SOUTUL MUHANDISEEN USM WINS RUNNER-UP IN PENANG STATE NASYID COMPETITION 2026

NIBONG TEBAL, 13 November 2026 - Soutul Muhandiseen (the voice of engineers), representing Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), secured second place in the nasyid category at the Penang State-Level Tilawah, Quran Memorisation and Nasyid Competition 1448H/2026M.

The group scored 69 percent in the competition, which was held on 11 and 12 November 2026 at the Main Hall, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus (KKTSS), USM.

Soutul Muhandiseen comprises six members: Muhammad Yazid bin Mat Johari, Waris Badrin bin Silmi, Muhammad Solehuddin bin Mohamed Ismail, Afiq Aswan bin Asmadi, Amirul Asyraf bin Noor Ahmad Affandi and Ahmad Dzul Alif bin Rosli. The team comprises KKTSS staff and students.

The closing ceremony and prize presentation were attended by USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato' Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed, and Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus Director, Professor Ir. Dr. Mariatti Jaafar @ Mustapha.

The results were announced by Director of the Penang Islamic Religious Affairs Department and Chairman of the Board of Judges, Mohd Hafiz Aswad Nazri.

Prizes were presented by the Governor of Penang, Tun Datuk Seri Utama Haji Ramli Ngah Talib, together with Toh Puan Raja Datuk Seri Utama Noora Ashikin Raja Abdullah.

According to the judges' assessment, the participating groups demonstrated creativity through vocal harmony and musical accompaniment. However, improvements were still needed in Arabic pronunciation and vocal tone control to further enhance the quality of their performances.

First place went to Group Insirah from the Penang Contingent Police Headquarters, which scored 79 percent, while Group Saatul Falah from Seberang Perai Prison placed third with 64 percent. Four nasyid groups from various agencies took part in the competition.

Overall, this year's competition featured six tilawah participants, 20 Quran memorisation participants and four nasyid groups, assessed by 23 judges, including four special judges for the nasyid category.

Text: Siti Faizah Abd Halim / Photo: Muhammad Taufik Abdul Rahman