The sixth episode in the qualifying round of Otr Elkalam (Scent of Speech) show, the international Holy Qur’an and call to prayer competition, witnessed the muezzin of Quba Mosque raising the adhan (call to prayer). The episode saw exceptionally strong competition between the six contestants in the recitation of the Holy Qur’an branch and the call to prayer branch. In Thursday"s episode, viewers from all over the world listened to Saudi muezzin Anas Sahloul of Quba Mosque adding a flavor of Madinah"s Ramadan to the show. Sahloul raised the adhan in the same manner he used raise it in the Quba Mosque, the first mosque to be founded on piety. Turkish muezzin Mohsen Kara came to the show with exceptional experience. He had delivered the call to prayer in several countries, including Germany and Iran. Syrian Mohammed Jamal Shawka raised the adhan in a distinguished voice but did not manage to qualify for the next round because his rivals received the most number of votes from the viewers. As for the Holy Qur’an recitation branch, Moroccan contestant Ahmed Al-Khalidi, imam of Andalus Mosque in Rabat, impressed the members of the jury with his Warsh recitation. He qualified for the quarterfinal stage with eight votes from the 12-member jury in the first stage of the final qualification round. In the same episode, Libyan Essam Abdulhafeez Al-Rubai qualified for the next stage thanks to his sweet recitation and outstanding performance. A Saudi doctor, Fayez Al-Humairi, also appeared on the competition platform with a wonderful recitation that impressed the jury, who gave Al-Humairi many observations that may contribute to raising his level of performance in upcoming competitions. Al-Khalidi and Al-Rubai qualified for the next stage in this segment. With 12 members, Otr Elkalam show has the largest jury in the history of Qur’an competitions, which reflects the competition’s universality, magnitude and importance. All members of the jury are specialists in their respective fields of recitation and maqams. They evaluate the competitors according to accurate and clear criteria that ensure equal opportunities for all contestants. Otr Elkalam TV show is broadcast at 5 p.m. on Saudi TV and Shahid platform. — SG