KUALA LUMPUR: The World #QuranHour which will be held on Aug 31 has attracted the interest of Maldives Religious Affairs Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.
Mohamed Shaheem shared his experience in organising the programme last year in his home country.
“The response that we received was overwhelming as the public can recite the verses of Quran simultaneously through live coverage on television.
A majority of Maldives population is made up of Muslims and so they welcomed such a programme being conducted there last year,” he said.
He said during last year’s programme the committee encountered some difficulties in gathering participants as the date fell during the Haj season.
Even so, the University Islam Maldives chancellor said this year they managed to gather over 500 participants.
“We have discussed with our education minister to make this event compulsory to all schools on the many islands of Maldives.
“Last year we used the ‘character’ theme and recited Quranic verses related to it. The theme is important because we do not want people to read the Quran without understanding its meaning,” he said adding that he hoped that the event organised in Malaysia this year would be a success.
He hoped that more Muslim would practice to recite Quranic verses daily and make it a habit.
Other than to receive the blessings of Allah, he hoped that by reciting the Quran, it can also help Muslims to understand its meaning especially in avoiding terror related activities.
The World #QuranHour will be held at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Mosque at the International Islamic University (IIUM) from 12pm to 1pm on Aug 31 (9 Zulhijjah).
It is in conjunction with the wuquf in Arafah, Mecca on the 9th day of Zulhijjah of the Islamic calendar, which coincidently falls on the same day as National Day on Aug 31.
For one hour, Quran recitations will be held to encourage reading, understanding and discussions of the holy scripture.
Media Prima Group is one of World #QuranHour’s media partners.