Qurʾānic Competition and the Development of Qirāʾāt Science in Northern Nigeria

Abstract The trend of organising Qurʾānic competitions, commonly called musābaqa , has gained international attention since its inception in Malaysia in 1961. Subsequently, the practice spread throughout the Islamic world. By employing a qualitative research technique that banks on a historical descriptive approach, this study explores the historical development of qirāʾāt in Nigeria and the contribution of musābaqa to promoting qirāʾāt knowledge. The study shows that qirāʾāt science developed through a series of phases that initially dated back to the arrival of Islam in the region, followed by the Islamization of the Hausa Emirates. Despite the challenges of colonialism, several factors, such as migration, scholarly visits, and scholarship missions, contributed to the development of qirāʾāt science in Nigeria. Shaykh ʿAbd Allāh b. Fodio’s book, al-Farāʾid al-Jalīla wa-Sāʾiṭ al-Fuʾād al-Jamīla , is considered the first book by a Nigerian author that discussed qirāʾāt . In addition, qirāʾāt were added to the musābaqa in 2023 because it was accepted on an international level, even though it is challenging and new. This positively affects education because it introduces the musābaqa participants to different Qurʾānic subjects. Also, it inspires the establishment of Qirāʾāt -based learning institutes, emphasising both the theoretical and practical aspects, and serves as a motivating factor for students, teachers, and musābaqa juries to further explore it.