Kenya hosts preliminary rounds of the Mohammed VI foundation’s hadith competition

Saturday 30 August 2025 - 14:50

By: Sahili Aya

Kenya hosts preliminary rounds of the Mohammed VI foundation’s hadith competition

The Kenyan branch of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema organized on Saturday in Nairobi the preliminary rounds of the second edition of the Hadith Nabawi Acharif competition.

A total of 22 male and female participants from different regions of Kenya took part in the event, held at the Nairobi Islamic College. The competition aims to promote the knowledge of the Prophet’s Sunnah and to highlight its importance in Islamic legislation.

The jury, composed of scholars from the Kenyan section of the Foundation, selected finalists in three categories: memorization of forty Hadiths with their chain of transmission (isnâd) and text (matn); restitution of thirty-five Hadiths with the final narrator and understanding of the terms; and memorization of twenty-five Hadiths related to legal rulings (Ahkâm), with a focus on their jurisprudential benefits.

The three finalists will now qualify for the upcoming grand finale, which also seeks to encourage younger generations across Africa to strengthen their connection with the Hadith and to draw inspiration from the Prophet’s noble values.

Ali Mohamed Salem, president of the Foundation’s section in Kenya, expressed deep gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI, Amir Al-Mouminine, for his support to African scholars and for promoting the values of moderate Islam. He emphasized the importance of the competition in spreading the message of peace, tolerance, and the Prophet’s virtues in Africa.

The opening ceremony was attended by members of the Foundation’s Kenyan branch, the representative of Morocco’s Embassy in Nairobi, Ouadii Arhyay, as well as several religious and academic figures.

The eliminatory rounds of this second edition are taking place between August 21 and September 21 across the 48 branches of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema.