Bangladeshi Hafiz Nooruddin Zakaria Wins Top Prize at Global Quran Competition

MECCA (International Desk) — A young Bangladeshi hafiz has brought international recognition to his country in the field of Quran memorization and recitation. Hafiz Nooruddin Zakaria won first place in the men’s fourth category at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Quran in Saudi Arabia, outperforming 334 candidates from 133 countries.
The competition was held at Masjid al-Haram in Mecca from August 6 to 19, 2026, organized by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, across five categories. Zakaria’s category required contestants to memorize 15 consecutive parts (juz) of the Quran and demonstrate proficiency in accurate recitation and tajweed.
For his victory, Zakaria received a prize of 150,000 Saudi riyals (approximately Rs 3.818 million). Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman announced an award of 20 million taka, the country’s highest civilian honor, and a government job for Quran recitation on state television. Libya’s Humam Mustafa Al-Obaid Zuraiqan placed second, while Kyrgyzstan’s Mirbekov Musa placed third.
Notably, Zakaria’s father supported the family by selling milk, and sold his cow to cover his son’s travel expenses and other costs for the competition.
Other Bangladeshi contestants also performed well: Sheikh Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan placed third in the men’s third category, while Musfira Bint Mahmud and Rabita Bint Ramadan placed third in the women’s third and fourth categories respectively. The competition offered total prize money of 13.6 million Saudi riyals, with first-category winners — Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Rahman bin Mukhtar bin Ahmad Muhammad and Algeria’s Jumana Shuraytiyah — each receiving 500,000 riyals.