The Mu'assasa Al-Islah foundation has organized the first Quranic recitation competition for military and paramilitary personnel, in Zaria, challenging stereotypes about their religious commitment.
The competition, held at the foundation's premises in Tudun Wada, Zaria, brought together competitors from various agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Police Force, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Federal Road Safety Corp, and Nigeria Correctional Service.
Other agencies that participated in the maiden edition of the event include Kaduna State Traffic Enforcement Law Agency,KASTELIA, Kaduna State Vigilante Service KADVIS, Hisbah, Aides groups of both Jamaatu Izalatul Bid'ah and Fityanul Islam of Nigeria.
Speaking at the finals of the competition, the founder Sheikh Shuaibu Salihu Zaria explained that the competition aimed to showcase uniformed personnel's dedication to their religion and encourage them on adherence to their faith and regular recitation of the Holy Quran.
Sheikh Salihu stated that the competition also aimed to counter notions that uniform personnel are "religiously backward" due to their demanding careers.
"We wanted to project to the world that there are good personnel who work according to the dictate of their religion in every strata of life," he said.
While appreciating the participating agencies, the founder said the event was generously sponsored by Prof. Abdallah bn Ali Tammam.
"The professor was my supervisor at Masters level in the Islamic University of Madina, Saudi Arabia and has been sponsoring the competition for three consecutive years now.
"Initially his donation was targeted at the students of the foundation, but when I realized that the resources can cover participants outside our students, I included the orphans and this year, invited the 10 military and paramilitary agencies to participate." He explained.
Sheikh Salihu appreciated the gesture and prayed that Allah rewards him accordingly.
In his remarks, Emir of Zazzau, Mallam Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, represented by the Wazirin Zazzau Khadi Mohammed Inuwa Aminu, applauded the initiative, urging organizers to sustain the tempo and seek more sponsors to augment the effort.
The Emir commended the foundation for promoting a positive image of uniformed personnel and encouraging religious devotion and commitment.
Major Umar Mohammed Sheshi, Chief Imam of Depot, Nigerian Army, who led a team of competitors from his formation appreciated the opportunity for personnel to showcase their talent.
He suggested to the foundation for broader scope of the competition to accommodate more participants in subsequent contests, that promotes inter-agency camaraderie and spiritual growth.
Sheikh Abdurrahman Idris, Zaria Area Commander of the Nigeria Police Force, appealed for more donations to support winners, citing the meager gifts presented to contestants.
He stressed that such competitions should be complemented with huge and attractive prizes to encourage participants.
The Quranic recitation competition was competed at various categories, including 60, 30, 20, and 10 Hifz, with winners receiving prizes of assorted food items, clothes and cash donation.
The event demonstrated the commitment of uniformed personnel to their faith, showcasing their talent and devotion to religious activities.
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