Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has honoured the winners of the inaugural Emirates International Holy Quran Award, organised by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments & Zakat (AWQAF).
The ceremony, held today at the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, was attended by His Excellency Dr. Omar Habtoor Al Darei, Chairman of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments & Zakat, along with prominent scholars hosted by His Highness the President during the holy month of Ramadan.
The ceremony was also attended by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence; His Excellency Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of State; His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Court; His Excellency Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, Chairman of the Emirates Council for Sharia Fatwa; Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology; Her Excellency Sara Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education, Chairman of the Federal Agency of Early Education, and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK); His Excellency Dr. Hamdan Musallam Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC); His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi; His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport; His Excellency Mansour Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; His Excellency Ahmed Tamim Al Kuttab, Chairman of the Department of Government Enablement; and His Excellency Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council; along with a number of senior officials.
The event began with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Ghaniya Ali Al-Azizi, followed by a short film about the award. The film highlighted the UAE’s and its leadership’s efforts in serving the Holy Quran and supporting its memorisation through various initiatives, including the establishment of local and international Quranic centres, a legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It also highlighted the award’s categories, objectives, and AWQAF’s role in organising the event.
His Excellency Dr. Omar Habtoor Al Darei, Chairman of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments & Zakat and Chairman of the Emirates International Holy Quran Award, delivered a speech expressing his deepest gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for his patronage of the award.
His Excellency emphasised that the award is a valuable addition to His Highness's initiatives aimed at further enhancing the spread of the Holy Quran, upholding its teachings, and honouring its memorisers within the UAE and beyond. His Excellency praised His Highness's continuous support for AWQAF, enabling it to achieve its goals with professionalism, innovation, and excellence.
His Excellency further highlighted that this distinguished initiative, made possible through the generous support of the UAE’s leadership, serves as an inspiration to uphold the values and noble teachings of the Holy Quran, instilling them in future generations. His Excellency prayed for His Highness and the UAE’s leadership, wishing them continued success and prosperity.
His Excellency also extended his sincere appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for attending the event and honouring the winners. Congratulating the award recipients and their families, His Excellency encouraged them to continue their noble pursuit, embody the values of the Holy Quran in their lives, and serve as role models in their communities, commending the partners and supporting entities that contributed to the success of this competition.
The award ceremony honoured a distinguished group of winners who secured first place in Quranic competitions and awards held globally in 2024, representing 10 countries.
In the International Category, winners included Shaikha Alia bint Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Rashid Ali Khalfan Binkhalaf AlNaqbi from the United Arab Emirates; Lith Isehaq Al Kendi from the Sultanate of Oman; Mohammed Adnan AlOmari and Mohammed Sameer Magahed from the Kingdom of Bahrain; Mahmoud Ali Attiya Habib from the Arab Republic of Egypt; Ilias laMhayaoui from the Kingdom of Morocco; Ekaha Beitate from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania; Mohammed Sami Mitwali from Palestine; and Fatima Lawn Abubakar from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the local category, the first-place winners were Suhaib Ali Mohammed Dawood Abdullah, Omar Mohamed Ali Alkabouri AlNaqbi, Omar Muammar Ali Ahmed Ba Nabila, and Aisha Ali Mohamed Alechla Al Ali from the United Arab Emirates; Abdul Wadud Sorif Hussain from Bangladesh; Mansour Mohamed Mansour Elatrawy and Aesha Elsebaey Mohamed Mohamed Elbasyouni from Egypt; Ansam Ahmad Sweedan from Syria; and Zeinabou kbar from Mauritania.
The award also honoured Mona Abdulqader Salem AlGhassani, Former Director of Religious Centers and Institutes Administration, General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments & Zakat, in recognition of her 20 years of service in promoting the Holy Quran. Additionally, the Emirates Red Crescent was honoured as a supporting entity of the Emirates International Holy Quran Award.
The ceremony concluded with a group photo to commemorate the event and preserve it in the award’s archives for future generations.
