Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran (Internationally known as Indonesia International Quran Competition) ( ar, مسابقة تلاوة القران, literally "Quran Recitation Competition", abbreviated as MTQ) is an Indonesian

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

religious festival held at national level, aimed at glorification of the Qur'an. On this festival, participants compete at reciting Al-Qur'an employing qira'at (specific methodology for recitation).

History

MTQ has been held in Indonesia since the 1940s following the founding of Jami'iyyatul Qurro wal Huffadz (Organization of Recitation and Memorization) by

Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islam in Indonesia, Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitab ...

, the largest Islamic mass organization in Indonesia. However at this stage the event was confined within regional level. Since 1968, when the Minister of Religious Affairs K.H. Muhammad Dahlan (one of the leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board) held the event, MTQ has been instituted nationally. The first national level MTQ was held in

Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...

in the month of Ramadan in 1968. At the time it only conducted adult recitations. The second MTQ was held in Banjarmasin in 1969. In 1970 the third MTQ was held in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

with a very lively event. Some of the famed qaris (reciters) were discovered during these events. MTQ has been held 27 times as of 2018. West Sumatra will host the 28th National MTQ in 2020. Today, the subject for competition is not only limited to recitation but also includes speech and Islamic calligraphy. MTQ is also organized within certain agencies. MTQ Wartawan for journalists is held regularly every three years and will enter the fifth game in 2008. MTQ Pertamina, held within

Pertamina PT Pertamina (Persero), formerly abbreviated from ''Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak dan Gas Bumi Negara'' (lit. 'State Oil and Natural Gas Mining Company'), is an Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation based in Jakarta. It was cr ...

, the Indonesian state-owned oil and gas company, had stalled since 1980. MTQ Telkom under the name MAN (Musabawah Al-Quran Nasional), held within Telkom Indonesia, the largest telecommunications service company, will hold its 2008 game in

Banda Aceh Banda Aceh ( Acehnese: ''Banda Acèh'', Jawoë: كوتا بند اچيه) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of . The city covers an area of and had ...

, making it the eighth festival. Notable MTQ judge including Zakaria bin Muhammad Amin, who was served for the position since 1964.

Host

National MTQ (Musabaqah Tilawatil Qur'an Nasional) has held 28 times, here list of host of National MTQ: # 1968:

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sula ...

# 1969:

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

, West Java # 1970: Banjarmasin,

South Kalimantan South Kalimantan ( id, Kalimantan Selatan) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is the smallest province in Kalimantan, the Indonesian territory of Borneo. The provincial capital was Banjarmasin until 15 February 2022 when it wa ...

# 1971: Medan,

North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...

# 1972: Jakarta City,

# 1973: Mataram, East Nusa Tenggara # 1974:

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...

, East Java # 1975:

Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...

, South Sumatra # 1976: Samarinda, East Kalimantan # 1977: Manado, North Sulawesi # 1979:

Semarang Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

# 1981:

, Nangroe Aceh Darussalam # 1983: Padang, West Sumatra # 1985: Pontianak, West Kalimantan # 1988: Bandar Lampung, Lampung # 1991: Yogyakarta City, Yogyakarta # 1994:

Pekanbaru Pekanbaru is the capital of Indonesian province of Riau, and a major economic center on the eastern part of Sumatra, Sumatra Island. Its name is derived from the Malay language, Malay words for 'new market' ('pekan' is market and 'baru' is new). ...

, Riau # 1997:

Jambi City Jambi is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Jambi. Located on the island of Sumatra, the city is a busy port on the Batang Hari River and an oil- and rubber-producing centre. The city is located from the ruins of Muaro ...

Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra and spans to the Barisan Mountains in the west. Its capital and largest city is Jambi. The province has a land area of 50,160.05 km2, and a sea area of 3, ...

# 2000: Palu, Central Sulawesi # 2003: Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan # 2006: Kendari, South East Sulawesi # 2008: Serang, Banten # 2010:

Bengkulu City Bengkulu ( Rejangese: ), formerly Bencoolen (Dutch: ''Benkoelen'') is the capital of the Indonesian province of Bengkulu. The city is the second largest city on the west coast of Sumatra Island after Padang. Previously this area was under the in ...

, Bengkulu # 2012:

Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a co ...

, Maluku # 2014: Batam, Riau Islands # 2016: Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara # 2018: Medan- Deli Serdang,

# 2020: Padang- Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra # ''2022: Banjarmasin,

Notable participating qaris

*K.H. Aziz Muslim *K.H. Bashori Alwi *Hj. Rofiqoh darto Wahab *Hj. Nursiah Ismail *Hj. Aminah *Hj. Maria Ulfah * Muammar Z.A. *Muhammadong *Muhammad Ali *H. Wan Muhammad Ridwan Al-Jufrie * Mu'min Ainul Mubarak * Zakaria bin Muhammad Amin

References

{{Islam in Indonesia Annual events in Indonesia Islam in Indonesia Religious festivals in Indonesia International Quran reciting competition