Suhair Hassan Al-Qurashi, center, in front of a Kaaba cover at Dar Al-Hekma University, Jeddah.

Dar Al-Qur’an, a center dedicated to the memorization of the Holy Qur’an and with Sheikha status, recently organized a ceremony titled “Glory and Reverence” to celebrate the coronation of the eighth batch of 27 Qur’an Hafiza students (women who have memorized the Holy Qur’an) with one student being granted the title of Sheikha last week at Dar Al-Hekma University.

The eighth annual ceremony was graced by the presence of Princess Mashael bint Muqrin. Also present at the event were Ola Al Faris, MBC anchor and journalist and Fatima Nassif, one of the most prominent figures in the Kingdom.

“At Dar Al-Hekma University we thrive to provide the students with life-changing experiences through opportunities that shape their characters from different aspects of educational, spiritual, social, physical, and professional angles,” said Suhair Hassan Al-Qurashi the president of Dar Al-Hekma University. “With this in mind, we have opened up Dar Al-Qur’an to all students on campus to have a chance of personal development.”

The women recognized at the ceremony were students, faculty, and staff members of Dar Al-Hekma University. The students are currently pursuing nine different majors and are of different nationalities. Among them were Wafa Bassam and Shatha Ghali who memorized the whole Qur’an in just two months through their commitment to a strategy created by Dar Al-Qur’an.

“I felt so humbled by the glory and reverence at the event for Qur’an Hafiza here at Dar Al-Hekma University,” said Ola Al Faris.

Among the organizers of the event were many philanthropists, including officials from the World Scientific Association Hashimi Lineage (Al Rabeta Al-Elmiyah Al-Alamiya lilansab Al-Hashimiyah) and Saleem Barkha.

The university exhibited 160 art pieces with images of the ancient city of Makkah and times of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on the sidelines of the ceremony. The exhibition also included 16 pieces of previous coverings of the Holy Kaaba, one of which is over 100 years old.

The event was sponsored by many individuals and organizations that have a keen interest in serving the Holy Book, including Yahya Khoja, Anas Sairafi, Yasser Al Kholi, Dr. Samir Barka, Al-Shareefa Abediah Abbas Maleki, Sharif Mohammed Ali Al Husseini, the World Scientific Association Hashimi Lineage and Ghada Magrabi, the owner of Ahazeej, who took care of the floral and stage decorations.