Preparing for the Holy Ramadan Month: In Kyiv ICC Muslimahs competed in learning Quran by heart

On Friday, May 3, thirty contestants took part in Learning Quran by heart Competition that took place in Kyiv Islamic Cultural Centre. Now they are looking forward to the next blessed Friday, not just because it will be the first Friday of Holy Ramadan Month of fasting and prayer, but also because the results of the competition finally will be ready and announced.

Those girls, who decided to take part in the contest for the first time, might not worry about this, because all debutants - among them were small pupils of Our Future gymnasium, as well as adult ladies - demonstrated their knowledge out of the competition. Nevertheless, every new participant was very glad to hear the competent opinion about her knowledge and get advices from the elder sisters - the Quran's guardians, regardless of how many juzes she already knew.

Hafizes Manal Manoo and Samia Erada were the judges and estimated the girls’ level of knowing the Qur’an by heart and corresponding to the all Tajweed rules reading of its verses.

Vira Fryndak, the first ethnic Ukrainian, who was entitled as Quran’s guardian, the Hafithah of 2015, announced the contestants. The native of Stryi (Lviv region), had already learned the whole Qur’an by heart in the source language (Arabic), and then she successfully passed an exam, held by the commission headed by Sheikh Haydar al-Hajj, the expert on Allah’s Book. She received a corresponding diploma from his hands.

Hafith is a very honored and authoritative title in the Muslim world. it allows men to be imams in a mosque and teachers in a madrasah. A Hafiz woman can also teach in a female madrasah and be a spiritual mentor for those who study the Quran.

Spoken tradition has played a significant role in preserving the Islamic heritage and primary sources. Already during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings), his followers learned Quran Ayats and Hadiths by heart and passed down through generations. The guardians of the Islamic heritage were people, who knew the whole text of the Quran and were able to interpret it. They are called Hafith Al-Quran. Hafithes are also called people, who learned by heart tens of thousands of hadiths and know all their narrators. The spoken tradition of the Quran and the hadith retelling still exists along with the writing one.