TEHRAN – Iranian reciter Hamed Alizadeh has won the first prize at the 59th International Al-Quran Recital and Memorizing Assembly in Malaysia.

He received his prize during the closing ceremony of the competition at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Sunday.

Bruneian reciter Awangku Muhammad Adibul Amin bin Pengiran Haji Marjuki emerged as runner-up while Wan Fakhrul Razi Wan Mohamad from Malaysia won the third prize.

Normalina Alias from Malaysia won the first prize in the female reciters category and Dayang Siti Noor Dzuhairah Awang Damit from Brunei won the second prize.

The third place in this category was taken by A’tiiqah Suhaimi from Singapore.

In the male memorizers’ category, Diallo Mouhamed Al Muoudjtaba from Senegal received the first prize and Muhammad Syazani Jemy from Malaysia and Ammar Abdulla A. Sakini from Qatar won the second and third prizes respectively.

Aishatu Musa Gale of Nigeria took the first place in the female memorizers’ category and the second and third prizes went to Zainab M.S. Hijawi from Palestine and Ngom Ndeye Diarra from Senegal.

Iranian male reciters are the major competitors at the Malaysian contest every year.

Mohsen Haji-Hassani Kargar took first place at the 57th edition of the competition. He lost his life in the 2015 deadly stampede during the hajj pilgrimage in Mina.

Mohammad-Taqi Morovvat, Ahmad Abolqasemi and Ali Sayyah Gorji are among the Iranian top winners of the contest in previous editions.   

Photo: Iranian reciter Hamed Alizadeh (R) receives his prize as top winner from Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V during the closing ceremony of the 59th International Al-Quran Recital and Memorizing Assembly at Kuala Lumpur’s Putra World Trade Centre on May 20, 2017. (NSTP/Mohd Yusni Ariffin)

MMS/YAW