Masihuzzama Ansari
NEW DELHI—Ibrahim bin Fahim Shahbandari, hailing from Bhatkal in Karnataka, has secured second position in the International Quran Competition held at Makkah recently and made his state and country proud.
He achieved this feat in the fifth category of the 43rd King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an. There were 166 participants from 177 countries.
Talking to India Tomorrow, Ibrahim bin Fahim said, “I am quite excited by winning this award, I thank Allah for this success and preparing for the next competition.”
The seventeen-year-old Ibrahim is a skilled orator in Arabic. He is a Hifz-e-Quran (memorizer of the Holy Quran).
“The Holy Quran gives the message of peace and humanity. It teaches all sections of the society to live together peacefully,” Ibrahim asserts.
He said that if the Holy Quran is understood correctly, we know from it that the Holy book is for the benefit of the entire humanity and this is not a book of a particular religion, rather, it is a guide for all human beings.
Ibrahim took part in the Dubai National Quran Competition also before the Makkah event. He had topped the Dubai competition. Ibrahim secured the first position in an oratory competition held in Dubai.
Ibrahim belongs to Bhatkal, Karnataka though he was born in Dubai where his father is employed. His family lives in Dubai and his primary education was also completed in Dubai.
Ibrahim said, “I studied in Dubai till class 6, then shifted to Bhatkal, Karnataka in 2018 with our family. After that till class 10, I studied at Navroz International School. I memorized the Holy Quran in Bhatkal. After passing High School, I got admitted at Jamial Salfia, Varanasi. I passed the Alim course from there and now I am in the first year of Fazilat.”
Ibrahim is the eldest and he has two brothers and three sisters. His father works in a water purifier company.
To a question about what would he like to be in the future, Ibrahim responded, “I would like to be an Islamic scholar in the future. I want to work for Islamic thoughts. I want to work for love, humanity and peace through Islamic teachings which have been clearly mentioned in the Holy Quran and we have been ordered to do the same.”
This international Quran Competition was held from August 25 to September 6 at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and sixty-six contestants representing 117 countries participated in this competition across all five categories.
Maulana Asad Azmi who teaches Commentary on the Holy Quran and Arabic literature at the Jamia Salfia, Varanasi, said that the total prize money was SAR4,000,000 (Around one crore 86 lakhs Indian Rupees). Ibrahim got around 13 lakhs 29 thousand rupees as prize money.
Maulana Asad said, “Ibrahim is a very talented student who has been studying at Jamaia Salfia for the last three years. He is a student of Fazilat first year which is equivalent to graduation.”
Ibrahim showed his talent in 2016 on the world stage. In a competition held in UAE, Ibrahim was awarded the prestigious ‘Preacher of the Country’ award.
