Terms of Personal Prayer in the Qurʼān: a Contextual and Emotional Analysis

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the terms for personal prayer (duʻāʼ and other derivative forms) in the Qurʼān. Occurrence of these terms in the text is analyzed quantitatively with regard to the chronology of the Qurʼānic text. They appear mainly in the sūras of the II and III Meccan periods, and more rarely in the Medinan period, contrary to the term for communal prayer ṣalāt which is frequent in the Medinan sūras. The study shows that they are used in a close number of interrelated contexts. These contexts could be described as follows: people’s ingratitude towards the Almighty God and their inclination towards pagan deities; their appeal to God in the time of danger; Allāh’s mercy to the righteous calling Him, including His response to them and helping a righteous man, like Zakarīyā and Ibrāhīm, to have a child. Emotional aspect of these fragments was analyzed as well. The Qurʼānic fragments, containing terms for the personal prayer, are emotionally intense and their modality varies from positive to negative, often containing both of these contrast evaluations. These traits and the variety of related topics and their emotional modality could be explained by diverse circumstances of Muḥammad’s prophetic mission, as his social role evolved from an outcast preacher to a head of the theocratic state. The variety of topics and their emotional modality could be a consequence of the different character of audiences during the different stages of monotheistic preach delivered by Prophet Muhammad.