The Holy Quran, the Final Scripture, is the most genuine source for cognizance of truth, and the ocean of divine teachings. Hence, both Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei have considered it as a solution for every material and spiritual problem.
Imam Khomeini expressed the promotion of the noble Quran as the most important base of the practice of the Prophet of Islam and the infallible Imams (Blessings of God upon them). He stressed that propagating the Book of God and association with it are among the most important duties of the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to him, "The Quran must be present in every aspect of our life."
The noble Quran is the axis of unity of Muslims; for all Muslims believe in it. At the beginning of ayah 103 of Surah Ale Imran we read:
"Hold fast to God’s cord unanimously and do not be divided."
The ayah continues to introduce the Quran as an enlightening lamp. The characteristic of the lamp is that it enlightens the environment and shows the path. Thus, human being can see his way through the Qur'an. This source of light should be used as the means for fraternity and friendship among Muslim nations and communities.
After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, friendship with Muslim nations and governments became the basis of policy-making of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this regard, the international Quran competitions in Iran were emphasized as one of the mechanisms to bolster unity and solidarity among Muslims.
The international Quran competition is one of the greatest achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran and maybe the greatest Quranic event of the world. The competition has been held annually since 1982 (with the exception of the years 1981 and 1984). It is worth mentioning that in the years 1981 and 1984, due to the special conditions of the imposed war, bombardment and missile attacks of cities and the unsafe airspace of the country the competition was not held.
The first round of competitions in the field of memorization and recitation was held in Tehran's Husseinieh Ershad. The competition was attended by 24 reciters and memorizers from 12 countries. In that round, five foreign referees along with four Iranian ones assumed the assessment of the contestants. The participating countries were Bangladesh, Sahara Arab Republic, Algeria, Syria, Malaysia, India, Libya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Guinea and Iraq.
The promotion of the Quran's rich culture, familiarization of the world Muslims with the developments and progresses of the Islamic Republic of Iran and gaining experiences from the Quranic activities of other countries caused the Islamic Republic to continue the International Quran competitions.
The beginning of the International Quran Competition every year coincides with Eid Mab'as; i.e. the day when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the noble Prophet of Islam. This adds to the grace and blessing of the event. International competitions are not limited to only two fields of recitation and memorization. In recent years, some events have been added to the competitions, such as the International Conference on Quranic Studies and the participation of domestic and foreign researchers in scientific panels. These have been carried out with the aim of interaction, co-operation and reciprocation of opinions to open new vistas to scholars and reciters of the Qur'an.
In addition to enjoying the beautiful recitation of domestic and foreign reciters participating in the contest, the high quality of international assessment has also promoted its status to the level of the largest Quranic event of the Muslim world.
Another feature of the contest is the presence of the people from all walks of life. Holding of attractive events and Quranic exhibition alongside the main recitation halls with the voice of the prominent reciters create a unique climate which is fascinating to every viewer. During the days of the contests, the verses of the final Divine Scripture gladden restless hearts. Everyone comes to live with the verses of the Quran and recite some of them, as the Qur'an is the Book of guidance, and its fragrance travels to profundity of human soul and enlivens it.
The noble Quran in part of ayah 23 of Surah Zumar speaks of its spiritual attraction, saying:
"God has sent down the best of discourses, a scripture of similar motifs, whereat quiver the skins of those who fear their Lord, then their skins and hearts soften to God’s remembrance. That is God’s guidance, by which He guides whomever He wishes; and whomever God leads astray, has no guide."
The international Quran contest always ends with visiting the Leader of the Islamic Revolution which is greatly appreciated by the participants. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has always instructed that: "The great problem of Muslims is their distance from the Qur'an, the remedy is also the return to the Quran, the Quran is not just for recitation in corners, and the Quran is for action and should be the axis. If the great Islamic Ummah take the concepts and teachings of the Quran as their axis, the world will change."
In the 35th round of the contest which was held in November last year, Iran hosted more than 300 foreign contesters from 84 countries comprised of men, ladies, blinds and students of religious seminaries.
During 4 decades of the life of the Islamic Revolution, Islamic Iran is happy that it has managed to bring the Quran closer to the level of contemplation and reflection and that Muslims, in addition to recitation and memorization, and exchange of ideas, like to practice it in their lives.
Imam Khomeini (God's mercy upon him) stated: "What is desirable in recitation of the noble Quran is that it impacts the human heart and the human interior becomes the picture of the divine word so that it is stationed in the heart and replaces it; hence the very human interior is the Word of God and the Quran in proportion with his capacity and preparedness."
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