Young Imam ( Malay: ''Imam Muda'') was a

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

n television series that commenced broadcasting in 2010. The show featured young men competing for a post as the

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve ...

of a mosque and a scholarship to study at the

Islamic University of Madinah The Islamic University of Madinah ( ar, الجامعة الإسلامية بالمدينة المنورة) was founded by the government of Saudi Arabia by a royal decree in 1961 in the Islamic holy city of Medina. Many have associated the uni ...

Competition

10 men entered the show as contestants, aged between 19 and 27. Over 1,000 people auditioned to enter the show. Each week of the show, the contestants were tested by undertaking ritual tasks (such as delivering sermons) and on their religious knowledge. The head judge was former imam of Malaysia's

National Mosque This is an incomplete list of some of the more famous mosques around the world. List See also * Islamic architecture * List of largest mosques * List of the oldest mosques in the world ** List of mosques that are mentioned by name in the Q ...

, Hasan Mahmood. The prize for the competition's winner included a scholarship to study at Islamic University of Madinah in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

, a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...

, a posting as

of a mosque, 20,000

Malaysian ringgit The Malaysian ringgit (; plural: ringgit; symbol: RM; currency code: MYR; Malay name: ''Ringgit Malaysia''; formerly the Malaysian dollar) is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 ''sen'' (formerly ''cents''). The ringgit is issu ...

and a new car. The two finalists were Muhammad Asyraf Mohd Ridzuan and Hizbur Rahman Omar Zuhdi. On 30 July 2010, Muhammad Asyraf, a 26-year-old religious teacher, was announced as the winner. The two finalists for the 2011 season were Mohd Hassan Adli Yahaya and Nazrul Izwan Zolkiflee. In July 2011, Mohd Hassan, a 26-year-old, was announced as the winner.

Ratings and reception

The show was the highest rating show in the history of

Astro Oasis Astro Oasis is a Malaysian television station owned and operated by Astro. The channel broadcasts Islamic-related programmes. Its highest rated program is the reality TV series, '' Imam Muda''. Astro Oasis is currently available for free-to-vi ...

, a television channel dedicated to religious programming.

References

{{reflist Astro Malaysia Holdings Malaysian reality television series 2010s Malaysian television series 2010 Malaysian television series debuts 2011 Malaysian television series endings