The Missional Singing of the Psalms in Islamic Contexts

Abstract

For fourteen centuries scriptural engagement between Islam and Christianity has focused on the Torah and the Injil (the NT). Common to both traditions, however, is the Zabur, or Psalms. This common text, which has largely been overlooked in Christian-Muslim relations, has recently begun to move interactions from polemic to peaceful. This article explores three similarities between the Psalms and the Qur’an: revelation (prophetic and poetic origin), recitation (oral practice and transmission), and ritual (liturgical and canonical prayers). As Muslims and Christians reimagine scriptural engagement on the common ground of the Psalms, peacebuilding can significantly advance in the twenty-first century.