Six young Nigerians have emerged winners in the annual Hadith competition organised by the King Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulema, Morocco.
Speaking during the closing ceremony held in Abuja on Saturday, one of the judges, Dr. AbdulGaniyu Tijani, explained that the competition aims to deepen youths’ knowledge and memorisation of the Hadith and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
In the first category, the winners were Fatima Turbo, Muhammad Ibrahim, and Abubakar Abba, all from Borno State. In the second category, the winners were Saleh Al-Amin (Borno), Ahmed Kolawole (Kwara), and Khalifah Jibril (Kaduna).
Each category produced three winners, who received cash prizes of ₦250,000 for first place, ₦200,000 for second place, and ₦150,000 for third place.
Tijani emphasised that the competition’s primary goal is not the monetary reward but the promotion of Islamic knowledge among young people.
“The main objective of this competition is to encourage memorisation and understanding of the Sunnah and Hadiths of our beloved Prophet. We want to motivate the youth to engage with these teachings more deeply,” he said.
He explained that this is the second edition of the competition, following the inaugural event held last year. He expressed hope that the initiative would continue and expand in future editions.
“Nigeria is already recognised as the leading country in Africa for Qur’an memorisation, but there’s still much work to be done in the area of Hadith memorisation. This competition provides an opportunity to strengthen that aspect,” Tijani noted.
The contest involved three levels and three categories. Competitors in the first category memorised 40 Hadiths along with their chains of transmission and explanations. The second category involved 35 Hadiths, including key word meanings, while the third required memorisation of 25 Hadiths with their chains and corresponding Islamic rulings.
According to Tijani, 560 participants registered for the competition, which lasted about a month before finalists were selected. The six winners will also have the opportunity to travel and receive further support after their victory.
One of the coordinators, Prof. Ibrahim Maqari, announced that preparations are already underway for the upcoming African-level competition. “We are going to prepare them. There will be a camp where the winners will be mentored and trained to improve on the areas where lapses were observed,” he said.
Winner Ahmed Kolawole shared his experience, stating that the competition introduced him to several Hadiths he had not previously encountered.
“From this competition, I learned the second most important thing in Islam, which is the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). I now understand more about prayer and other essential aspects of the faith. This experience has encouraged me to follow the Sunnah more closely,” he said.