RIYADH — After being absent from his mosque since the beginning of Ramadan, Mohammed Hafez al-Rahman appeared before the frequenters of the largest mosque in the British capital through the Otr Elkalam show, one of the initiatives of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, which has allowed distinguished talents in Qur'an recitation and adhan to participate in the largest competition of its kind in the world.

The East London Mosque, which has been associated with the voice of Hafez al-Rahman, is unique among the rest of the mosques in the UK capital because it is the only one in the city where the adhan is raised through external loudspeakers. It is one of the largest mosques in Europe and the most attractive to worshipers during Ramadan.

Hafez al-Rahman, who raises adhan and teaches the Holy Qur'an in East London Mosque, competed in Thursday’s episode of Otr Elkalam with Egyptian muezzin Mohammed Tariq, who discovered his talent while traveling between France, South Africa, Mauritius, Indonesia and Nigeria and became famous on social media. However, Tariq lost the competition to his British rival, who won the highest share of jury votes.

In the recitation track, Ethiopian Mohammed Nour Ibrahim, who memorized the Qur'an at an early age, qualified for the next stage at the expense of his Libyan rival, Hamza Al-Misrati, who has also memorized the Qur'an as a child and has been teaching it all his life.

Otr Elkalam aims to show vocal talents and capabilities of reciters and muezzins based on the rules of melody and sensation that contribute to conveying the feelings of the contestants to listeners. The show is broadcast daily on MBC and the Shahid digital platform. — SG