Saitama Hosts Audition Round of International Qur'an Recitation and Hifz Competition 2026

The Misato zone audition round of the International Qur'an Recitation and Hifz Competition 2026 was held at Kibonogokoryo Centre in Saitama, organized by the Islamic Cultural Foundation Japan (ICF Japan). Muslim residents of various nationalities living in Japan took part, as they have in previous years, with contestants of different ages — including many children and young people — reciting and demonstrating memorization of the Qur'an.

The event was managed by Md. Farhad Hossain, president of the Misato sub-chapter of Islamic Mission Japan, and chaired by Hasan Masud, president of the Islamic Mission Japan Saitama chapter. Engineer Abdullah Al Maruf, Central General Secretary of Islamic Mission Japan, attended as chief guest, while Atiqur Rahman, editor of Japan Bangla News, attended as special guest. Also present were Saitama chapter secretary Md. Shahin Ali, organizing secretary Arifur Rahman, and members of the local Muslim community.

Judging was carried out by Maulana Habib Iqbal Khan, imam and khatib of Misato Mosque, along with Egyptian scholar and researcher Ahmed Yousuf and Engineer Ahmed Hatima. After the audition round, medals and prizes were presented to all participating and selected contestants to encourage their continued study of the Qur'an and memorization.

Organizers said the competition aims to nurture love for the Qur'an among Muslim children and young people of different nationalities living in Japan, encourage recitation and memorization, and strengthen brotherhood and unity within the Muslim community. They thanked all participants, parents, judges, guests, and supporters for their contribution to the event.