Maria Ulfah

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Hajjah Maria Ulfah (born 21 December 1955) is an Indonesian Qur'an reciter and manager of the Central Institute for the Development of Quranic Recitation. She is the winner of two Indonesian national Qur'an recitation contests and is internationally recognized as one of the world's master reciters and teachers of recitation.[1][2] She is also a lecturer at the Institute for the Study of Qur'an and at the National Islamic University in Indonesia.[1][3]

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[edit] Personal life

Ulfah was born in Lamongan, East Java, Indonesia to Haji Mudhoffar and Hajjah Ruminah. She was the ninth child of twelve. In 1981, she married Mukhtar Ikhsan, a pulmonologist and respiratory physician and lecturer at the medical school of the University of Indonesia. She has three children: Ahmad Nabries, Mohammad Labib, and Rifky Mubarak.[4][5]

[edit] Career

Ulfah was introduced to Qur'an recitation by her father, Haji Mudhoffar, who taught her that she was equal to any man or woman. He staged Qur'an reciting competitions in their hometown to give his daughter experience.[6] She began training at age 6, with instruction from her older sister. Her interest in the art grew as she attended an Islamic boarding school that encouraged her to pursue recitation.[2]

Ulfah's recitation was featured on the companion CD to Approaching the Qur'an by Michael Sells,[1] and she has toured Malaysia, Egypt, Australia, the United States, Canada, and several European countries.[7]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Sells, Michael. Approaching the Qur'an. Ashland, Oregon: White Cloud Press. ISBN 1883991269. 
  2. ^ a b Useem, Andrea. "In Islam, a Vocal Exercise of Faith", Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved on 2008-02-03. 
  3. ^ Durkee, Noura. "Recited from the Heart", Saudi Aramco World, May/June 2000. Retrieved on 2008-02-03. 
  4. ^ Ulfah, Maria. Basic biographical information. Dra. Hajjah Maria Ulfah, MA. Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
  5. ^ Shepherd, Harvey. "All invited to Koran renderings", The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), 2002-10-25. Retrieved on 2008-02-03. 
  6. ^ Glionna, John M.. "Her Koran recitals say a lot", Los Angeles Times, 2006-12-17. Retrieved on 2008-02-03. 
  7. ^ Shepherd, Harvey. "Reciters of Koran tour Canada: Team from indonesia and kuwait. Muslims are urged to read the holy book and 'embellish the Koran with your voice'", The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), 2002-10-26. Retrieved on 2008-02-03.