Hafsat Salihu Abdullahi stood up gracefully and walked forward. When she reached the presenter, he gestured toward the papers he was holding. She picked one and walked to the table where the senior scholars were seated, placed the paper on the table, then went to sit at the place prepared for the contestants.

After the scholar opened the paper, he cleared his throat, sought refuge from Satan, mentioned the surah she was to recite, and recited the opening verse. Then the recitation began.

Whenever she made a mistake, one of the red indicators placed in front of her would be raised. If a red indicator appeared once, it meant she had made a mistake. If she corrected it and it appeared again, it meant she was still wrong. If the red indicator appeared three times, the scholar himself would correct her. But if all the indicators turned green, it meant the recitation was correct.

Thus, students from different states were called—each state represented by one student. Each student’s performance was judged according to the number of indicators raised. Whenever it was time for prayer, the competition paused, and after the prayer it continued.

At about 10 p.m., the session ended, with the remaining contestants scheduled for the next day, by Allah’s will.

We were taken back to our accommodation. The following morning at 7 a.m., we were transported again to the venue. Without delay, the competition resumed.

Suddenly, I heard from the loudspeaker that our contestant was next: RUMAINA Adamu Isma’ila from Plateau State.

“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” I kept repeating silently. My head was bowed; it felt as though a heavy stone had been placed on my chest. By Allah’s grace, I continued sending salutations upon the Prophet, and gradually my heart found calm.

I did not come out immediately. Malam Nuhu became very anxious. The audience waited, watching for my appearance, but there was silence. My name was announced again.

I then stood up, gathering courage. Slowly, I descended the steps. All eyes were on me. “Masha Allah,” people murmured, praising Allah’s creation.

I reached the presenter, who offered me the covered papers. I picked one at random, walked slowly to the table of the senior scholars, placed the paper down, and went to sit in the contestant’s seat.

Almost immediately, the hall erupted with takbir (Allahu Akbar). The scholar who opened my paper said “Bismillah” and read out the verse from the surah assigned to me.

I remained silent. People began murmuring, and even the scholars turned to look at me, but no one spoke to me. After about twenty seconds, I closed my eyes, then opened my mouth and began reciting in a clear, melodious voice.

Absolute silence fell. Everyone listened attentively to the sound of my voice carrying the verses of the Noble Qur’an. I was progressing excellently in my recitation when I reached a verse describing the punishment Allah has prepared for the disbelievers.

My voice began to tremble. My lips shook, and suddenly I burst into tears, sobbing deeply. I struggled to continue reciting, but tears kept flowing down my face.

The scholar cleared his throat and asked me in Arabic why I was crying. With difficulty, I replied in Arabic that the meaning of the verse frightened me and moved me to tears.

The scholar exclaimed “Allahu Akbar,” then explained the verse in Hausa and conveyed my explanation to those who did not understand Arabic. The hall once again erupted in takbir.

At that moment, my tongue was loosened, and I continued my recitation. All the indicators in front of me turned green, showing that my recitation was flawless. That signaled the end of my turn. Again, there was loud takbir.

I stood and walked calmly back to my seat.

The competition continued.

At exactly 12 noon, the last contestant finished. The scholars announced a break until after the Zuhr prayer.

After deliberating and assessing the contestants, they returned at exactly 2 p.m. to announce the results. The chief scholar opened the session with prayers and then spoke:

“By Allah’s will, we will now announce the results of this year’s competition.”

He announced the third-place winner and her state, then the second-place winner and her state. There was a brief pause as the scholars whispered among themselves.

Then he cleared his throat again and said:

“All praise is due to Allah. The overall winner of this competition, the champion of the year, is RUMAINA Adamu Isma’ila from Plateau State.”

It felt like a dream. I had never imagined this in my life. Although this was not my first competition, I never thought I would emerge as the overall winner.