Federation (Malaya), the forerunner of Malaysia— were represented by male and female contestants in the first competition held at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on March 9, 1961. In 1985 the competition was moved to the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).Over the years IQRA has expanded with the participation of Middle East Arab and African Countries, although Malaysia remains on top of the competition with its more frequent championship winnings in the 57-year history of the competition.Other than Malaysia, the top level championship were occasionally won by Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand—and for at least twice, by the Philippines.In 2000 the Philippines’ Isnairah Bantayao of Lanao del Sur won the international championship trophy for the qaria or female category in the IQRA Competition.This year, the national winners received trophies, certificates and cash prizes of P 20,000 for the champion and P 15,000 each for the two second prize winners and P 10,000 for the two third prize winners.Also in 2000, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei formed a regional Qur’an reading competition, an IQRA version of sort, for young Asian Muslims, called the Southeast Asian Youth Al-Quran Reading Competition.Last year, Ambangala also topped the qaria Category among nine female participants from Southeast Asian countries. She received a gift of Bruneian Dollar BD 5,000, a certificate and a trophy from His Majesty, the Sultan.Kamaruddin Zaidon, 24, from Sultan Kudarat, won the second place of the qari Category, topping nine other male contestants. He received BD 4,000, a certificate and a trophy. Nash B. Maulana