The Sound that Sooths the Soul

                                                                The Sound of Silence.

 For Muslims listening to the soothing recitation of the Al Quran Nur Karim is equal to if not much more than listening to the binaural resonance computation of sound to awaken every cell in the human body. Just as it would most probably be the same to the Jews recitation of the Torah or the Christian listening to the Bible being recited in it original Aramaic text or listening to the Gregorian chants, or the Hindu listening to the Vedas in its original Sanskrit or the Buddhist listening to the Sutras in Pali or its original Sanskrit; all are resonance of sound with deep meaning accompanied. These holy verses are also when listened to in the silence of the very early morning can also act as purification of the atmosphere and the environment of the home just as the smell of certain incense would. It's 2:am and I am listening to the Surah Ar Rahman.

Ar-Rahman^[1] (Arabic: ٱلرَّحْمَانِ, ar-raḥmān; meaning: The Merciful;^[2] Most Gracious;^[3] Most Merciful ^[4]) is the 55th Chapter (Surah) of the Qur'an, with 78 verses; (āyāt). The Surah was revealed in Mecca and emphasizes themes of mercy, creation, and the relationship between Allah and humanity, making it a significant chapter in Islamic teachings. ^[5]

The title of the surah, Ar-Rahman, appears in verse 1 and means "The Most Beneficent". The divine appellation "ar-Rahman" also appears in the opening formula which precedes every surah except Sura 9 ("In the Name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy"). English translations of the surah's title include "The Most Gracious",^[6] "The All Merciful",^[7] "The Lord of Mercy",^[8] "The Beneficent", and "The Mercy-Giving". In the fourth century CE south Arabian pagan inscriptions started to be replaced by monotheistic expressions, using the term rahmān.^{[9]  - Wikipedia.}

Modern man is blessed with the miracle of miracles; good sound system delivered through latest of technological apparatus like the upgraded SONY earphones and the variety of Quran Qari whose perfect voice and delivery sends chills up the spine for those who are sensitive when being exposed to the sound of the Quranic verses. With all these modern miracles that the Lord have blessed man with how can we not see the beauty of being spiritually awakened to the collective consciousness of the Devine in man. Sad to say most of us today would rather devote out time to listening to ear splitting scream of a Rock concert like Iron Maiden or Def Leopard., which is okay if it helps one to settle the nerves and ease the mind from being rattled and shattered. However for those seeking ways and means to heal the splintered soul and silence the chattering  monkey mind, it might not be a bad idea to look into listening to the sounds made by our ancestors when they sought their Lord and worshipped the unseen in solid faith in order that they make sense of the chaos and fears they faced while living in dark caves and brutal jungle and deserts; their survival was through putting their faith in the power of sound and from sound the powers and meaning of words. In the beginning was...the Word.

What is a Qari?

A qāriʾ (Arabic: قَارِئ, lit. 'reader', plural قُرَّاء qurrāʾ or قَرَأَة qaraʾa) is a person who recites the Quran with the proper rules of recitation (tajwid).^[1]

Although it is encouraged, a qāriʾ does not necessarily have to memorize the Quran, just to recite it according to the rules of tajwid with melodious sound.

The quadrumvirate of El Minshawy, Abdul Basit, Mustafa Ismail, and Al-Hussary are generally considered the most important and famous qurrāʾ of modern times to have had an outsized impact on the Islamic world.^{[2][3][4][5]: 83}

Abstract

Since its revelation over 14 centuries ago, the Holy Quran is considered as scriptural divine words of Islam, and it is believed to promote psycho-spiritual therapeutic benefits to its reciter and/or listener. In this context, the listening of rhythmic Quranic verses among Muslims is often viewed as a form of unconventional melodic vocals, with accompanied anecdotal claims of the ‘Quranic chills’ pleasing effect. However, compared to music, rhythm, and meditation therapy, information on the neural basis of the anecdotal healing effects of the Quran remain largely unexplored. Current studies in this area took the leads from the low-frequency neuronal oscillations (i.e., alpha and theta) as the neural correlates, mainly using electroencephalography (EEG) and/or magnetoencephalography (MEG). In this narrative review, we present and discuss recent work related to these neural correlates and highlight several methodical issues and propose recommendations to progress this emerging transdisciplinary research.

I cannot express better than what i found while searching for meaning and answers towards what is my interest or what I put to being my Practice or Sadhana presently in my life at the age of 76. I envy those whose have made these discoveries earlier in their lives and become God's chosen Ones. Perhaps I just got waylaid ever so often over the years pursuing my own nafs or ego governed by anger and frustration blaming my upbringing and misfortunes and taking advantage of every innocent soul that crossed my path to satisfy my lust and desires. As I have repeatedly admitted, I am a sinner and only the Lord knows the extent of how bad I have been and perhaps still is. I am not writing these to simply impress or agitate for the purpose of selling my story, no I have committed more sin than I care to admit openly for fear and shame. Only Allah knows and only he can forgive me. I stand among those who need to repent to the fullest before my Lord and I am still finding myself slip sliding in the effort; my mind is trapped in bondage of self deluded ignorance and anger. The world is thus an image of my own manifestation of suffering and chaos. The mirror that reflects the world needs intense polishing to remove the stains embossed into it from years of existing off the grid of spirituality and surrender to faith in the Devine.

Surrender. Submission to the Will of Allah. 

WallhuAlam. Only He knows.