The psychology of the Qur'an: Why is it so effective?

Hamza_Ibrahim

Peace guys,

This is a topic of the Qur'an that has always intrigued me. I've read a fair share amount of holy books (New Testament, the Bhagavad Gita, the Torah, Mormon Bible, etc). But in the end, I feel a bit disconnected from the exposition. They don't really try to communicate with the reader 11. DON'T GET ME WRONG, they all contain good messages, but I'm talking about the visceral emotion of the text.

But when I open the Qur'an, I instantly feel my soul is being attacked. I wonder if you guys noticed this? It's almost maniacal in a way.

For example, when the Qur'an brings up a point of belief, it will NEVER stop there. It usually probes you with rhetorical questions to challenge the anti-belief and then immediately brings up the afterlife to contrast the conclusion of believing or not believing. And then it goes further...it actually recreates discussions in the afterlife that a believer or disbeliever would have. These are often depicted with the disbeliever experiencing immense regret as he gets thrown in hell. Another example is when you try to rationalize away a line. The Qur'an will often take your rationalization and say "Really? Nice try. But you can't escape the TRUE meaning." I especially remember the part where the Qur'an says that people who argue with the quran feel as if they are their chest is "tightening". I'm scared to admit that I feel this at times.

I mean, putting aside whether you think the Qur'an is a peaceful, violent, or helpful book. I just believe this book masterfully attacks your psychology in every way possible. This book was made either by God (who understands his creation's weak points) or a psychological savant. Do you guys feel the same way? Or maybe I'm looking at it wrong?

imrankhawaja

yes you are right , God knows what we hide in our chest, and what is apparent...

and the way this book use language can be interpretated at any age ... with new meanings and understandings...

and if you are reading it for first time then , i will say you to re read it many times possible , and every single time a new understanding will come in your mind , what u never had in first reading... try for it ...

by the way i m convinced this is from the lord of heavens and earth...

Jafar

Human is primarily driven by two type of emotions

PLEASURE
FEAR

Egyptian Book Of The Dead, Zoroastiran Arda Viraf and Quran play along those lines..

Obey, believe and you will get pleasure... (virgins, wine, honey, fruits)
Rebelled, questioning / disbelieving of what I said and you will be tortured for all eternity, burnt by fire, your guts torned up, your tongues cut up, your flesh eaten by alligator etc..

Then I saw souls whose tongues were scraped with a wooden peg; and they ever went down, into hell, head foremost; and the demons ever ploughed their bodies with an iron comb. And I asked thus 'Whose souls are these? and what sin was committed by them whose souls suffer so severe a punishment?'
Srosh the pious, and Adar the angel, said thus 'These are the souls of those wicked who have been disobedient unto their rulers in the world, and have been enemies of the armies and troops of their rulers. Now they must here suffer such severe pain and torment and punishment.'
-- Arda Viraf, Chapter 99, Written during Sassanid era, just few centuries before the Quran

Strike fear upon the populace so they will not dare to resist/rebel, promised pleasure and reward for those who obey..
It's proven to be very effective technique to control people behavior... for many centuries... by many regimes around the world from Egyptian Pharaoh, Islamic Caliphates, Roman Empire, Nazi Germany and today's North Korea..

Hamza_Ibrahim

Jafar, it's true that the Qur'an uses fear and pleasure in its text. But in my experience, a lot of books do that, including the New Testament.

There is a component in the Qur'an that makes it psychologically effective. I think it maybe has to do with the emotion called "regret". Overall, the Qur'an is filled with plausible after-life scenarios that trigger this. Whoever wrote the Qur'an mastered this form of visualization of regret (i.e. "If only you only knew!" and "This world is temporary and you're going to regret investing in it."). It exceeds main exposition of describing hell. You actually feel as if you're in a courtroom of sorts since its judging your current actions in real time. Like I said, I'm speaking about this APART from making a value statement on the Qur'ans nature. Whether it is peace or violent is another discussion I think. I'm just probing its effectiveness.

Jafar

Jafar, it's true that the Qur'an uses fear and pleasure in its text. But in my experience, a lot of books do that, including the New Testament.
Like I said, I'm speaking about this APART from making a value statement on the Qur'ans nature. Whether it is peace or violent is another discussion I think. I'm just probing its effectiveness.

It is VERY EFFECTIVE...
Of course, there are many others.. including those who are unwritten.. for example.. Viking Religion...
Eternal partying and drinking in Valhala or eternal damnation in the cold and snowy Hel

Yet there also many others who do not employ those technique...
This is the current trend...
Just state the idea and left it to the reader / observer to digest, evaluate and feel free to agree or disagree...

Motivating / Controlling people by FEAR is not my cup of tea...
You better not dare to disagree with me or I will cut your head off, your guts spilled all over the floor and I will stick an iron rod up on your arse..

Timotheus

Indeed the Quran is glorious.

This is what struck me the first time I read it I knew "no human being could have written this"

But the previous scriptures of God are similar, it is just mostly the interpretation that has distorted the essence of it,

I also think that, as God mentions he sends messengers in the language of the period and people, the way I see it after Jesus, and the Greeks etc, spiritual thinking and philosophical thought became allot more widespread, and people began to wonder more about these types of questions, so God answered them.

It's only fitting that the final revealed scripture of God should completely annihilate falsehood and leave no room for debate, as it says if there was a Quran with which the dead were made to speak or mountains to crumble it would be this one, and those who believe certainly rejoice in the mercy and guidance that God has given us.

huruf

My first impression of the Qur'an was that there it was really God who spoke, The God of majesty and power who does not care to pander to any proselityzing through contrived softness or marketting, but rather when it shows softness is a true tenderness for his creatures. Summing up it came through to me as authentic.

Salaam