Egyptian scholar Hamada Muhammad al-Sayyid has won first place in the inaugural Quran memorization competition for Hajj pilgrims, held at the Grand Mosque in Makkah in June 2025.

Organized by the General Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, the competition welcomed more than a thousand participants from around the world—guests of the House of God who traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, IQNA reported.

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Al-Sayyid, a faculty member at the Faculty of Quranic Recitations and Quranic Sciences at Al-Azhar University in Tanta, Egypt, was awarded first place in the category of memorizing the entire Quran. He was the only Egyptian among the 18 winners across various categories.

A special ceremony took place at the Grand Mosque to honor the winners, who received commemorative prizes. Sheikh Maher al-Muaiqly, Imam of the Grand Mosque, presented the top awards on behalf of the presidency.

The competition featured multiple categories, including full and half Quran memorization as well as Quranic recitation.

It highlights and celebrates Quranic excellence among Hajj pilgrims as well as embedding the spiritual impact of the Quran during the sacred journey.

This year’s Hajj saw the participation of more than 1.7 million pilgrims from across the globe.