Table 1.
Summary of neural changes as a result of listening to and/or reciting the Holy Quran.
| Author | Brainwaves | Brain Areas | Neuroimaging Methods | Quranic Stimuli | Non-Quranic Stimuli | Analysis | Main Findings | Author conclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdullah and Omar (2011) [42] | Alpha and beta | Frontal, Parietal, Temporal and Occipital | EEG (20 electrodes) | Not stated which chapter and verse | Hard music | Analysis was done using Compumedics nexus software | During listening to Quranic verses, alpha wave magnitude value is increasing compared to beta value. | Listening to Quranic verses generates the alpha wave and helps a person to be in a relaxed condition |
| Zulkurnaini et al. (2012) [10] | Alpha | Not stated | EEG (not stated how many electrodes) | Quran (36:1–83) | Pachelbel's Canon D major (classical music) |
Waveware program was used to show the brainwaves response. | Alpha band power during listening to Quranic verses is greater compared to classical music | Listening to Quranic verses can result in a more relaxing and alert condition compared to classical music |
| Kamal et al. (2013) [39] | Alpha | Parietal | EEG (20 electrodes) | Quran (39:20–31) | Excerpt from a novel called Jendela Hati pages 45-46 | EEG data were analyzed by using FFT algorithm | PSD of alpha band is higher during reciting Quran than reading a book | Reciting the Quran leads to a state of resting and calming mind. The Quran can become a tool for meditation, reduces stress and induce the calming mind |
| Taha Alshaikhli et al. (2014) [43] | Alpha, beta, gamma | Frontal | EEG (4 electrodes) and ECG | Quran (25:1–77) | Wintersun entitled ‘Death and the Healing’ (hard music) | EEG data were analyzed using KDE and MLP. | Alpha waves elicit higher for most subjects when listening to Quranic verses and all subjects had higher gamma wave activity while listening to Quranic verses as opposed to music | Listening to Quranic verses causes the subjects to be more relaxed. The ECG signal is smoother while listening to Quranic verses, reflecting the calmness of the subjects |
| Vaghefi et al. (2015) [28] | Alpha and theta | Frontal, parietal and occipital | EEG (13 electrodes) | Quran (49:1–29) & Quran (25:1–57) | Positive semantic Arabic text | EEG data were analyzed by using FFT algorithm | Listening to Quran stimuli consciously increased alpha and theta power | Listening to Quranic verses consciously causes the subjects to be more relaxed, which can be related to their religious beliefs |
| Mohd Nasir and Wan Mahmud (2015) [44] | Alpha and beta | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated which chapter and verse | Light, Rock, Mozart and Jazz | EEG data were analyzed using Powerlab software | Alpha and beta waves increased when listening to Rock, Mozart and Quranic verses | Listening to Quranic verses increased attention as shown by the increase of alpha and beta waves |
| Ab Rani et al. (2015) [57] | Theta | Frontal, midline, temporal, parietal and occipital | Simultaneous EEG (61 channels) and MEG (306 sensors) | Quran (2:255) with various styles of recitation | Hare Krishna chanting, Monochord, Arabic poem, Arabic news | Only EEG data were analyzed by using FFT algorithm, SPM8 software | Theta band appear highest in the right frontal cortex when listening to Quran stimuli compared to others | Listening to Quranic verses increases the theta responses more readily compared with non-Quranic rhythms. It also elicits calming effect to the listeners hence paving the way to be one of the methods in music therapy |
| Al-Galal and Alshaikhli (2017) [63] | Alpha and Beta | Frontal and parietal | 19-channel EEG signal | Verses from the Quran chapters; 36, 94, 112-114 | Mozart Music K448 | Data were analyzed using BrainMarker software | Alpha magnitude is higher than the beta magnitude when listening to the Quranic verses. While the alpha and beta magnitudes are almost equal for music. | Listening to Quranic verses increases the alpha magnitude reflecting the calmness and relaxation of the subjects |
| Shab et al. (2017) [64] | Theta | Frontal, midline, temporal, parietal and occipital | Simultaneous EEG (61 channels) and MEG (306 sensors) | Quran (2:255) with various styles of recitation | Not applicable | Only EEG data were analyzed by using FFT algorithm | Highest theta power was dominant at the left frontal region | Listening to Quranic verses increase positive emotions |
| Samhani et al. (2018) [65] | Alpha | Frontal, midline, temporal, parietal and occipital | EEG (128 channels electrode – 19 electrodes were chosen) | Quran (1: 1–7) | Arabic news | EEG data were analyzed using FFT in BESA software | Listening to Quranic verses decreased the alpha power at the right inferior frontal and middle temporal | Listening to Quranic verses filter the intrusive memory, giving more positive emotion and cognition |
| Irfan et al. (2019) [66] | Alpha & beta | Frontal & occipital | EEG (2 electrodes, frontal & occipital) | Quran (55: 25–40) | Morning light by Serenity Studio (soft music) | EEG was analyzed using Power-Lab | EEG showed that Quran generates comparatively higher amplitudes of alpha than beta waves. | Listening to Quranic verses elicits the calmness and relaxation effect shown by an increased in alpha power and mild reduction in diastolic blood pressure in older subjects |
| Jalaudin and Mohammed Amin (2019) [67] | Alpha | Parietal | EEG (256 channels electrode – 14 electrodes were chosen) | Not stated which verse and chapter | Not stated what kind of music | Spectral analysis was done using MATLAB software | Higher alpha power was observed during listening to Quranic verses | Listening to Quranic verses influences the relaxation of the mind |
| Samhani et al. (2022) [68] | Beta | Occipital | EEG (128 channels electrode – 19 electrodes were chosen) | Quran (1: 1–7) | Arabic news | Power spectrum was extracted by FFT using the EGI system | Left occipital area showed a significant decrease in beta power when listening to the Quranic verses | Listening to Quranic verses activates the oscillatory neural network associated with visual-mental imagery |
Note:
ECG = Electrocardiography, FFT = Fast Fourier Transform, PSD = Power Spectral Density, KDE = Kernel Smoothing Density Estimate, MLP = Multi-layer Perceptron.