Adib Noor
An open heart, a deep understanding and love of Al-Quran are the key to memorising Al-Quran. This was the sentiment shared by winners of the National Level Al-Quran Memorisation and its Understanding Competition for 1443 Hijrah.
The winners were announced during the National Level Nuzul Al-Quran Celebration for 1443 Hijrah at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas on Monday.
Among the winners was Dalili Bazilah binti Haji Jailani. After competing several times, she emerged as the winner of Category D with a score of 97.57 per cent and received BND3,500.
In an interview with the Bulletin, the 17-year-old Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (ITQSHHB) alumnus shared that this year was the first time she reached the finals.
Dalili Bazilah highlighted that she was happy to be announced as the grand winner in Category D.
“I recently completed my studies at ITQSHHB, giving me more time to understand and memorise Al-Quran,” she said.
Category D of the National Level Al-Quran Memorisation and its Understanding Competition for 1443 Hijrah required competitors to memorise 15 Juzuks and the understanding of Surah Al-Furqaan, Surah Ash-Shu’ara and Surah An-Nami.
On her preparation, Dalili Bazilah said during the COVID-19 pandemic, she would call a friend and practise what she memorised as her friend quizzed her.
“My target was to read and understand five Juzuks a day. I did that for three days straight – reading, and understanding and remembering the Juzuks – then I tested my memorisation of specific parts of the Juzuks,” she added.
Dalili Bazilah said she plans to continue her pursuit of understanding and memorising Al-Quran.
“As long as I have the opportunity and time, I hope to memorise all 30 Juzuks, not just for competition but also live by it as there are many lessons that can be learnt from Al-Quran,” she added.
Another grand winner who shares the same love of Al-Quran is Dalili Faiqah binti Nasaruddin, who won Category E with a score of 96.48 per cent and earned a cash prize of BND5,000.
The 20-year-old ITQSHHB graduate was a winner of the competition in 2019 as well. She said her dedication and love of understanding of Al-Quran was instilled by her parents as well as the encouragement and guidance of her seniors at ITQSHHB.
“Alhamdulillah, my parents supported me in the pursuit of memorising and understanding Al-Quran and my seniors helped me in understanding and learning more about Al-Quran as well as inspiring me. I am blessed to have a strong support system,” she said.
Dalili Faiqiah said, however, support is not enough. She underlined that it takes dedication to understand and memorise Al-Quran.
“You have to constantly practise, revise, put in effort and be dedicated with the teachings of Al-Quran. Insya Allah with prayers and Tawakkal, you can memorise Al-Quran,” she said.
Category E of the National Level Al-Quran Memorisation and its Understanding Competition for 1443 Hijrah required competitors to memorise a total of 30 Juzuks and the understanding of Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Surah At-Tur, Surah An-Najm, Surah Al-Qamar, Surah Ar-Rahmaan, Surah Al-Waqi’ah and Surah Al-Hadid.
On her achievement, Dalili Faiqah said being placed first in the category came as a surprise to her. “It is a blessing. I did not think I would be placed first. I registered with no expectations and gave my best effort.”
Dalili Faiqah said she hopes to continue learning more about Al-Quran and to further her studies at university level.