Mayar Osman’s Mother Reveals Quran Memorization Sparked Success

Eleven-year-old Mayar Osman knelt on the floor of the Dubai World Trade Center on October 30, 2026, touching her forehead to the ground to offer a prayer of quiet gratitude. Standing right beside her was Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who had just proclaimed her the champion of the tenth season of the Arab Reading Challenge.

That striking moment of devotion, captured on video and broadcast across the region, propelled the young Egyptian girl from Kafr El Sheikh into an overnight digital phenomenon. Behind the dramatic scene in Dubai lay a meticulously built foundation of linguistic precision, family dedication, and massive regional participation involving millions of students across 60 countries.

From Mosque Recitations to National Stages

Mai Shouraby, Mayar’s mother, revealed during a special appearance on Al Hayat channel’s “الساعة 6” program hosted by Azza Mostafa that her daughter’s exceptional command of the Arabic language began with memorizing the Holy Quran. The family quickly noticed that the child possessed remarkably accurate articulation and responded instantly to proper phonetic rules.

That early verbal fluency translated naturally into the school broadcasting system. From there, Mayar transitioned into individual recitation competitions, capturing first place at the Republic level in individual elocution while she was still in the fourth grade of primary school.

Her mother noted that Mayar’s fierce determination and intrinsic love for reading made the daunting task of balancing rigorous schoolwork with a massive literary competition surprisingly manageable. An assigned school supervisor worked hand in hand with the family, guiding them through every required step to showcase Mayar’s exceptional talent on an international platform.

Record-Breaking Scale and Global Recognition

The tenth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge, organized under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, shattered previous participation metrics. Official figures released during the event and covered by Anadolu Ajansı and Emirates News Agency (WAM) showed that 40 مليونًا و286 ألفًا و428 students from 138,426 schools competed this season, representing a 24 percent jump over the ninth cycle and capturing roughly 48 percent of all general education students in the Arab world.

Photo: الإمارات اليوم

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum celebrated the milestone on his official X account, writing that the participants represent a generation that inspires optimism and renews hope for the resumption of civilization. He also congratulated all participating students and supervisors, whose number exceeded 161,000. In the dedicated category for people of determination, Syria’s Mahmoud Omran secured the top title, taking home a prize of 200,000 dirhams awarded by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, while Jordan’s Enas Mohammed Ahmed Sumeirat claimed second place with a 100,000 dirhams cash prize. Commenting on the milestone, Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Secretary-General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, noted that the initiative has successfully created a unique cultural and cognitive phenomenon over its ten editions.

The institutional momentum of the challenge has steadily expanded across borders. Past cultural showcases, such as the Rabat International Book Fair and the Cairo International Book Fair, have consistently drawn thousands of visitors to the initiative’s pavilions, cementing its role in preserving the Arabic language and fostering a deep culture of analysis among youth.

An Airport Welcome and Future Digital Ventures

Sameh El Hefny, along with Cairo Airport Company Chairman Magdy Ishak, Member of Parliament Amr Darwish, a delegation from the Ministry of Education, and her family, including her father who traveled back from Kuwait specifically to greet her.

Photo: Anadolu Ajansı

Meanwhile, her mother shared that the family is already building a digital platform titled "Minute with Mayar." The upcoming project aims to encourage other students to embrace reading and raise awareness about the value of books, ensuring that her victory in Dubai serves as a permanent launchpad rather than a single destination.