Dubai young muezzin urges other kids to join contest for 'best voices for prayer'
And last year when fourteen-year-old Emirati Abdul Rahman Al Maalmi participated in the "Muadhin Al-Farij" project to choose and train young callers to prayer from different Dubai neighbourhoods, he performed.
Second edition of the community drive has been started by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai on Sunday.
The "Mu’adhin Al-Farij" has a name of "The neighbor’s prayer-caller". It wants to teach Islamic culture to future generations and connect children with mosques.
The first edition was popular last year, with more than 300 young Emiratis involved.
Abdul Rahman was now looking forward to returning again this year and wants children to join in. "It will be a contest now, like kids play football, we will play football to be our neighbourhood Mu’adhins," he said.
The contest is open for registration starting Monday and the closing date for submissions is February 7. They already have parents expressing curiosity, archiving Facebook posts with queries on how to enroll their kids. It is already buzzing as families gear up for this life-changing experience.
Abdul Rahman’s excitement has moved a lot of his classmates to subscribe to the second edition.
"It was awesome and I was happy," he said. ‘It’s good for me and I want to tell other kids that they should too,’ said Abdul Rahman who plans to be a caller to prayer at Al Masjid Al Haram in Makkah.
Abdul Rahman became involved in the callers to prayer community when his mother Sameha encouraged him to participate in "Mu’adhin Al-Farij". His younger brother, 11-year-old Omer, joined too, and was anxious at first but delighted to be chosen once he had proven himself.
— The brothers recently had the opportunity to proclaim prayers at Al Nasr Club Mosque, and they were further connected to this community position. Sameha is proud of how the project has engaged with families and residents of Dubai and inspired them to connect with one another for a common cause.
New focus
The project is being launched by Dubai’s Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities, and this year brings the emphasis on family engagement to contribute to national identity.
Sheikh Hamdan is also the founder of the "Quran in Every Home" campaign, which consists of having the Holy Quran printed in every home. This is in the name of religious vigilance, and an invitation to families to contemplate the Quran during the forthcoming holy month of Ramadan.
Sheikh Hamdan also directed a 50% expansion of the number of mosques to the "Muadhin Al-Farij" project in order to target the 6-14 years old children.
Comments