Health benefits of Quran memorization for older men

Reading Holy Quran Associated With Better Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Background: As the global population ages, understanding factors that contribute to better cognitive function in older adults becomes crucial. This systematic review delves into the potential relationship between reading the Holy Quran and cognitive function in older adults. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across five electronic databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Tripdatabase, Cochrane) to identify relevant studies that were published between 2004 to December 2023. Inclusion criteria were centered on studies exploring the correlation between reading the Quran and cognitive function in older adults. Results: Five studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in this systematic review. Notably, four of these studies reported a significant correlation between the intensity or duration of Quranic reading and improved cognitive function in older adults. Discussion: The findings imply a potential positive association between engaging with the Holy Quran and cognitive function among the elderly. This relationship holds promise for potential applications in cognitive health interventions for older adults especially for Muslim patients. Conclusion: This review provides evidence supporting the relationship between reading the Holy Quran and normal cognitive function in older adults. The consistent findings underscore the importance of further research to elucidate underlying mechanisms and consider potential implications for cognitive health interventions.

Knowledge Mapping of Articles on Application of the Quran and Hadiths in Health Care: VOSviewer Visualization Techniques

This study sought to conduct a knowledge mapping of articles to shed light on the application of the Quran and Hadiths in health care. The study is applied in terms of purpose and scientometrics in terms of type, which has been carried out using retrospective bibliometric analysis methods and visualization through knowledge mapping. In order to do so, the PubMed database with related keywords was thoroughly searched. Then, 302 relevant articles were reviewed in terms of the author, the year of publication, the journal, and the subject. In addition, VOSviewer software was employed to analyze and visualize keywords and maps of the articles. The findings showed that 302 articles were published between 1972 and 2021 in 190 journals, among which the Journal of Religion and Health was ranked first with 43 articles. Word co-occurrence map of scientific products of the Quran and Hadith in health care were categorized into six clusters, namely: "complementary and alternative medicine," "ethics," "the effectiveness of spirituality on the treatment and control of mental illness," "women's rights and status," "family planning, infertility treatment and abortion," and "the views of the Quran and Hadiths on sexual issues." Adopting a holistic approach toward the application of various aspects of the Quran and Hadiths on health care, the present study can be considered as a pioneering research whose results can account for determining relevant applied research projects.

Modulation of Heart and Brain Function by Surah Al-Rehman Recitation Among Distressed Diabetic Patients in Pakistan

Distress causes psychophysiological alterations that affect autonomic function. The current study explores psychophysiological modulation in diabetic distress in response to Surah Al-Rehman recitation. A single-group experimental study with before and after intervention assessments was conducted during April 2018 to February 2019 in which participants (n = 10) listened to Surah Al-Rehman recitation. Blood pressure, blood glucose, cortisol, ECG and EEG were recorded before and after recitation. Significant reduction in systolic blood pressure, increase in low frequency and absolute alpha power at Fp2 were observed. Heartbeat evoked potentials (HEP) were also significantly modulated at Fp1, Fp2 and F4. These findings suggest that Surah Al-Rehman modulated baroreflex activity thereby reducing sympathetic activity and improved heart brain coherence as reflected by HEP.

The Impact of Listening to, Reciting, or Memorizing the Quran on Physical and Mental Health of Muslims: Evidence From Systematic Review

Objectives: Listening to or memorizing the Quran has been suggested to affect the psychosocial health and well-being of Muslims. Muslims who memorized Quran have a higher quality of life (QoL) and lower anxiety and stress. Hence, this systematic review was conducted to evaluate the studies that assessed the effect of listening to, reciting, or memorizing the Quran on physical and mental health.

Methods: This review was performed on articles published from the inception and April 2021. Databases including ProQuest, PubMed and Web of Science were searched on 19 April 2021. Keywords such as “Quran”, “al- Quran,” “al- Kareem,” “Holy Quran,” “memori,” “Tahfiz,” “Huffaz,” “listening” and “reciting” were used for databases searching. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane risk of bias tool and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Only 20 articles were included in data synthesis out of a total of 230.

Results: The findings revealed that listening to, reciting or memorizing the Quran had a favorable effect on depression, anxiety, physiologic parameters, quality of life, quality of sleep and intelligence quotient.

Conclusion: The current evidence suggests that, listening to, reciting or memorizing the Quran may be useful as an intervention to improve physical and mental health.

Muslim religiosity and health outcomes: A cross-sectional study among muslims in Norway

The aim of this study is to address the association between Muslim religiosity and health outcomes, and investigate if religious Muslims are more likely to be of disadvantage of health than non-religious Muslims. A cross-sectional study-design is used with a representative sample of Muslims in Norway including 2661 respondents in age 16 years-74 years from the "The Survey On Living Conditions Among Persons With An Immigrant Background 2016", conducted by Statistics Norway. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between Muslim religiosity and health outcomes. The health outcomes in focus are self-reported health, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neck and back illnesses, mental health problems, sleeping disorders, consumption of alcohol, and smoking. Association between Muslim religiosity and positive health outcomes were found. Smoking and alcohol consumption were negatively associated with Muslim religiosity. The findings suggest no evidence that religious Muslims are more likely than non-religious Muslims to be of disadvantage of health, and the study do not support the premise that Islam as a barrier to health. In addition, our findings suggest that Muslim religiosity might serve as a resource either predicting better health outcomes or that Muslim religiosity may be a factor that exists if good health is evident. As our findings cannot define any cause-effect relation between Muslim religiosity and health outcomes, given the cross-sectional design of the study, we emphasize the need of further research that investigates how Muslim religiosity is associated to health.