Akhlaqul Karimah, a student from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) at the University of Indonesia (UI), (Geosciences 2021), has successfully brought honor to the Faculty by winning first place in the 2021 Musabaqah Hifdzil Quran (MHQ) National 5th Juz competition, held online by Teman Ngafalmu Official. The good news was announced live via the Zoom Meeting platform exactly two days after the final round.
Akhlaqul Karimah, better known as Qory, proved to be the best participant out of 100. The competition consisted of four preliminary rounds, a final round, and the announcement of the winners. The winners were 1st through 3rd place, as well as 1st and 2nd runner-up.
“The preliminary round was held via Zoom Meeting, and each participant was asked to close their eyes to avoid any indication of cheating. The memorization category tested covers Juz 1 to Juz 5, with a total of three questions using a verse-connection scheme. The assessment itself was based on memorization fluency, with points deducted for nisyan and taraddud, as well as tajwid and fashahah, and naghom (pronouncing the verses),” said Qory, explaining the preliminary round he went through.
Furthermore, Qory also described a more challenging final round, where the level of difficulty also increased.
“So, from the preliminary round, the five participants with the highest scores were selected to advance to the final round. The final round featured special judges, Ustadz Muhammad Labib Fikri, winner of the International 30 Juz Quran Hifdzil, as well as administrators of the Quran memorization institution and the Islamic preaching council. The final format was almost the same as the preliminary round, but the questions were mutasyabihat verses with a reading length of approximately one page per question,” Qory continued.
In addition, Qory revealed that almost all participants had extraordinary memorization abilities without taraddud and nisyan, but he admitted that the things that could be an added value for him were the aspects of tajwid, fashahah, and three kinds of naghom, where these aspects were almost not brought by other participants.
Behind his struggle, Qory also said that his main motivation in taking part in this competition was to strengthen his ability to memorize holy verses.
“My biggest motivation is that I view this competition as an opportunity to strengthen my memorization so I can perform well. I’m sure the competition will truly test everything, from mental toughness and preparedness to the experience we gain, which will be invaluable in the future,” said Qory.
This strong motivation also led Qory to gain various valuable benefits. At the end of the interview, Qory emphasized the importance of competitive experience for students because it trains their mentality, fosters courage to try, and fosters perseverance. According to Qory, these positive benefits can help us progress further in the future.
The 2021 National 5th Juz Quran Recitation Competition (MHQ) is a competition and learning event that challenges hafidz (reciters) and hafidzah (reciters) to memorize holy verses. The competition is open to the public, with age requirements ranging from 15 to 25.
As for timeline perlombaan adalah 1-10 November 2021 (Pendaftaran), 13-14 November 2021 (Babak Penyisihan Kloter 1 dan 2), (20-21 November 2021 (Babak Penyisihan Kloter 3 dan 4), 28 November (Babak Final), 30 November (Pengumuman).
Article compiled by: Arrizqy Nadya Khairunissa Yulianto (Geography 2019)
