Omar bin Ahmed Busaada judged the contestants’ memorization skills and their ability to recite the Quran from memory.

Speaking to IQNA, Busaada said that because the blind do not have the sense of sight, they usually have stronger ability to focus and, therefore, are more successful in memorizing the Quran.

He said those who have a disability normally have a strong willpower and enjoy special capabilities and potentials that some tend to ignore.

God has given this group of people a strong memory and good skills in memorizing and keeping the memorized verses in mind, the Algerian Quran scholar said.

Maybe that is because not being able to see gives them ability to better concentrate on what they are learning, he stated.

He added that in every Muslim country, one can find many visually-impaired individuals among those attending Quranic schools.

Busaada hailed the Islamic Republic of Iran for organizing the international Quran competition for the visually-impaired and said such events and programs help improve their self-confidence and encourage them to get involved in Quranic activities.

He described holding the contest annually by Iran’s State Welfare Organization and Awqaf and Charity Affairs Organization as a valuable measure that should be appreciated.

The Algerian expert called on other Muslim nations to take Iran’s example and organize similar Quranic contests for the blind in the fields of memorization and recitation.

Asked about the level of the contest this year, he said the contenders were at different levels as far as their Quranic skills are concerned.

On the whole, the visually-impaired who attended the competition had acceptable performance and were good in terms of recitation and memorization skills, he said.

Elsewhere in the interview, Busaada was asked about his own Quranic activities. He said he is an expert in Quran recitation styles and Quranic scripts and a member of a Quranic committee in Algeria’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Busaada said he has attended international Quran contests as an arbiter in Algeria and many other countries but Iran’s are exceptional.

He stressed that Iran’s Quran competitions are distinct from other Quranic events in the Muslim world for various reasons, including the variety of the categories and sections in Iran’s Quranic events.

The Algerian scholar noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran holds annual international Quran competitions for men, women, the visually-impaired, school students, and seminary students, in categories like memorization, recitation, interpretation, etc.

http://iqna.ir/fa/news/3803356