Barkatullah Salim, a celebrated hafiz of the Quran in Afghanistan, passed away at the age of 73 following an illness. Salim had been hospitalized prior to his death.
Born in 1951 in the Deh Bala district of Nangarhar province, Salim began memorizing and reciting the Quran at just nine years old.
He quickly demonstrated exceptional talent, becoming a complete hafiz of the Quran at the same age. He participated in 12 international Hassan Quran contests, winning first place eight times.
Salim’s education, which began under his father’s guidance, continued in Cairo, concluding in 1971.
From 1973, Salim was a regular Quran reciter on Radio Afghanistan. He also served as a teacher at Darul Uloom and Darul Hafaz, two religious institutions, in Kabul.
Salim achieved notable success in international Quran recitation competitions, securing first place eight times in events held in countries including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Bangladesh, and the United Arab Emirates.
In addition to his competition victories, Salim was honored with an international doctorate and master’s degree. He was selected as a referee for Quran competitions in India, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates on three occasions.
Salim’s contributions to Islamic education extended to teaching Islamic culture at the Faculty of Sharia and the Kabul Institute of Medicine. He authored four volumes on Tajweed in both Pashto and Farsi, and two volumes of Shahr Jazari in the same languages.
