* Four Area Councils vie for top spot
* Winners of Juz 5, 10 to be unveiled Sunday, March 9
* Lagos Deputy Governor leads top dignitaries to UNILAG
* As dRoyin Plus offers 10% discount on varieties of dates at the venue for fasting Muslims
A total of four finalists have emerged in the Lagos Qur’an Competition and they are ready to take the stage and compete for the top prize at the grand finale holding in the month of the Qur’an, Ramadan 9 (Sunday, 9th March 2025) at JF Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos.
The male finalists who competed in the Juz 30 (complete Qur’an) category of the biennial Competition tagged #LagosRecite are Anas Ayyub from Agbado-Okeodo Area Council; AbdulQuadri AbdulAzeez from Oto-Awori Area Council; AbdusSalaam AbdulSalaam Abdul from Ijede Area Council; and Fadlullah from Nurudeen from Eti-Osa Area Council.
They were announced the finalists after a keenly contested semi-final among other participants at the Lagos Qur’an Competition Bootcamp held on Saturday, February 22, at Shamsi Adisa Thomas Central Mosque Hall, Old Secretariat, Ikeja.
Muslim News gathered that winners of other categories including Juz 5 and 10 also emerged during the Qur’an Bootcamp, as organisers disclosed that they will be unveiled and rewarded before thousands of audience and lovers of Qur’an that will grace the grand finale.
Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat is expected to lead other top dignitaries to the grand finale organised by the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN Lagos) in honour of the late Alhaji Lateef Adegbite.
A senior lecturer from Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Sheikh (Dr.) Sanusi Lafiagi, is expected to dissect the theme: “Unfailing Compass”, alongside Sheikh (Dr.) Abdullahi Shuaib, the Lead Consultant, AS & Associates.
The Chief Imam of Lagos, Engr. Sulaimon Abou-Nolla is the spiritual father. He will be joined by other eminent scholars at the event.
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Muslim News gathered that dRoyin Plus will be rounding off her 10 per cent discount on all dates orders on Sunday, March 9, at 11:59pm. Different varieties of dates will be available for sales at the venue at reduced prices.
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Bootcamp, a preamble to grand finale: LOC Imam Dhikrullah
Speaking with Muslim News, Imam Sulaimon Dhikrullah, the chairman, local organising committee of the competition, expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the bootcamp, saying it was organised as a preamble of the final holding on 9th March 2025.
He said, “The goal of this bootcamp is to gather successful reciters of the Qur’an across Lagos State, educate them further on the intricacies of Qur’an recitation, and internalising its message. We have gathered those who qualified from various levels of the competition to celebrate and educate them.
“This is the final stage for some categories, especially the male contestants of the Juz 30, while for some, we’ll only decide who makes it to the Grand Finale. All of them can’t recite on that day because it will be tiring and time consuming.
He explained that the Grand Finale is packed with impactful lectures and activities, so there’s great need to maximise time.
Why we’re organising the competition: Amir MSSN
Mallam Kamaldeen Abiona, Amir MSSN Lagos State Area Unit, noted that MSSN, being an organisation that concerns itself with the overall development of students, organises Qur’an competition every two years to motivate them and encourage memorisation of the Qur’an.
He said: “MSSN is an Islamic organisation founded to uphold the pristine message of Islam, re-orientate Muslims and establish a community of conscious Muslims; to uphold the teachings of Islam according to the Shari’ah. And as we all know, the Qur’an is like a syllabus for us. It’s a manual with which Muslims should lead their lives.
“Hence, we thought of ways to ensure that our lives are more inclined towards the Qur’an, and relate with it more than we’ve ever done. We then chose to promote hifz by encouraging memorise and adorn portions of the Qur’an. We do so by organising Qur’an memorisation competition periodically, rewarding and celebrating the winners.
“We alternate Qur’an and academic competition to promote overall development of our members.”
Qur’an, an infallible compass for humanity: Abiona
The Amir MSSN Lagos added that “The Unfailing Compass” the theme for the year was chosen because the Qur’an has remained an infallible guide or compass for humanity in its entirety.
According to him, “We all know that the compass guides and shows us directions wherever we go. However, there are many occasions where the compass might not function well. Compasses might fail, but the Qur’an, sent by Almighty Allah to guide humanity, will never fail, and that’s why it is ‘The Unfailing Compass’ and we’re optimistic that our guest speakers will do justice to it during their presentations.”
Mal Abiona disclosed that the initiative is also used to appreciate efforts of founding fathers of MSSN, adding that the family of late Alhaji Abdul-Lateef Adegbite has continued to play a crucial role in the planning and organisation of the Lagos Qur’an over time.
He said: “At a point, we felt this was an avenue to build upon the legacies of our founding fathers, and that why we named the competition after him. So, each time we organise the programme, we involve his family in the planning.
“They show great interest and enthusiasm towards the programme because they see it as an avenue to reconnect with the patriarch and immortalise his legacies. They invite friends, lovers, and well-wishers and support the cause of the programme.”
Qur’an is therapeutic, says Dr Egberongbe
Earlier in his lecture, Dr Abdul-Wahab Egberongbe encouraged Muslims to relate more with the Qur’an, especially during Ramadan, the month of fasting in which Allah (SWT) revealed the Noble Qur’an.
The medical practitioner described the Qur’an as therapeutic, adding, “The more you read, memorise, or ponder over verses of the Qur’an, the better your life becomes.”
According to him, “Reading the Qur’an is a form of therapy, especially for mental and psychological issues. Medically, it has been said that the Qur’an is one of the approaches to treating mental and psychological problems like depression and others. The Qur’an gives a meaning to your life. It has stories of people who have gone through what you may be going through and gives sounding reassurances. Verses of the Qur’an are soothing in turbulent times,” he added.
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