The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, has stated that the government’s objective is to make the Maldives the country with the highest number of Huffaz in the Islamic world relative to its population.
He made the remarks while addressing a graduation ceremony for Huffaz, underscoring the priority placed by the government on expanding education in the Holy Qur’an. According to the Minister, more than USD 1.23 million was spent last year alone on Qur’an memorisation initiatives.
Minister Shaheem said the total number of Huffaz in the Maldives has now reached 301, with a target of increasing that figure to 500 within the next five years.
“This is a great honour for the country. Within the past two years, special priority has been given to Qur’an education. Prizes for national competitions have been increased, and allowances for students memorising the Qur’an have also been raised,” he said.
He detailed that government policy includes establishing a Qur’an centre on every inhabited island, with 50 branches planned for this year. Six branches have completed registration, while a further 34 are pending registration, he added.
“As an Islamic country, these are among the happiest days for the Maldives in this field. We must work to sustain this progress. Islands without sufficient Qur’an teachers are being supported with teachers from abroad to revitalise this knowledge. We are nurturing young khateebs. The Maldives is preparing a new generation, and this is something we must reflect upon,” Minister Shaheem said.
He further highlighted that this year has recorded the highest number of Huffaz graduates in the country’s history, with 31 completing their memorisation. The aim, he added, is to steadily increase that number in the coming years.
Noting the number of students currently memorising the Qur’an nationwide has reached 1,800, the minister highlighted that the majority of whom are studying at the National Centre for Holy Qur’an.
In addition to state budget allocations and support from the Maldives Zakat House, the Minister acknowledged contributions from other benefactors.
He also called on entrepreneurs to assist in further developing the sector, particularly in the construction of Islamic centres and mosques, which he described as a key government priority.