Beyond memorization: Quranic engagement and tadabbur in relation to academic, moral, and mental well-being outcomes

Abstract

Quranic engagement encompasses not only recitation and memorisation but also tadabbur, or reflective engagement with the meanings and guidance of Quranic verses. This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between Quranic engagement and reflection and students' perceived academic outcomes, self-reported moral behaviour and mental well-being, and determined whether the combined outcomes differed across four memorisation levels after controlling for engagement and reflection. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 137 Degree in Muamalat and Plus Tahfiz students at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kampus Machang. Pearson's correlations and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were performed. Quranic engagement and reflection were positively correlated with perceived academic outcomes (r = 0.726, p < 0.001), moral behaviour (r = 0.624, p < 0.001) and mental well-being (r = 0.580, p < 0.001). After controlling for engagement and reflection, memorisation level did not have a statistically significant multivariate association with the combined outcomes (F = 1.392, p = 0.19 1), whereas engagement and reflection were significantly associated with the combined outcomes (F = 22.782, p < 0.001). These findings indicate that, within this sample, reflective Quranic engagement was more consistently associated with the measured outcomes than the number of juz memorised.