Poets from 25 Countries Compete in Int'l 'Prophet of Mercy' Festival

IQNA – Poets from 25 countries have submitted around 1,500 poems to the International “Prophet of Mercy” Poetry Festival, held in honor of the 1500th anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Hossein Divsalar, Deputy for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Cooperation at the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), announced that the festival received poems from across the Muslim world and beyond.

Speaking at a press conference, he said the event is organized by ICRO in cooperation with Kuwait’s Ibrahim Institute, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Iranian Embassy in Kuwait, the Isfahan Provincial Government, and Islamic Azad University of Isfahan (Khorasgan Branch).

According to Divsalar, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has designated this year as the “Year of the Prophet of Mercy” following a proposal by Iran. “The festival aims to honor the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) moral and humanitarian teachings and to highlight his role as a messenger of peace,” he said.

The competition was held in Persian and Arabic. Poets from countries including Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, Tajikistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria, Turkey, Sweden, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan submitted their works.

The main themes include “The Prophet’s Character and Ethics,” “The Prophet as a Mercy to the Worlds,” “Peace and Justice in the Prophetic Tradition,” “Guidance for Humanity,” “Islamic Unity,” “Defense of the Oppressed,” and “Justice in the Prophetic Legacy.”

Divsalar said that 12 poets—six writing in Persian and six in Arabic—will be selected as winners.

The closing ceremony will take place on Monday, November 10, at Islamic Azad University of Isfahan.

Two poetry volumes, one in Persian and one in Arabic, will be unveiled at the event.

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Festival scientific secretary Alireza Qazveh described the submissions as “remarkable,” noting that 900 Persian poems were received, more than half of which were publishable. “The result is so impressive that we decided to compile the works into two books—250 pages in Persian and 350 pages in Arabic,” he said.

He added that both seasoned and emerging poets participated, with most Arabic entries written as qasidas and Persian ones as ghazals.

Qazveh emphasized that selected poems may later be used in other cultural events and artistic productions.

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