Sharjah 24: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler’s Office, witnessed, on Monday, the closing ceremony of the Holy Quran Competition for Senior Citizens (HQCSC), which was organised by the Emirates Society for Parents’ Care and Relief, in the theatre of the Cultural Palace.

The ceremony began with the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates, after which verses from the Holy Quran were recited. 

The audience watched a video about the Emirates Society for Parents’ Care and Relief on its origins, idea, vision, and goals that it seeks to achieve by caring for parents and its impact on the lives of individuals and society in deepening faith in God and upholding the values of the true Islamic religion and raising generations on it.

Ahmed bin Sudin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Society for Parents’ Care and Relief, delivered a speech in which he announced that His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, had been awarded the Golden Medal of the First Class, which was received on behalf of His Highness, by Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi.

At the beginning of his speech, the Society’s Chairman gave thanks and gratitude to Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi for honouring the ceremony and honouring the winners. 

He also gave thanks and appreciation to Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, the honorary president of the Society, for his constant follow-up and great support for the success of all the Society's programmes and events.




In his speech, he addressed the celebration in the UAE of Zayed Humanitarian Day, which represents a renewed date to celebrate the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, indicating that the competition came to honour senior citizens.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Board of Directors revealed the statistics of the competition, indicating that the number of participants reached 120, congratulating them on their participation and success.

The Chairman of the Emirates Society for Parents’ Care and Relief extended his thanks and appreciation to the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments for their great cooperation in making the competition a success in its first edition, and to all participating and supporting entities.

For his part, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Director of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Sharjah Branch, delivered a speech in which he expressed thanks to God Almighty and the wise leadership, for giving senior citizens all the support and attention, in a way that guarantees that they have a decent life, raising their level of awareness, and appreciating their role in all aspects of life.

In his speech, he referred to this special occasion in celebrating the fathers and mothers who excelled in reciting the Noble Quran and Azan, in a distinguished competition that celebrates them.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohsmmed Al Qasim also spoke on the Holy Quran Competition for Senior Citizens, pointing to the generous support of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for the competition, and the great interest of Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan. In addition to the fruitful cooperation between the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, and the Society, whose efforts converged to honour the senior citizens by launching the competition at the country’s level in its first edition.



During the ceremony, the audience listened to a number of contestants in various readings of verses from the Holy Quran, Azan and Iqama. 

The audience also listened to the "Tahmideh", which is a collective heritage performance, presented by some children from the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Society’s Ras Al Khaimah Branch. 

At the end of the closing ceremony, the Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler’s Office honoured the jury of the competition, the winners of the competition, and the sponsors, and took memorial photos with them.

The most beautiful recitation competition for men was won by: Mohammed Rashid Al Yamahi in the first place, Ali Khalfan Al Naqbi in the second place, Juma Noor Al Balushi in the third place, Rashid Ali Al Ghaithi in the fourth place, and Mohammed Ahmed Balshalat in the fifth place. 

In the category of the most beautiful recitation for women, Alia Mohammed Al Muhairi won the first place, Zamzam Abdullah Saeed won the second place, and Alia Butti Al Shamsi won the third place, while Sheikha Mohammed Al Raisi and Amna Mohammed Al Suwaidi came in the fourth and fifth places, respectively.

In the category of the most beautiful Azan and Iqama for men, Ahmed Abdullah Al Hammadi won the first place, Rashid Obaid Al Yamahi in the second place, Saif Rashid Al Kalbani in the third place, Mohammed Suhail Al Mahrami in the fourth place, and Mohammed Obaid Al Balushi in the fifth place.

The ceremony witnessed the attendance of Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Director of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments in Sharjah, Sheikh Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Mualla, Chairman of the Sharjah Chess Club, Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Mualla, Member of the Board of Directors of the Society, Salem Al Muhairi, Chairman of Sharjah Municipal Council, Ayman Abdullah Al Radwan, Director of the Society in the Emirate of Sharjah, and a number of members of the Society’s Board of Directors, scholars, and media professionals.