Cleric to Represent Iran at Kazakhstan’s 2nd Int’l Quran Contest
Hojat-ol-Islam Seyed Ali Hosseini, a memorizer of the entire Quran, will represent the Islamic Republic of Iran in the second edition of the international Quran competition in Kazakhstan.
Slated for October 14-17, 2025 – the competition, as one of the emerging Quranic events in the Central Asian region, will host the best Quran memorizers from different countries. It will be held only in the category of Quran memorization only.
Selected by the Secretariat of the Committee for Inviting and Dispatching Quran Reciters, Hojat-ol-Islam Hosseini from Qom province will be sent to this competition as the representative of Iran.
In an interview with IQNA, he talked about his Quranic activities.
“I started learning the Quran when I was seven years old. My parents are my main encouragers, who have paid special attention to the Quran, and before me, my older brother had also become a memorizer of the entire Quran, which further pushed me towards the Quran.
“I achieved my first success in the Adhan (call to prayer) competition in the fifth grade of elementary school. I began memorizing the Quran in an amateur manner in middle school, and in 2012, at the age of 14, I participated in the intensive memorization course at the Bayt al-Ahzan Institute, and at the end of this course in 2013, I was able to receive a certificate of memorizing the entire Quran.
“For several years now, I have been working at the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) Quran and Hadith Center and have held many classes for teenagers and young adults, some of whom have now memorized 10 or 20 Juzes (parts) of the Quran.”
He noted that since 2013, he has continuously participated in national Quran competitions.
“I have participated in various categories from memorizing 5 Juzes to memorization of the entire Quran and have won rankings in competitions.”
Asked how prepared he is for the Kazakhstan event, he said, “My entire focus is on strengthening my memory and improving my memorization. I have several meetings with prominent experts, including Masters Shahmiveh and Seyed Adnan Mousavi, in person and virtually. I also hold special meetings to fix my memorization problems. God willing, I will be well prepared by the time of the competition.”
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Asked if he has been provided with information about the administrative, technical and regulatory aspects of Kazakhstan’s competition, he said, “Given that this is the second edition of the competition, complete information about the regulations is not available. However, I know that last time only one representative from Iran participated in the recitation category, who unfortunately did not achieve a ranking despite his good performance. We are currently studying and reviewing the judging criteria for this competition.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Hojat-ol-Islam Hosseini was asked about the impact of the Holy Quran on the course of his personal life and daily interaction.
“The Quran has had a profound impact on all aspects of my life. Academically, spiritually, and even in choosing my path in life. Memorizing the Quran has created a deep connection with the Word of God that has brought me many blessings.
“The Quran is a safe haven and a place of refuge for the Quran’s memorizer; a person who, according to the Holy Quran, is the ‘carrier of the Quran’, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: ‘When temptations overtake you like pieces of the dark night, then hold fast to the Quran.’”
It should be noted that the first international Quran competition of Kazakhstan was held in in the largest mosque in the Central Asian country’s capital back in 2023. Mohammad Rasoul Takbiri represented Iran in that contest.
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