“Karrar,” “Jana,” and “Abdullah” are exceptional talents in recitation

The final competitions of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award bring together the most beautiful voices from around the world. Its 28th session records unprecedented levels of development and mastery in reaching the podium and winning the award of the largest and most expensive competition in the world, and the most influential and widespread.

Karar Laith Saad, from Iraq, is distinguished by his beautiful voice and mastery of reciting the Holy Qur’an, which qualified him to participate in the final competitions of the award.

His outstanding performance strengthened his disciplined personality, which is characterized by calm and solidity, and gave him a third eye that looks to the future, so that he sees in obstacles nothing but stations of patience, and in success nothing but fuel for humility, which turns his ambition into a message through which he seeks to leave an impact that extends to others, through his aspiration to establish a global digital school to teach the Holy Quran to non-Arabic speakers.

Karrar’s story is a story of will and a deep philosophy of patience and determination, which withstood a world filled with the clamor of digital distractions and the accelerating pace of life, to create a human being who decided to be a chaplain walking among the people overflowing with the values of the Book of God. He mastered reading in the levels of rotation and investigation in a tonal performance characterized by complete mastery of the Qur’anic maqams, precise discipline in the rules of intonation, and a high ability to imitate advanced performing methods while creating his own mark, which enabled him to compete. Top professional readers at a very young age, setting records and winning first places in many national and international competitions.

From the corridors of Al-Azhar in Egypt, to the glow of challenge in the sky of Dubai, appears Jana Ihab Mohamed Ramadan, the ambassador of Egyptian mastery passed down through generations in reciting the Holy Qur’an, enhancing it with her voice that overflows with serenity and touches hearts.

Jana (15 years old), a student in the first year of Al-Azhar secondary school, represents an honorable model for young Qur’anic talents who combined early mastery with great ambition.

She began her journey with the Holy Qur’an before she was five years old, and since that time, she has worked hard to learn the correct recitation according to the provisions of Tajweed and proper recitation, until she mastered the recitation professionally.

She has achieved many achievements, including an advanced position in the Thamar Al-Dhahabiya competition, one of the most prominent Qur’anic competitions in Egypt. She also participated in the Dar Al-Tahfiz competition, to which she belongs, and achieved first place in it.

Jana received great support from her family, where she found encouragement and support from a young age, and this had the greatest impact in setting her on the path to mastering and reciting the Holy Qur’an.

During her career, Jana received many pieces of advice from scholars and clerics, the most prominent of which was the emphasis on sincerity in intention, continuous memorization and review, and linking memorization and work with the Qur’an. She confirms that these pieces of advice formed a moral and practical compass that helped her continue despite the challenges.

From Kuwait, Abdullah Faisal Al-Butti (14 years old) qualified for the finals in the 28th session of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, after a promising journey of excellence, where he received his Qur’anic education at the Al Maher Society for the Qur’an and its Distinguished Sciences.

Abdullah was able to achieve many achievements, as he won first place at the level of schools in the Farwaniya Educational District in the Holy Quran Recitation Competition in 2025, and first and second places in the Great Kuwait Competition for Quran Memorization and Tajweed in the years 2024 and 2025, respectively. He also won first place in Farwaniya Governorate as the best muezzin for the students of the Ministry of Education in the year 2023, and first place in the Basaer Charitable Society competition for the most beautiful call to prayer of the year. 2023, and second place in the Modi Barjas Al-Soor Mosque competition for two consecutive years, 2024 and 2025.

The family’s interest played a major role in Abdullah’s success, and the beginning was with his mother, who began teaching him to memorize the Holy Qur’an at the age of nine, so he memorized the first two parts through her, before she joined him in specialized circles, as the entire family lives in a Qur’anic atmosphere, and everyone reviews the memorization with each other, in a very encouraging atmosphere that helps in memorization and consolidation.

Abdullah expressed his feeling of pride and gratitude for reaching the final qualifiers to compete for the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, and said: “My reaching this advanced stage of the award is a tribute from God and success, and it is the result of years of effort and perseverance. Competing in Dubai proves that the Qur’an unites hearts despite differences of tongues, and is a living embodiment of the universality of Islam.”

He added that participating in the Dubai International Holy Quran Award put him before international levels of challenge, which motivated him to raise the standards of proficiency and linguistic performance.

It is noteworthy that the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award announced a new development vision within its 28th session for the year (1447 AH – 2026 AD), to be more distinguished and have a broader impact, confirming the leading position of the Emirate of Dubai in serving the Holy Book of God, and consolidating its role as a global center for celebrating Qur’anic talents from various parts of the world, as the new session carries qualitative additions that enhance the competition’s journey spanning 28 years, and works to attract more talents from various parts of the world. The total reward value of the award has also been raised to more than 12 million dirhams.