3-yr-old Nigerian wins Qur’an memorisation contest in Saudi Arabia

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Muhammad Shamsuddeen Aliyu was reportedly enrolled into the Professor Ango Abdullahi International School, in Zaria, when he was just one-and-a-half year old.

The toddler is reported to have achieved the rare feat through the school programme which allows kids to be registered into the boarding programme from age one. By age three, Muhammad had memorised the the whole Qur'an.

Muhammad's father, Dr. Aliyu Shamsuddeen, who is also the head of the school, disclosed that the rationale behind admitting children at the tender age of one is that the brain easily assimilates education in its forms.

Speaking on his son's feat, he said:

“We have the belief that from the time a child stops sucking the breast of his mother up to adolescence, the brain is wide open and this allows a child to easily assimilate what he or she is taught. This is why we are admitting children from this age, specifically for Qur’anic memorisation.

“Muhammad is not the only boy that can memorise the Holy Qur’an here, but his difference with others is the fact that he was able to win competitions at various stages up to the international level. We have children from different parts of the country who are here with us studying the Holy Qur’an and Western education."

Dr. Aliyu went on to reveal that his wife and Muhammad's mother had been uncomfortable with the idea of admitting him at such a young age, but had later relaxed as soon as his talents began to reveal itself.

Muhammad reportedly began attending Qur’anic recitation competitions from Zaria local government. Following his success at the local level, he went on to represent the school at the state level, as well as the state at the national level.

His pace paved the way for him to represent the country at the International level In Saudi Arabia where he the second in his age category.

As part of his prize, Muhammad was given the privilege of choosing a country where he would be sponsored for a picnic by the Emir Muhammad Sanusi II, while he is in Saudi Arabia.

Apart from his memorisation talents, Muhammad can speak Arabic and English Languages fluently, while carrying out all the normal activities of a Nursery II pupil.

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The deputy Chief Imam of Tudun Jukun, Zaria Juma’at mosque, Ustaz Bashir Lawal, disclosed to correspondents that it is possible for a 3-year-old to be blessed with the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an but that in the history of previous generations of Islam, there has never been a time when a 3-year-old was reported to have memorised the complete holy book.

“Allah can do anything as part of justifying the sacredness of the Holy Qur’an, but in the history of Islam, that is the generations that the prophet (SAW) stamped as the best, there was no reported case of anyone who memorised the Holy the Qur’an at that age. There were instances where children of nine and above were reported to have memorised the Holy Qur’an, but not three."

We can safely say Muhammad is a special breed and will go on to stand out among his age mates.