On February 11th and 12th, 2026, BHA held its annual Quran memorization and qira’ah (recitation) competition, open to all middle and high school students. Those who participated were tested on either their memorization of specific juz’ or surahs or their recitation. The memorization competition had two levels; level one tested students on either the whole Quran or a predetermined group of juz’, and level two tested them on one surah that was chosen for their grade level. The qira’ah portion used different surahs to test students on their recitation.
The competition, which has been a part of BHA tradition for more than a decade, was created to, “motivate students in memorization and beautify their recitation, honor their achievements and efforts and strengthen the Islamic culture at BHA,” according to Ms. Nouhad, the head of the high school Quran and Islamic Studies department. When asked what preparation went into the competition, she said, “Together, the Quran teachers created the rules and outline for the participants and judges…They also put a lot of effort into preparing the questions. We gave each competitor a file containing a rubric and the level at which he was competing. We had to print out all of the student’s schedules in order to find which class every student is in, because the Quran teachers assisted by calling the participants from their classes.” The Quran teachers put a lot of effort into the competition, creating an event that adequately motivated students to practice and improve their memorization and qira’ah.
Just as the Quran teachers devoted themselves to preparing the stage for the competition, the students put in just as much effort and dedication in memorizing, practicing, and reviewing their ayat. “I prepared by memorizing a page whenever I could. I’d go ayah by ayah, reading each one, reading the tafsir and connecting the vocab to the meaning of the ayat, and then actually memorizing the ayat,” Junior Zeina Elhamadany stated. However, not all participants were as prepared, as Junior Eman Hayee recalls, “I completely forgot about it until the day of the competition. I hadn’t practiced at all, so I was terrified. I went in feeling unprepared and made mistake after mistake because I was so nervous.”
The winners of the competition were announced on Monday during salah. The first place winners for level one memorization were Yahya Najeeb, Ismaeel Ayaz, Yusra Sartaj, Zaid Elsiesy, and Mohsen Ahmad. The second place winner was Abrar Bashar, and the third place winner was Azfar Bashar. For level two memorization, Jude Sharaf, Zeina Elhamadany, and Ali Abou Shaar won first place, and Adam Dweik and Taha Alam won second place. The qira’ah competition was divided by grade level. For ninth grade, the first place winner was Shakera Mohammed, the second place winner was Abdul Aziz Mohammad, and the third place winner was Khadijah Mohammad. For tenth grade, the first place winner was Areesha Khan and the second place winner was Salma Morgan. In eleventh grade, Yahya Najeeb, Yahya Abou-Khamis, and Osayd Haq all won first place. Finally, for twelfth grade, Taneem Awili won first place, Abrar Bashar won second place, and Ahmad Kadiwala won third place. The BHA Post congratulates all the winners!
Even though it is a competition, with winners and trophies, the fundamental purpose goes beyond a shiny medal. The intention behind every ayah recited, down to the perfection of each ḥarakah, is ultimately for Allah and the accrual of hasanat. The beauty of Islam is only amplified through this competition as it brings together participants, teachers, and judges in one place to share the wonders of the Quran. As hadith of the Prophet (SAAW) states, “When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them (with their wings), (Allah’s) mercy envelops them, Sakinah, or tranquillity descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them before those who are near Him.” So whatever the outcome of the results, what all the participants can take from this is the passion and love for the words of Allah that will one day illuminate the path for them not only in this world, but also the Hereafter.
