The Impact of Meaning-Oriented Recitation on the Realization of a Quranic Lifestyle from the Perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Quranic Recitation Sciences and Arts, Higher Institute of Quran and Hadith, Al-Mustafa International University

2 Assistant Professor, University of Karbala, Iraq

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to explicate the conceptual framework, dimensions, and transformative mechanisms of "meaning-oriented Quranic recitation" (Tilāwah Maʿnā-Miḥwar) and analyze its intermediary role in transitioning from formalist auditory recitation to the actualization of a comprehensive "Quranic lifestyle" within the strategic thought of Ayatollah Khamenei.
Methodology: Utilizing a descriptive-analytical and document-based research design, this paper conducts a qualitative thematic analysis of primary texts, seminal treatises (notably An Outline of Islamic Thought in the Quran), and strategic discourses delivered across four decades of Quranic assemblies.
Findings: The findings indicate that in Ayatollah Khamenei's paradigm, vocal acoustics, melodic modes (maqāmāt), and phonetic rules (tajwīd) hold instrumental rather than intrinsic value, functioning as aesthetic vehicles for active listening, cognitive engagement, and contemplation (tadabbur). The transition from recitation to praxis follows a five-tier developmental trajectory: aesthetic audition, lexical comprehension, internalization/self-addressing (khūd-mukhāṭab-pindārī), emotional reverence (khushūʿ), and behavioral externalization. Cognitively, it fosters cognitive reappraisal and self-regulation; sociologically, it cultivates social capital, solidarity, and cultural resilience. Consequently, it manifests in individual psychological resilience and moral purification, familial stability and compassionate upbringing, and socio-political domains through justice-seeking, anti-hegemonic resistance, and the rejection of secularized religiosity.
Conclusion: Meaning-oriented recitation serves as the foundational catalyst for Quranic socialization, bridging theoretical cognition and everyday praxis, thereby transforming the Quran from an ornamental text into an operative blueprint for Islamic civilization-building.

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Main Subjects

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 March 2026
  • Revise Date: 04 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 26 April 2026

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