UAE, 'Preacher of the Nation', Indian Contestant Ibrahim Shabandri.

The 13th edition of the Dubai's Ramadan Forum was organised by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and held under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation.

Indian contestant Ibrahim Shabandri, 8, won Preacher of the Nation in Dubai’s Ramadan Forum competition in Arabic. Ibrahim Shabandri's Arabic language and public speaking skills made him the top ‘Preacher of the Nation’ in the contest. Ibrahim’s mother tongue is Nawayathi, a variant of Konkani spoken in India’s Karnataka state. Ibrahim learned Arabic and Quran studies at Ibn Khaldoun Private School in Sharjah.

Ibrahim’s lecture on ‘Sins of the Tongue’ urged the faithful to weigh their words carefully. Citing a saying of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Ibrahim reminded the audience that “the Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands people are safe.” Ibrahim stressed that no one has the right to say hurtful words to any person. He said ‘the tongue is the root cause of problems between people. We always need to be careful of what we say, and how we say it'.