Experiences of listening to the Qur'an in Egypt: A qualitative phenomenological study of therapeutic and recreational listening

Abstract

This is an interdisciplinary study that explores the impact of listening to the Qur'an on the physiological and psychological statuses of an average Egyptian Muslim. It is a transcendental phenomenological study that intersects with theories and concepts from different disciplines including reception studies, media, and popular culture analysis. The study uses two tools that are common in transcendental phenomenological studies: journals, memoirs, and in-depth interviews. Such tools help investigating the experience of listening to the Qur’an as an ongoing stream of consciousness. The study aims at exploring the phenomenon of listening to the Qur’an from the points of view of six participants who are heavy listeners of the Qur’an and are in the habit of writing memoirs and diaries, as a multi-case study purposive sample. The study reveals that the ritual practice of listening to the Qur'an differs from one person to another depending on several factors mainly gender and educational background. Analysis of the replies of the study respondents sheds light on the positive influence of listening to the Qur’an, and the characteristics of a good reciter from Muslims’ point of view. Future studies on a bigger sample are highly recommended so as to gain deeper insights into the influence of this Islamic ritual, leading to possible generalization.

The Qur’an: An Oral Transmitted Tradition Forming Muslims Habitus

“…Such habitual developments from the domain of Islamic religion are associated with Islam and reciting its sacred text. These practices, in fact, extend to cultural and social dimensions (Ismail 2023). Such norms that are associated with the interaction with the Qur'an brings the society together, and it also illustrates the strong presence of the Qur'an in Islamicate societies.…”

“…However, the habitus of Qur'an readers is not the same for every individual in different Islamicate contexts. The experience of reciting the Qur'an differs from one person to another (Ismail 2023). Habitus describes and explains the different conceptions and experiences of those who read the Qur'an.…”