Minshawi Abdallah, an 11-year-old boy, has won the competition for memorising forty Hadiths, including the chain of narrators and understanding the meaning of the text.
The event, organised by the King Mohammed VI Foundation for African Ulama (Islamic scholars), was held for two days at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) headquarters in Old Kampala, concluding on Friday.
Hadith refers to the collection of sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad, which serve as important sources of guidance for Muslims, alongside the Quran. The Hadith literature provides detailed insights into the Prophet's life and teachings, helping to clarify and interpret Quranic verses.
Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa, the Deputy Mufti, officiated the closure of the first-of-its-kind Hadith competition on behalf of Dr. Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, the Mufti of Uganda.
The competition was divided into three categories:the memorization of texts of forty Hadiths, including their sources of narrators and understanding the significance of the text, was won by a 15-year-old girl, Bushira Nayibale.
The other is the memorisation of twenty Hadiths, Ahkam (jurisprudential rulings), explaining the benefits they contain, was won by a young lady, Asma Ndezi.
Sheikh Waiswa praised the organizers of the competition, describing it as timely due to the high position Hadiths occupy, being second to the Holy Quran.
He also implored other Muslim-based organizations to emulate the King Mohammed VI Foundation for African Ulama in organizing similar competitions to safeguard, strengthen, and preserve Islamic culture, norms, and values among future Muslim generations.
Earlier, Sheikh Hanie Abdu-Rahman, the Deputy Mufti of the Arab Republic of Sudan, and Dr. Abdallah Edris Serwadda, Principal of the UMSC-based Insan International University, had commended the importance of organizing competitions aimed at memorizing Hadiths.
Dr. Ebraheem Ssali, the head of the Ugandan Chapter, also spoke about the Foundation and its planned activities.