President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed have graced the Graduation Ceremony for Huffaz held at the Islamic Centre.
During the ceremony, the President presented the Presidential Prize and Medal to 31 Huffaz who completed the memorisation of the Holy Quran by book. The graduates memorised the Holy Quran from Ramadan 1446 AH to Ramadan 1447 AH and recited it before the Hifz Examination Committee in accordance with the criteria set by the National Centre for the Holy Quran. This year’s graduates comprised 19 female and 12 male Huffaz. Among them, 23 Huffaz were between the ages of 12 and 21, while eight were over the age of 21.
The President also presented the Presidential Medal to a further 18 individuals who successfully memorised the Holy Quran by book between 3 September 2024 and 18 March 2025. These individuals met the standards set by the National Centre for Recitation of the Quran.
Addressing the ceremony, the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, highlighted that this year recorded the highest number of candidates participating in Hifz examinations in the Maldives. According to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, as of 26 February 2026, the Maldives had 139 female Huffaz and 162 male Huffaz.
The Minister outlined the Government’s long-term priority of making the Maldives the country with the highest number of Huffaz in the world. He noted that MVR 19 million was allocated in 2025 to expand Holy Quran education and reaffirmed the Government’s policy to establish a Quran centre on every inhabited island. He further revealed that 50 such centres would be established in 2026, with six already registered this year.