Assessing Opportunities for Nocturnal Worship Based on Surah al-Muzzammil Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

نویسندگان

1 دانشگاه شیراز

2 دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی

3 دانشگاه تبریز

doi
10.37264/JIQS.V4I1.2
چکیده

This article aims to identify the most spiritually favorable nights of the year for believers and the optimal timing for nightly devotion to God by employing the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique. Given the emphasis on nocturnal worship in Surah al-Muzzammil , this study explores the relationship between the length of night and the opportunities it provides for worship. Using DEA, the nights of the year are evaluated based on the duration of night and environmental conditions in order to determine those nights that offer the greatest potential for devotion and supplication. In addition to temporal variables, nocturnal temperature is also considered as an influential factor in this evaluation. DEA serves here as an analytical tool for comparative performance assessment, facilitating the identification of nights with the most favorable conditions for nighttime worship. In the methodological section, two scenarios are implemented. The first scenario constructs a composite index based on the interval between the religious midnight (half of the canonical night) and fajr (dawn), as well as between fajr and sunrise. The second scenario applies the Fair Model (KA) and the AP Model with three indices: the interval from the religious midnight to fajr , from fajr to sunrise, and the temperature index. For more precise evaluation, the AP and KA models are also executed for the first scenario. The findings of this research can assist believers in planning their nocturnal worship during the most spiritually advantageous periods of the night.

کلیدواژه‌ها
Qur’anic and exegetical foundation: Verse Q.73:20 explicitly refers to the change in the duration of night worship according to the measurement of night and day and individual conditions. Thus, identifying the periods of the year with the longest nights and the most favorable conditions for devotion, constitutes a practical application of this verse and facilitates a more effective realization ofal-tahajjud., Scientific and empirical approach: Given the natural variations in night length throughout the year, measurable criteria, such as temperature, the interval between religious midnight and dawn, and between dawn and sunrise, must be quantitatively analyzed. The DEA method enables ranking of nights based on multiple indicators, thereby identifying those with the highest worship potential capacity., Score 5 (Very Good): The average night temperature is between 20–23°C. This condition is ideal, requiring no heating or cooling systems. It represents the most favorable situation for nightly worship and should be assigned the highest output value in DEA., Score 4 (Good): The average night temperature is between 17–19°C and 24–25°C. Slightly less ideal but still comfortable, with only minor need for thermal adjustment., Score 3 (Moderate): The average night temperature is between 14–16°C and 26–27°C. Noticeable need for heating or cooling systems; comfort is reduced., Score 2 (Poor): The average night temperature is between 10–13°C and 28–30°C. Discomfort is evident; significant reliance on thermal regulation is required., Score 1 (Very Poor): The average night temperature is below 10°C or above 30°C. Conditions are extremely unfavorable for worship, with low tolerance and continuous dependence on temperature control systems., RIS, EndNote, Mendeley, BibTeX, APA, MLA, HARVARD, CHICAGO, VANCOUVER