The Impact of the Quran and Music on Anxiety Levels

Abstract

Calm music has been used to treat mental health problems and has been incorporated into relaxation techniques to treat psychological issues as supported by the research in mental health. The holy Quran is a holy book in Islam and has been used by Muslims for its healing properties. This quantitative study focused on exploring the effect of listening to the Quran versus calm music on anxiety levels. The current study measured the anxiety levels of participants by using Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Thirty-six individuals participated in the current study and were divided into two groups, the Music Group (n=20) who listened to a five minute audio of calm music, and the Quran group (n=16) who listened to a five-minute audio of Surat Yusuf. Anxiety levels were measured by administering questionnaires. For analysis of the results, paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test were applied. Within group difference results showed that Quran and music are both effective in decreasing anxiety levels. However, between-group differences, it was found that post-audition anxiety levels of people who listened to the Quran were lower than people who listened to music. There were no significant differences in the results of previous experiments with listening to music and listening to the Quran. This shows that the Quran has healing properties and may be effective for therapeutic techniques. The impact of listening to the Quran may be further explored in future studies with different areas of other mental health problems.