His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office graced the opening night of the National Al-Quran Recitation for Adults Finals 1433H/2012M at the International Convention Centre in Berakas last evening.

Also present were Cabinet Ministers and Cheterias as well as other distinguished guests.

The opening night of the finals saw the participation of two male Qaris namely Awang Haji Mahrof bin Haji Chuchu and Awangku Muhammad Adibul Amin bin Pengiran Haji Marjuki, as well as two Qariahs namely Dayang Hajah Siti Noor Dzuhairah binti Haji Awang Damit and Dayang Hajah Noorlaila binti Haji Metussin. Four more Qaris and four more Qariahs will take to the stage on the final night. The results of the finals will be decided tonight.

In a speech, Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Rahman, the Minister of Religious Affairs in his capacity as the Chairman of the High-Level Committee of the National Al-Quran Recitation for Adults Finals 1433H/2012M, said that the competition began at mosque level to select Qaris and Qariahs to feature in the zone and district level. He added that participants who scored more than 75 per cent qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition. A total of 80 participants including 60 Qaris and 20 Qariahs competed in the quarterfinals for four consecutive days, which was held on January 9 at Kampong Sungai Besar Mosque in Jalan Kota Batu.

Forty-one participants scored more than 80 per cent to qualify for a place in the semifinal stage. The semifinals were held for two successive days on March 12 and 13 at Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Only 12 participants advanced to the finals of the competition comprising six Qaris and six Qariahs.

The minister also said that the judges had found that the quality of most of the participants this year had steadily improved. "At the same time, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will continue its efforts to provide an intensive course to the competition's winners and subsequently provide the best preparation for the winners who would go on to represent Brunei at an international competition in Kuala Lumpur," he added.

The theme of the National Al-Quran Recitation Competition for Adults Finals 1433H/2012M is "Al-Quran as a guide to human holistic perfection". - Borneo Bulletin (2 May 2012)