Ramadan is a holy month when Muslims fast, pray and worship. There are also other spiritual practices, such as a competition that was held over the weekend in Charlotte. Children as young as 4 years old were tested on their memorization and recitation of parts of the Quran.
People gathered inside a mosque in east Charlotte, seated or lined up, wearing colorful blue and purple hijabs. Amani Kerrouchi, 11, sported a pink hijab as she waited for her name to be called at the award ceremony.
She鈥檚 one of the students who participated in this year鈥檚 Ramadan Quran competition. The event included 140 participants, between the ages of 4 and 60, broken into different age groups.
Kerrouchi says she decided to participate because of what the Quran represents.
鈥淚t helps you in your daily life. It鈥檚 a role model. It is like a guide,鈥� Kerrouchi said. "Also, the stories in there are pretty interesting, and the way they describe it, the Quran is so beautiful.鈥�
Kerrouchi tied for second in her age group. She recited what she memorized at the ceremony.
She spent about five weeks reciting and memorizing about four pages of the Quran during her school鈥檚 recess and lunch times. Children ages 4 to 6 had to learn roughly one page. Older groups had to be familiar with about 10 pages. Participants were asked by the judges to recite random parts from their section.
鈥淣ormally, when it鈥檚 not the Quran competition, I wouldn鈥檛 actually use my time to read the Quran,鈥� Kerrouchi said. "Normally, I鈥檒l just read a book and sleep. But now it鈥檚 the Quran competition. I feel motivated to prepare.鈥�
This year鈥檚 competition is the fourth annual event. Dania Kanawati is one of the organizers and judges. In Islam, Ramadan is the month when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, which is part of the reason for holding the competition now.
Participants must follow specific guidelines as they chant.
鈥淚f it has an accent mark, make sure you kind of let out a breath with it. So, certain letters need to have a breath that comes out when you say them, 鈥� Kanawati said. "Certain letters you need to hold longer. There are words that have something called 鈥楳ed鈥�, which is just elongating the sound of the letter.鈥�
Participants are also judged on the rhythm of their recitation. Kanawati said memorizing and reciting the holy book that is in Arabic can be challenging.
鈥淎 lot of them have been raised in America. So, if there鈥檚 Arabic being spoken at home, it鈥檚 limited, because a lot of their first language is English, growing up in the United States,鈥� Kanawati said. "But there are Muslims who are not from Arabic countries, like India and Pakistan. They don鈥檛 have Arabic at all in their households, so that鈥檚 even more difficult for them.鈥�
Saturday鈥檚 ceremony also spotlighted the efforts of one 9-year-old participant named Maryam Bianouni. Bianouni was a joint first-place winner at the event. Her achievement was welcomed with rounds of applause and cheers.
Bianouni has a rare condition, often called Child syndrome, that disrupts growth and speech. Bianouni has learned how to communicate with the support of her mother, Samia Mubarak, by typing through an iPad. That鈥檚 one way she prepared for the competition.
鈥淚 would recite for her sometimes before bed. It was kind of our nighttime routine for the last few weeks,鈥� Mubarak said. "And the way we tested her is that each verse 鈥� we have it cut out almost like a puzzle piece. So when she was ready, we put all 25 pieces in front of her. Then she was able to put them all in order all by herself.鈥�
The competition gave Bianouni an opportunity to connect.
鈥淚 want her to be included in the community and to know that we love her as much as all the other kids who do recite. And she can do things her own way, and still be celebrated just as much.鈥�
Mubarak says she hopes her daughter's efforts will inspire others in the future to participate in a competition that celebrates the holy month.
