The Marmara Regional Final of the Inter-University Qur’an Memorization Competition, organized in collaboration with the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Council of Higher Education, was hosted by the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Istanbul Medeniyet University. The event took place on April 28, 2025, at the Aşık Paşa Conference Hall on the university’s South Campus. Among the attendees were Istanbul Medeniyet University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Fatih Sarıoğlu, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies Prof. Dr. Alican Dağdeviren, and the Mufti of Pendik, Musa Bilgiç.
The program began with a recitation of the Qur’an, followed by an opening speech delivered by our Dean, Prof. Dr. Alican Dağdeviren. In his address, Prof. Dr. Dağdeviren expressed his pleasure at the Faculty’s hosting of such a meaningful event and emphasized the significance of reciting, memorizing, and preserving the Qur’an within the Islamic tradition. He congratulated all the participants and jury members, stating that memorizing the Qur’an makes every contestant a winner in the hearts of the audience.
In the second official address of the program, our Vice Rector, Prof. Dr. Fatih Sarıoğlu, emphasized that memorizing the Qur’an is a sacred journey sustained by patience, determination, and sincerity. Highlighting that memorizing the Qur’an also entails the great responsibility of understanding, living by, and conveying its message, Prof. Dr. Sarıoğlu stated that the efforts of the students participating in the competition are a source of hope for the future of the ummah. He concluded his speech by congratulating the participants, their families, and their instructors.
Following the speeches, the program continued with the introduction of the jury members. The jury panel included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yıldız from Istanbul University Faculty of Theology; Dr. Muhammed Coşkun, Director of the Haseki Abdurrahman Gürses Qur’anic Recitation Specialization Center; Dr. Mehmet Kara from Marmara University Faculty of Theology; Dr. Mehmet Kılıç, and Lecturer İbrahim Çavdar, both from Istanbul Medeniyet University. Speaking on behalf of the jury, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yıldız provided information about the competition process and its rules.
After a draw was held to determine the order of participation, students representing six universities took the stage and responded to memorization and word meaning questions drawn from envelopes they had selected. Just before the jury announced the results, our Faculty Vice Dean, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sami Baga, delivered a speech in which he thanked the institutions and individuals who contributed to the organization of the competition.
Based on the jury’s evaluation, Muhammed Yasir Akbulut from Marmara University Faculty of Theology placed first, Musungayi Moussa Biselele from Uludağ University Faculty of Theology placed second, and Abdullah Said Çetin from 29 Mayıs University Faculty of Theology placed third. Following the announcement of the results, the Faculty of Islamic Studies presented various awards to the top-ranking students. The first-place winner received three quarter gold coins, the second-place winner received two, and the third-place winner received one. All remaining participants were awarded a gram of gold each. Additionally, every student who took part in the competition received a Riyāḍu's-Ṣāliḥīn book set as a gift. The program concluded with a luncheon offered to the guests.
