Madar (Nouakchott) - All participants in the second edition of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz competition for memorising the Quran and the Prophet's Sunnah for West African countries had arrived in Nouakchott by Saturday evening, 14 November 2026, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The competition brings together 160 contestants representing 16 countries.
It is organised by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance in cooperation with Mauritania's Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Original Education, the same source said.
The competition is scheduled to open on Sunday, 15 November, after the completion of organisational and technical preparations, facilities and specialised committees, according to SPA.
The contestants represent Mauritania, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
They will compete in two main tracks, one for memorising the Quran and the other for the Prophet's Sunnah, each with five branches covering memorisation, tajweed, Quranic exegesis and understanding of the hadiths, the agency said.
The competition is held with the approval of King Salman bin Abdulaziz as part of what Riyadh describes as its efforts to serve the Quran and the Sunnah.
