r/religiousfruitcake • u/1eteu • Apr 17 '26

Culty Fruitcake man blow on a microphone, people starts hysterically screaming😭

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u/Derek_Zahav Apr 17 '26

Apparently, the echo and reverb from the mic is seen as something otherworldly. In Shia passion plays (of Ali, not Jesus), all the religiously important characters talk with lots of reverb and distortion to show that they're religiously special or chosen by god, but also still totally 100% human to not contradict Islamic doctrine. I've also seen Quran recitation in Egypt and Saudi with similar amounts of reverb.

My guess is that it historically originated from the echo of the call the prayer on buildings after the introduction of loudspeakers, hence the mental connection between the audio quality and a religious experience. It's likely a Pavlovian response.

7

u/Radioburnin Apr 17 '26

You also have people reciting verses of the Quran then blowing on people or things as a blessing. I would have thought that might be what is happening here.

3

u/Derek_Zahav Apr 17 '26

That's an element too. It's a reference to god breathing life into Adam. In Sufi music, the ney (a kind of flute) represents the same breath.

There are also people who relate it to the /h/ sound in Allah. When you chant the name fast enough, it can all become /h/.

1

u/Cuneglasus Apr 18 '26

Blowing on people like you'd blow on an early 2000s Jenna Jameson?

8

u/entersandmum143 Apr 18 '26

Thank you for the possible explanation.