Making Your Hifz Contest Inclusive for Learners With Disabilities

Understanding the Importance of Inclusion in Hifz Competitions

Hifz competitions, centred on the memorisation and recitation of the Quran, play a vital role in motivating learners to engage deeply with the holy text. They provide opportunities for students to showcase their memorisation, strengthen their connection with the Quran, and build spiritual confidence. However, not all students come to these competitions with the same abilities or learning needs.

Inclusion in educational and religious activities is critical. Learners with disabilities—whether physical, sensory, cognitive, or emotional—should be afforded equal opportunities to participate and excel. Inclusive practice in these competitions not only reflects Islamic values of equity and compassion but also ensures that the skills and efforts of every participant are recognised and encouraged.

This article explores practical considerations and strategies for making Hifz contests more accessible to all participants, regardless of ability. From event planning to judging criteria and training, organisers can adopt a holistic approach to inclusion that honours the dignity and potential of each learner.

Identifying Barriers to Participation

Creating an inclusive Hifz competition begins with a clear understanding of the barriers that learners with disabilities often face. These barriers may be physical, communicative, cognitive, or social. Recognising them early allows organisers to plan proactively and reduce the risk of exclusion.

• Physical Barriers: These include inaccessible venues, lack of ramps or lifts, and narrow doorways that may not accommodate wheelchairs or mobility aids.
• Auditory and Visual Barriers: Learners with hearing or visual impairments may struggle with instructions, reading materials, or oral cueing that assumes unimpaired sensory input.
• Communication Barriers: Some participants may process verbal communication differently or have speech impediments that affect their ability to deliver recitations in a standard competition format.
• Cognitive and Neurodiverse Challenges: Students with autism, ADHD, or learning difficulties may require adjustments to focus, recall consistency, or anxiety management.

Without adjustments, these barriers can make participation difficult or even impossible, which undermines the inclusive spirit and educational objective of such contests. Recognition is the first step toward remedy.

Planning an Inclusive Competition Environment

Inclusion must be embedded at every stage of the competition planning process — from venue selection and registration to the method of delivery and evaluation criteria. Inclusive planning benefits not only disabled participants but also enhances the overall atmosphere of respect, empathy, and care throughout the programme.

Venue Accessibility

• Ensure the venue is wheelchair accessible, including parking, toilets, entrances, and movement within discussion or recitation venues.
• Provide clear signage throughout the venue using high-contrast text and simple symbols.
• Offer quiet rooms or rest areas where participants who experience sensory overload or fatigue can rest.

Registration and Communication

• Design the registration process to capture additional needs, such as mobility support, communication preferences, or learning aids.
• Provide multiple contact channels (email, voice call, SMS or messaging platforms) to accommodate different styles of communication.
• Send materials such as schedules and rules in accessible formats — large print, audio versions, or simplified language documents.

Scheduling and Timing

• Allow flexible timings for participants who may need more time to travel, prepare, or recover between sessions.
• Develop a system for calmer, shorter sessions to reduce fatigue and stress for neurodiverse learners or others with processing challenges.

Adapting Evaluation and Judging Criteria

One core area where inclusion can make a significant difference lies in the evaluation and judging process. Traditional Hifz competitions are judged on precise metrics such as tajweed, accuracy of memorisation, and fluency. While these are important and rooted in Qur’anic etiquette, inclusive practice considers how judgements can be fairly adapted without altering the contest’s spiritual or academic integrity.

Differentiated Evaluation Frameworks

• Consider creating a separate category or stream for learners with additional needs, with suitable adjustments in expectations or assessment pace.
• Incorporate recognition of effort and perseverance alongside accuracy in recitation for students with specific learning differences.
• Allow prompts or cues, such as the use of signs, gestures, or limited assistance where appropriate, with transparency in scoring to maintain fairness.

Judges’ Training and Orientation

• Train judges to understand disability etiquette and unconscious bias towards fluent or “typical” speech patterns or delivery styles.
• Create briefing guidelines about accommodating repetition, hesitations, or alternative response formats without penalising functional recitation.
• Encourage judges to value emotional connection, discipline, and effort in memorisation journeys—not just recitation precision.

Assistive Supports and Accommodations

Assistive technologies and human support play a central role in levelling the playing field in Hifz competitions. The use of such tools should not be seen as unfair advantage but as necessary adjustments to ensure equal opportunity.

Examples of Appropriate Accommodations

• Portable reading devices or Braille Qurans for those with visual impairments.
• Sign language interpreters for contestants who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Visual timers or cue cards for individuals with focus or memory challenges.
• Permission for seated recitation for those with physical difficulty or limited stamina.
• The presence of carers or learning assistants to provide non-disruptive reassurance or sensory aid.

It’s essential that the use of these accommodations is decided in consultation with learners and their guardians, with transparency to judges and other participants to maintain trust and clarity in the competition structure.

Inclusivity in Recognition and Awards

Another powerful way to reinforce inclusion is in how competitions handle awards and recognition. Celebrating effort, resilience, improvement, and spiritual sincerity can help participants feel seen and valued — even if they do not meet the traditional benchmarks of the contest.

• Create categories such as “Achievement Through Adversity” or “Notable Performance in Independent Memorisation”.
• Offer certificates of participation that highlight specific strengths or milestones achieved.
• Recognise a wide variety of attainments and showcase inspiring journeys alongside recitation excellence.

Such broadened recognition not only motivates learners with disabilities but also educates the wider community on the diverse ways people engage with the Quran.

Building Community Awareness and Compassion

Beyond the logistics of competition design, lasting inclusion depends on cultivating an environment of understanding and compassion. Communities benefit greatly when mosques, schools, and organisers take initiative to educate families, teachers, and students about disabilities and inclusive practices.

• Offer short awareness workshops for volunteers and participants in advance of the contest.
• Include inclusive messaging in promotional materials to foster a welcoming tone from the outset.
• Encourage peer support where possible, pairing participants to promote teamwork and reduce isolation.

Creating an inclusive Hifz contest therefore becomes not only an administrative task but a communal act of empathy and development.

Conclusion: A Vision of Inclusive Excellence

Inclusion in Hifz competitions reflects core Islamic values such as justice, encouragement, and dignified treatment for everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive ability. Making competitions truly inclusive allows all learners to be part of a spiritual journey that nurtures their connection with the Quran and with the wider Muslim community.

Through thoughtful planning, flexible implementation, and open-minded evaluation, organisers can create a supportive platform where all participants can flourish. By making these environments more accessible, we not only widen participation but also enrich the Hifz experience itself through the diversity of commitment and expression each learner brings.

If you need help with your Quran competition platform or marking tools, email info@qurancompetitions.tech.