For centuries, humans have used sound-based rituals to explore our earthly existence. Whether in healing ceremonies or moments of joyous communion, the expression of certain vocal noises is seen as a means of communicating with divine spirits. These revered traditions encompass chants, prayers, sermons, poetry, humming, moans and even screaming but regardless of their form, each expression pushes individuals to acknowledge the higher energies in their lives.

Naturally, music is a major element of sound but many ancient religions possess a deeply ingrained culture of vocal practices that extends well beyond rhythms and notes. Recitations and chants are particularly critical to Islam and Hinduism, two of the world's oldest belief systems that many scholars consider sound-based religions. These utterances, and the human voice overall, not only helped organise both schools of thought, they've played a pivotal role in expanding followers and growing communities. Examining nuances in the tone and pitch of declamations not only reveal the intrinsically sonorous nature of both philosophies, they present a new appreciation of old contexts.

Holy books are a good place to start. The Quran and the Vedas are the most sacred texts in Islam and Hinduism, respectively. A look at their origins reveal just how significant vocalisations were in the early days of both religions. In Islam, the archangel Gabriel is believed to have visited Prophet Muhammad over a two-decade peiod and shared "explicit verbal revelations" that would later form the Quran, religious historian William A. Graham wrote in his 1977 book, Divine Word and Prophetic Word in Early Islam. During the Prophet's time, the Quran only existed orally in the form of these individual recitations and it was only years after the Prophet's death that they were compiled into a book. It's no surprise then that the literal translation of the Quran is “the recitation." Its oratory quality is so profound that every year, Muslims across the globe memorise and recite the book in its entirety for competitions such as the Dubai International Holy Quran Award.

Similarly, the Vedas are considered a collection of mantras. Consisting of four books, it was composed sometime around 2000 BC, approximately 2,500 years before writing in India began. To pass on and preserve scriptures, teachers and students memorised passages through deep listening. As a result, many experts believe the Vedas aren't meant to be read or studied. "The duty of paying homage to Brahma [one of the major gods of Hinduism] by repeating the words of divine revelation is held to be sufficiently fulfilled by the daily exercise of repeating the first few words of all the principal books," Sir Monier Monier-Williams wrote in an 1891 book called Brāhmanism and Hindūism: Or, Religious Thought and Life in India, as Based on the Veda and Other Sacred Books of the Hindūs. As in Islam, the memorisation of scriptures is a highly respected exercise. Back in the day, Indian families would change their surnames upon learning parts of the Vedas by heart. For example, the name Dwivedi refers to someone who has mastered two of the four Vedas. A person who named themselves Trivedi had knowledge of three Vedas, while Chaturvedis have at least one ancestor who knew all four of the Vedas, the renowned spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar wrote in his 2019 book, Wonder.

The style of delivery in reciting these centuries-old texts is as crucial as the words themselves. Volume, emphasis, rhythm and the quality of studio equipment can strengthen or diminish the power of phrases. Technical effects such as reverb and echoes are embraced by many religious places of worship but too much audio technology is considered detrimental to the act of recitation. The Quran has seven modes of recitation to help people from different geographies to learn the holy book. Despite differences in tone and articulation, each one is considered synonymous and their meaning essentially stays the same. Receitations are usually performed in a singing-like manner, as instructed by the Prophet Muhammad who said that people should "beautify the Quran with your voices." Around the Middle East, a seven-note heptatonic scale is typically used but in Muslim-majority regions around the Horn of Africa, pentatonic scales are more common. In Sudan, for example, the late Nourin Mohamed Siddig was known to recite the Koran in a soulful and bluesy style.

During a stint in Mauritius, Patrick Eisenlohr, an anthropology professor at the University of Göttingen, spoke to a local devotee called Shareef who described a few qualities that are essential to meaningful recitation of na‘t, i.e. poetry in praise of Prophet Muhammed. As quoted in Eisenlohr's seminal 2018 book Sounding Islam, "when we recite a na‘t, we sometimes evoke his [the Prophet’s] difficult moments." That's why vocal intonation must be firm and moving, as to do justice to the Prophet’s sufferings, Shareef continued. "Also, the voice of the na‘t khwan [a reciter of na‘ts] needs to be melodious, like that of a Qari [a Quran reciter]; it needs to be well formed, with fluctuation. A na‘t in Urdu recited with a good voice touches you directly."

Vedic texts, meanwhile, can be chanted in multiple formats with each one possessing different properties. They include Samhita, Pada, Krama, Jata and Ghana, among others, and their differences are outlined in Vedic Recitation, a 2012 study by Bert Vaux, a linguistics specialist at the University of Cambridge. In Samhita, mantras are expressed in a sentence while Pada involves chanting word by word. For Krama, the first word of the mantra is added to the second, the second to the third and so on until the whole sentence is completed. In Ghana, syllables are continuously repeated in a certain pattern. Sometimes, a syllable can get repeated upto 13 times. Jata, meanwhile, involves chanting the first word of the mantra with the second before the order is reversed. Each method is intended to preserve the Vedas' tonal and verbal purity for future generations. The process of chanting is so integral to Hinduism that in 2008, UNESCO named Vedic chanting as a valuable part of India's cultural heritage.

By situating these age-old spiritual doctrines in a culture of sound, we're able to observe tangible similarities between Islam and Hinduism. Both place a profound importance on the human voice as a means of connecting with higher forces, whether through repetitive chants, prayers or song, while their origins are deeply rooted in oratory traditions. In a way, this sonic perspective makes both faiths more accessible to the general public. Sound has long been a valuable medium for cross-cultural collaboration and it's hoped these vocal practices can help audio enthusiasts, even those who aren't spiritually inclined, better understand these religions.

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