Darul Qur’an wal Itrah is pleased to present its annual Light of the Qur’an Poetry Competition.
The aim of the competition is to encourage reflection on Qur’anic verses and values to inspire personal development. Poetry can facilitate both the reflective process and the expression of Qur’anic ideals in beautiful and powerful ways. Moreover, we believe that there is a vast amount of creative potential within the community; we hope that a poetry competition will nurture and direct creative talent to promote the light and beauty of the Qur’anic message.
Competition Rules
The Light of the Qur’an Poetry Competition, 2017, is open to all ages. The themes and age brackets for the competition are as detailed below:
Age 7 – 10 years: A Beautiful Blessing of Allah
Age 11 – 14 years: A Beautiful Blessing of Allah
Age 15 – 18 years: The Struggle for Success
Age 19 + years: The Struggle for Success
Please note that the above themes do not have to be used as the titles of the poems submitted. Rather, they serve as a general theme.
The verses below are provided to inspire ideas and reflections with regards to the theme. Poems are NOT expected to be commentaries or explanations of the verses.
A Beautiful Blessing of Allah:
‘[Allah is the One] who created me; then He guides me. And provides me with food and drink. And when I am ill, it is He who cures me. And [He] is the One who will make me die; then He will bring me to life. And [He it is] who, I hope, will forgive my mistakes on the Day of Judgement.’ (Qur’an 26:78-83)
‘And He gave you all that you had asked Him. If you try to count Allah’s blessings, you will not be able to count them. Indeed, man is most unfair and ungrateful!’ (Qur’an 14:34)
‘Allah has brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers while you did not know anything. He made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts so that you may give thanks.’ (Qur’an 68:17)
‘He created seven heavens in layers. You do not see any imperfection in the creation of the All-beneficent. Look again! Do you see any flaw?’ (Qur’an 67:3)
The Struggle for Success
‘One who purifies it [his soul] is successful, and one who betrays it, fails.’ (Qur’an 91:9-10)
‘O you who have faith! Be persistent, stand firm, and close [your] ranks, and be conscious of Allah so that you may be successful.’ (Qur’an 3:200)
‘O man! You are striving toward your Lord with a hard striving, and you will encounter Him.’ (Qur’an 84:6)
‘Whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it with an endeavour worthy of it, should he be faithful – the endeavour of such will be well-appreciated.’ (Qur’an 17:19)
Submission Rules
- All poems must be original works and written in English by the participant himself/herself.
- All poems must be typed.
- All poems must have a title.
- Maximum length of poems should be approximately 50 lines, excluding the title.
- Poems must be submitted via email to darulquran@hujjat.org.
- Please indicate clearly in your email, the name of the participant, age and title of the poem.
- Participants are permitted to submit only one poem. Multiple entries will not be accepted.
- The competition is open to all residents of Greater London and the Home Counties.
The deadline for all poetry submissions is 20 February, 2018.
Judging Criteria
Poems will be judged on:
- Depth, clarity and creativity of thoughts and ideas
- Use of poetic devices (eg. imagery, personification, metaphor, assonance, euphony, rhyme)
The use of poetic devices will be reflected in the way the sound, meaning, imagery and arrangement of the words comes through in the poem. Please note that the poems will not be judged according to the number of poetic devices used, but rather how the devices are used to convey the meaning and message of the poem in an effective and powerful way.
The judges will mark each poem according to the above criteria. Decisions made by the judges in determining the winning entries will be final.
Awards Presentation and Prizes
A winner and a runner-up will be selected from each category. Cash prizes will be awarded to all winners and runners-up.
