Final Competition Rules & Guidelines

The participants competing in the Qiraat categories will be asked to randomly select a question from the question box.

Participants in the Hifz category will be asked to select an envelope which will contain the questions.

In the Hifz and Qira’at categories, the judges will be testing the participants # 1 on their memorization of the Qur’an, # 2 on the rules of Tajweed, # 3 and their tone.

Marking system for Hifz & Qiraat categories:

  • ½ mark will be deducted for each time the participant is unable to read fluently
  • 1 mark will be deducted for any Hifz errors that are corrected by the participant himself after being informed by the Questioner by the ringing of the bell
  • 2 marks will be deducted if the Questioner has to correct the mistake
  • If a participant makes more than 3 Hifz mistakes in a question, which the Questioner has to correct, the participant will fail that question.
  • The Questioner will ring the bell to bring any Hifz mistakes to the participant’s attention.
  • For Tajweed errors, the bell will not ring but the Judges will mark the mistakes on the mark sheet.

Rules and Guidelines for Naazira Categories

For participants competing in the Naazira categories, they will be asked to select an envelope which will contain the questions.

In the Naazira category, the judges will be testing the participants on their recitation of the Qur’an while looking and their adherence to the rules of Tajweed as well as their tone.

  • ½ mark will be deducted for each time the participant is unable to read fluently
  • 1 mark will be deducted for any Hifz errors that are corrected by the participant himself after being informed by the Questioner by the ringing of the bell
  • 2 marks will be deducted if the Questioner has to correct the mistake
  • If a participant makes more than 4 mistakes in a question, which the Questioner has to correct, the participant will fail that question.

The Questioner will ring the bell to bring any Naazira mistakes to the participant’s attention.

For Tajweed errors, the bell will not ring but the Judges will mark the mistakes on the mark sheet.

Marking Criteria for Hifz, Qiraat & Naazira for Tajweed:

  • 1 mark will be deducted for minor errors, known as lahn-e- khafi. This includes errors in sifaat-e- Aaridha ghunna, madd, tafkheem, and tarqeeq.
  • 2 marks will be deducted for each Major Error, known as lahn-e- jali. These are mistakes made in makhaarij and sifaat-e- laazima

For Pretest (HIDDEN)

  • Participants can only take part and register for one category each. Changes of category will not be accepted once the form is submitted.
  • If you are currently memorizing the Qur'an or have already memorized Juz 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, you cannot participate in the Naazira (reading with looking) categories. If you violate this rule, you will be disqualified.
  • All participants who received first place in the Hifz categories OR either first or second place in any of the Qira'at categories in last year's competition cannot participate in the same category in this year's competition (applies to both boys and girls).
  • Those boys and girls who have memorized the entire Qur'an cannot participate in the Qira'at categories.
  • The pace of recitation must neither be fast nor slow; it should be at a medium (moderate) pace.
  • All participants in the Qira’at and Hifz categories will be tested on memorization and recitation according to the rules of Tajweed.
  • All participants in the Naazira categories will be tested on their recitation of the Qur’an while looking in the mushaf and in accordance to the rules of Tajweed.
  • Non-refundable registration fee of $25.00 must be paid in order for the registration to be complete.

Important Dates

Please the following dates on your calendar

Last Day to Register
November 14, 2016
Date of Pre-test
December 3, 2016
Girls' Competition
February 25, 2017
Boys Competition
March 10-12, 2017