MUSLIMS have been charged to place a high premium on memorisation of The Qur’an.
The Lagos State coordinator of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), Mr Muheeb AbdFattah, gave the charge in Lagos at a reception organised for representatives of the state to the recent National Qur’an Recitation Competition, held in Ilorin, Kwara State.
He said the task of the compilers of The Qur’an was eased by the effort of the early reciters of the revelation, saying the tradition of recitation and memorisation of the Qur’an had prevented the distortion of the message therein.
AbdFattah, therefore, said it was the duty of every Muslim to be a reciter of The Qur’an.
He challenged state governments to encourage participation in the competition which, he said, could serve as a means of poverty alleviation.
Cash and other prizes were presented to the representatives who did the state proud at the competition held in February.
Notable among the participants honoured were Nana Hawwa Abdur Rahim Yon Momoh, who came third in memorisation of 10 hizbs in the female category and Abdulateef Olawale, who came fifth in memorisation of two hizbs in the male category.
The NACOMYO coordinator disclosed that preparation for the 2018 edition of the competition, billed to hold in Katsina, Katsina State, had commenced as the state preliminary and finals would take place on 8 April and 23 April.