Qur’an and Social Sciences

Qur’an and Social Sciences

The Institutionalization of Monotheism in the Qurʾān and Its Social Functions: An Analysis Grounded in Émile Durkheim’s Sociology of Religion

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
isa alizadeh 1
Hajar Ashouri Nslkiashiri 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author)
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/arq.2025.242441
Abstract
Cultural transformation is one of the most significant functions of religion in human societies, and the Qurʾān, as a revealed text, played a foundational role in reshaping the doctrinal, moral, and social structures of pre‑Islamic Arab society. Focusing on the institutionalization of monotheism, this study examines the Qurʾān’s mechanisms of cultural transformation through the analytical lens of the sociology of religion, particularly the framework of Émile Durkheim. The research employs a descriptive–analytical method applied to selected Qurʾānic verses (with emphasis on those related to monotheism) alongside authoritative exegetical sources. The findings indicate that the Qur’ān employs four principal mechanisms to institutionalize monotheism: activating the innate divine disposition (fiṭrah) as the basis of supra‑individual consciousness; the gradual instruction of monotheistic belief in accordance with the audience’s social capacity; the institutionalization of collective rituals as instruments of social cohesion; and the creation of new collective representations that redefine the society’s semantic order. Comparative analysis demonstrates that these mechanisms, in terms of their social function, overlap with concepts such as collective consciousness, social reality, and religious rituals in Durkheim’s theory, although their origin in the Qurʾān is divine and revealed. The study concludes that employing theories from the sociology of religion—without reducing theological content—can provide a deeper understanding of the Qurʾān’s cultural transformation processes and offer an interdisciplinary model for Qurʾānic and social studies.
Keywords
Qurʾān
Monotheism
Cultural transformation
Fiṭrah
Religious rituals
É
mile Durkheim
Sociology of religion

Subjects

The Holy Qurʾān 
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Qur’an and Social Sciences
Volume 5, Issue 4 - Serial Number 20
Winter 2026
Pages 130-159

  • Receive Date 26 November 2025
  • Revise Date 27 February 2026
  • Accept Date 19 April 2026