Two young Nigerians have brought glory to the country and the Muslim community after emerging among the winners of the 46th King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorisation, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an, held at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Maryam Dan’azumi Ibrahim clinched first place in the women’s second category, earning 300,000 Saudi Riyals, equivalent to about N120 million, while Muhammad Marafa Abdullah placed fifth in the men’s second category, taking home 220,000 Saudi Riyals, roughly N88 million. Together their wins put Nigeria’s total haul at around N208 million.
The competition, running from August 6 to August 19, 2026, and corresponding to 23 Safar to 6 Rabi’ul Awwal 1448 AH, drew 334 contestants from 133 countries, with 50 winners emerging across five categories testing memorisation, recitation style and interpretation of Qur’anic vocabulary. This year’s edition marked a historic first, with female contestants officially competing internationally for the first time since the event began in 1979, complete with a dedicated closing ceremony for the women.
Saudi Arabia also raised the stakes significantly this year, pushing total prize money to 10.26 million Saudi Riyals, about N4.104 billion, the highest in the competition’s history. Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, Sheikh Dr Abdullatif Al Alsheikh, said the number of winners had grown from 12 in earlier editions to 50, reflecting the Kingdom’s deepening commitment to honouring Qur’an memorizers worldwide.
Winners were celebrated at the Grand Mosque under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, representing the King at the main ceremony, while Princess Fahda bint Falah Al Hathleen honoured the female winners at a separate event. Sheikh Al Alsheikh reminded the contestants that true honour lies not just in winning but in living out the Qur’an’s teachings and serving as ambassadors of good conduct for their countries.
Nigeria’s dual placement, one female and one male winner in the same category, puts the country among a select group of nations, alongside Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt and others, whose representatives reached the top five on the global stage.
By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed
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