Quranic Recitation As A Medium of Islamic Psycho-Spiritual Therapy: An Analysis of the Psychological Dimensions of Quranic Reading in Guiding the Mak Nyah Community

Abstract

Studies on Quranic recitation commonly emphasise technical proficiency and pedagogy, while its role in shaping psychological experience and spiritual change among marginalised Muslim communities remains empirically underexplored. Addressing this gap, this study analyses Quranic recitation as a medium of Islamic psycho-spiritual therapy in guidance programmes for the mak nyah community. The qualitative study involved 18 informants from four religious guidance programmes in Malaysia. Interview data were thematically analysed to identify participants’ inner experiences and the guiding conditions that shaped them. The findings were strengthened through the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM), involving 12 experts from the hijrah community, murabbi, relevant institutions and academia. The analysis identified six interrelated dimensions: inner tranquillity, motivation to participate in guidance, increased self-confidence, a sense of acceptance, social support and readiness to change. Recitation also served as an initial attraction to religious guidance and a gateway to worship and spiritual change. FDM validation placed Quranic recitation within the highest-priority cluster for the therapeutic component concerning the moral relationship with the Creator, alongside remembrance of Allah, supplication, and engagement with the Prophet’s biography and teachings (threshold = 0.047; consensus = 92%; fuzzy score = 0.783). The study extends recitation scholarship beyond technical mastery by proposing an empirically grounded framework in which reported psycho-spiritual benefits emerge through the interaction of engagement with revelation, progress in recitation, supportive murabbi relationships and a non-judgemental social environment. These findings provide a conceptual and practical basis for developing Quranic recitation classes as gradual, low-pressure and dignity-sensitive guidance approaches for marginalised Muslim communities.