Bandar Seri Begawan - The National Nuzul al-Quran is one of Brunei‘s most important Islamic events. It was held last night at the International Conference Centre‘s Plenary Hall. Consenting to attend the celebration was His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and other members of the Royal Family.
Also consenting to attend were His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at Prime Minister‘s Office, HRH Prince Abdul Malik and HRH Prince Abdul Mateen.
Upon arrival, His Majesty and the Royal Family were welcomed by Pehin Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Badaruddin Pengarah Dato Paduka Hj Othman, the Acting Minister of Religious Affairs cum Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee for Important Days in Islam.
For the year of 1428 Hijrah, the grand Islamic celebration‘s theme is "Memperkasa Iltizam Kehidupan Berugama". It was jointly organised and managed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as the Fire and Rescue Department.
The evening began with a reading of the al-Fatihah led by Pehin Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Abd Aziz Juned, the State Mufti. This was followed by a welcoming speech from Pehin Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Badaruddin Pengarah Dato Paduka Hj Othman, the Acting Minister of Religious Affairs, who commented on the changes, and improvements that have been made to the competition, as well as thanking the contributors.
His Majesty then consented to deliver a Titah, which focused on the Holy Quran and its role in the life of people for guidance.
The event was enlivened with a special talk entitled "Memperkasa Iltizam Kehidupan Berugama: Conducting Religious Affairs with the Guidance of al-Quran", which was presented by Ustazah Zasia Sirin, the Senior Special Duties Officer at Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The highlight of the celebration was the announcement of winners of the Finals of the Citation and Understanding of the al-Quran in conjunction with the Nuzul al-Quran Celebration, which was done by Ustaz Mohd Hasyim Hj Abdullah, with the accompaniment of a video clip.
The winners for Category A for children 10 years of age and below included first place winner Mujibatunn Nuhaa Hj Sadini, followed by Afq Haririe Hj Md Daud and Nur Nadhirah Sh‘minan in second and third places respectively. In Category B, for participants between the ages of 10 and 15, the winners were Nor Azriah Hj Abdul Aziz in first place, followed by Siti Musfirah Misli and Siti Hafizah Al-Haziqah Aripin@Arifin in second and third places respectively.
In Category C, for those 30 years and below, Mohammad Huzailan Hj Kassim took first place, which was followed by Aqilah Hj Ayop and Ak Khairul Ikhwan Pg Alit in second and third places respectively.
As for Category D, which was an open category, there was no first place or second place winner due to below-par performances, but coming in third place was Md Khairul Anuar Hj Ahmad.
The evening was further enlivened by performances from two of the first place winners in Categories A and B. His Majesty then consented to present the competition‘s winners with their prizes, which included trophies and certificates of participation.
The finals took place on Sept 6 at the Multipurpose Hall of the Fire and Rescue Department with 17 participants for the four categories.
To bless the event, a doa selamat was read by the State Mufti. His Majesty then consented to meet and greet the winners, who were accompanied by their parents and guardians.
Source: www.brudirect.com (29 September 2007)
