From Recitation to Material Mediation: Material-Performative Qur’anic Reception in Betel-Leaf Healing in Banten, Indonesia

Saadatul Jannah; Zulkarnain

doi:10.15408/refleksi.v25.i1.54103

Authors

Saadatul Jannah Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta, Indonesia
Zulkarnain Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15408/refleksi.v25.i1.54103

Keywords:

Living Qur’an, Qur’anic Healing, Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, Betel Leaves, Therapeutic Reception

Abstract

This This study examines the therapeutic reception of the Qur’an through a traditional betel-leaf healing practice in Sukamaju Village, Serang, Banten. Using a qualitative case-study approach supported by questionnaire data from 30 patients, data were collected through interviews, field documentation, and questionnaires and analyzed within the Living Qur’an framework. The findings show that Sūrat al-Fātiḥah occupies a central role in healing rituals involving Qur’anic recitation, supplication, and material media. Approximately 73% of respondents were unfamiliar with the recitations used, while about 70% reported perceived improvements after treatment. The findings suggest that therapeutic Qur’anic reception does not primarily depend on semantic understanding of scripture, but emerges through the interaction of practitioner authority, recitation, ritual practice, material mediation, and embodied experience. This study proposes the concept of material-performative Qur’anic reception to explain how scriptural authority acquires therapeutic significance through the relationship between text, voice, ritual, material objects, and the body. The study extends Living Qur’an scholarship toward the material, performative, and embodied dimensions of religious practice. Reported improvements reflect subjective experiences rather than clinically verified outcomes.

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