RIYADH — In the competitive rounds of the quarterfinals of the International Holy Qur'an and Call to Prayer competition, Bahraini contestant Mohammed Mujahid, who is a physician by profession, eliminated his Egyptian competitor Dr. Mohammed Al-Awadi, who specializes in the sciences of the Holy Qur'an at Al-Azhar University. Since the competition between the contestants in the quarterfinals of Otr Elkalam (Scent of Speech) show requires the qualification of one contestant and the elimination of the other, Mujahid managed to enter the semifinals thanks to his distinguished performance and the instructions of the jury that he benefited from in the previous phase. Unfortunately, Al-Awadi, who has spent his life studying and teaching the Holy Qur'an and helped nearly 400 students to memorize it, had to leave the competition after a good fight. As for the Call to Prayer category, the competition raged between the Iraqi muezzin Arkan Al-Qaisi and his Saudi counterpart Mohammed Nahas. Their performance was outstanding and the result of the voting was very close. However, Al-Qaisi won more votes and qualified for the semifinals of the largest competition of its kind in the world. The International Holy Qur'an recitation and the Call to Prayer competition is one of the most important competitions launched by the General Entertainment Authority in Ramadan and its content suits the spirituality of the holy month. It is distinguished by its precise criteria and specialized jury, which enhances competitiveness. The jury is made up of highly specialized members, including muezzins from the Two Holy Mosques, renowned international reciters and famous international competition assessors.
