– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
In a recently held international competition of the Holy Qur’ān at Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Shahbandari from Bhatkal, Karnataka secured second position. He was awarded with cash prize of 65000 Saudi riyals.
The 43rd edition of King Abdul Aziz International Quran Competition was held in different categories; memorization, recitation and interpretation of the Holy Qur’ān at the Grand Mosque. Totally 166 contestants from 117 countries participated in all the categories.
In the fifth category, Elias Abdou from Larionion stood first followed by Ibrahim Shahbandari. Marwan bin Shalal from the Netherlands achieved third position followed by Mustafa Sinnanovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ibrahim Shahbandari started participating in international competitions from quiet an early age. While he was just eight years old, he was awarded the prestigious title of “Preacher of the Nation” in an Arabic religious sermon contest held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2016. Ibrahim’s amazing oratory skills stunned both the predominantly Arabic-speaking audience and judges as he outdid more than 70 contestants to secure this coveted title.
Ibrahim Shahbandari is currently studying at Jamia Salfia, Banaras. He had his early education at Knowledge School, Bhatkal.
