What were two things Muslims liked to do for recreation?

1. Religious Stories: Stories in the pious vein included the stories of the prophets and stories from the Prophet Muhammad’s life, which were passed on through family and social gatherings as well as in sermons and scholarly circles. Many stories of the prophets were versions based on Jewish and Christian scriptures and oral traditions and were viewed as valid only where corroborated by the Qur’an and hadiths. Nonetheless, the telling of these embellished stories persisted because of their emotive impact and ability to invoke a sense of piety in the hearers, especially the young and those without formal education. Another strand of the storytelling tradition was picked up by Sufi teachers who instructed their followers by means of symbolic, didactic stories, tapping into an age-old tradition of spiritual teaching and collective wisdom.

2. Qur'an Recitation: The tradition of reciting oral literature was among the most widespread and common leisure activities among Muslims over the years. As Recreational activity in the literal sense of the word, reading or reciting the Qur’an aloud in rhythmic cadences, or listening to a skilled Qur’an reciter was probably the most universal Muslim activity apart from daily work. On the occasion of Friday prayers, at any commemorative service, and as a daily activity for many, the remembrance of Allah through reciting scripture, performing  rhythmic, repetitions of words in remembrance of God were regular activities among the pious.

Explanation:

The practice of dh’ikr became a sophisticated art among Sufi orders, whose music and rhythmic movement led to ecstasy and whose practices at their most extreme met with jurists’ disapproval. From children’s earliest introduction to Qur’an recital in the kuttab (primary school) school at age three to five, to the time a Muslim lay on the deathbed, recitation of the Qur’an and other oral religious expressions was a ubiquitous aspect of daily life.

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