Mini Report:
Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. In Ramadan, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an and fast from food and drink during the sunlight hours as a means of drawing closer to Allah and cultivating self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate. Ramadan is a month of great spiritual renewal and devotion, during which Muslims devote more time to reading the Qur'an and performing special prayers. Keeping all this in mind, ISS-Bangladesh is organizing this Annual Ramadan Islamic Competition to celebrate this holy month and enhance knowledge about Islam among students of UTM.
“The Ramadan Islamic Competition” aimed to revive a spiritual connection to the Holy Quran and Islam and motivates the students to learn more about the beauty of Islam. The community also believes that organizing an event like that, will help the students to gain intra-community bonding and strengthen the communal harmony among themselves.
There were three different categories in the event in which students from different faculties has participated.
1.Category I: The Holy Quran Recitation (Open for all UTM Students)
2.Category II: Adhan, the Islamic call to prayer (Open for all UTM Students)
3.Category III: Islamic Songs (Open for Bangladeshi Students Only)
The students of UTM participated in the event with vigor and interest. Since this type of competition is new on the committee, The committee was able to witness some amazing Islamic talent among the students. Each category of the event had competitiveness and thus the Talent hunt was worth the contest.
The objectives of the event were to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, enhance knowledge about Islam among students of UTM, Develop strong intra-community bonding, and hunt for talent.
Self reflection:
On April 8, 2022, a student in our Software Engineering Group provided a link to the Annual Ramadan Islamic Competition event. "The Ramadan Islamic Competition" aims to revive a spiritual connection to the Holy Quran and Islam, as well as to motivate students to learn more about Islam's beauty. This event was organized by the ISS Bangladesh community to help students form intra-community bonds and enhance communal peace among themselves. This competition had three separate categories. The first category, "Islamic Songs," was open only to Bangladeshi students, while the other two categories, "Holy Quran Recitation" and "Azan Islamic Call to Prayer," were open to all UTM students.
Participating in this competition was a very special and good opportunity for all of us. Because this event was arranged during the holy month of Ramadan. When I was 16, I used to call to prayer in the mosque in my hometown. But I never got a chance to take participate in any competition. Especially in an international university like UTM, where people from many backgrounds and countries study. So participating in this competition and expressing my talent was a great chance for me.
I filled out the registration form to participate in the competition . Following that, I received an email from the community asking me to record my Azan and submit it to them. I made a video of my azan and send it to the them. After that, we were invited to the event's last day, which was specifically the day of prize distribution, and our result was also to be announced on that day. Which I had been waiting for days. I attended the event on April 30, 2022.
The event began about five o'clock. There were various Ramadan-related events, and the Bangladeshi community also organized an Iftar dinner for us. After the dinner, The competition's result was announced. By grace of almighty Allah's , I came in second place in the category "Azan the Islamic Call to Prayer." It was a really exciting moment for me because it was the first time I had competed in an Islamic competition with students from different countries.
Then the prize distribution began, and I received an award and a certificate. The event ended smoothly following the award distribution. This was the best event of my life, and it was a great start for me. Participating in this event's competition and achieving second position in "Azan, the Islamic Call to Prayer" boosted my confidence. In addition, I met with a lot of international students. I'm glad I was able to participate in such activities since it provided me with valuable experience. The entire session was interesting and well-organized, and I learned a lot.
I also really enhanced my communication and critical thinking abilities. I've also made new friends and met foreign students. I am happy for the opportunity to participate in this event; it was a great learning experience for me.