Heartfelt Recitation Gives Edge To Tilawah Contestants

By Ainul Huda Mohamed Saaid KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Bernama) -- There is no single word in the English language that can adequately convey the meaning of the word "tilawah". It has been officially translated as "recitation" of the Quran in English, but it actually depicts an act of reading out aloud with one's entire body, heart, mind, tongue and soul. In short, a person's whole existence becomes involved in the recitation. This is the 57th edition that Malaysia played host to the International Quran Recitation and Memorisation Competition. One of the 15 professional judges this year, Syaikh Ismail Muhammad said it was evident that the quality of recitation among participants improved by the year. However, he said, heartfelt recitation could only come from the wholehearted understanding of what was being recited. "Why do we feel so moved by the recitation of those who understand Arabic? It is because they are able to assign the proper intonation and feel associated with the verses recited. "If it is a question, they would read it as one, if it is an appeal, they would plead, and therein lies the importance of understanding the meaning of what is being recited," he explained. BETTER RECITERS EVERY YEAR However, this was not to say that the "qari" and "qariah" (reciters) with little to no understanding of Arabic could not recite well. "Even in Malaysia, we can see a marked improvement in their recitations, from year to year. In the last few years our participants have won many of the international competitions. "The quality of their recitation can even rival those from Arabic countries," said Syaikh Ismail, who is also the Grand Imam of the National Mosque. With over 20 years of experience in adjudicating the competition, Syaikh Ismail certainly knows what he is talking about. Malaysian qari (male reciters) have won the championship title 27 times while Malaysian qariahs (female reciters) have won the female category 33 times. Among those who routinely ace the competition were qari Ismail Hashim and qariah Faridah Mat Saman in the 1960s. Syaikh Ismail also noted that there was a rise in the participation of young reciters from the country as well as from Brunei, Singapore and Thailand in recent years. "But what is left wanting from our participants is perhaps their vocal abilities. They have the memorisation part mastered, but finding a good voice is the difficult part," he said. Reciting the Quran with the proper "tajweed" (pronunciation) is also essential, he said. FROM ACROSS THE WORLD The first international tilawah competition was held on March 9, 1961. The competition was held twice in the year of 1966 and 1995. At the time, only 13 participants from seven countries joined the competition, namely Malaysia (then still known as Malaya), Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Sarawak (then yet to become part of Malaysia), Indonesia and Philippine. Cambodia started sending contestants to join the competition in 1964 while countries like India, Iran, Pakistan, Malawi, Turkey and South Vietnam started participating in 1967. This was followed by Yugoslavia and Bangladesh in 1972 while Algeria, Morocco and Qatar were then present only as observers. The recently concluded competition witnessed the participation of those from as far as the former Soviet Union countries like Tajikistan and Croatia as well as those from countries in the African, European and American continents. A PLATFORM FOR UNITY Meanwhile, Muhammad Syarafudden Mazlan Abdullah, who made his debut at the International Al-Quran Recital Competition this year, felt that he could have performed better. "I am still new and inexperienced at this. Others, such as those from Malaysia and Indonesia, recited so much more beautifully," said the 29-year-old Singaporean humbly. The father of two girls aged two and three years old is a graduate of the prestigious Islamic school Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah in Singapore. He then furthered his education in Islamic jurisprudence in Hadhramaut, Yemen. The tourism agent started dabbling in "tilawah" (recitation) of the Quran five years ago. He said the annual international competition was an important platform connecting Muslims across the world as well as highlighting the importance of the Quran in their lives. This year's competition took place from June 9 to 14 at the Putra World Trade Centre. Seventy participants from 56 countries took part in the competition, with 38 competing in the tilawah category and 32 in the memorisation category. The title of the best qari went to Mohsen Hassani Kargar from Iran while the best qariah was Asrina Asril Buyong from Indonesia. Farihah Zulkifli from Malaysia won the memorisation category for women, while the men's category was won by Abdul Aziz Abdullah Ali Al-Hamri from Qatar. (photoBERNAMA) --BERNAMA