The Discipline of Devotion (The Recited Qur’an/Hearing) -- Calliope Mills
The Discipline of Devotion By Calliope Mills From Wiki Media Commons When we think about religious devotion, we often picture moments of quiet reflection, prayer, or spiritual insight. But reading Women, the Recited Qur’an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia by Anne Rasmussen showed me that devotion also looks like repetition, muscle memory, and hours of disciplined practice; sometimes with sound being the cornerstone of it all. Figure 20 from Rasmussen's book The women Rasmussen writes about aren’t just participating in their faith—they're embodying it through sound. From the precise articulation of Arabic letters to the melodic flow of Qur’anic recitation, every vocal detail matters. Pitch, tone, rhythm, breath—these elements are fine-tuned with the same care as a classical musician rehearsing a complex piece. And just like music, these sounds carry meaning far beyond the words themselves. They express reverence, emotion, an...