Aesthetics, Theology, and Worship Gestures: A Comparative Study in the Abrahamic Religions

Bodily movements in the worship of the Abrahamic religions play an important role in the religious experience and the encounter of believers with the sacred. In Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, movements such as bowing, prostration, kneeling, and standing are not only considered symbolic acts in worshiping God, but also have aesthetic and theological dimensions. This article, with a comparative approach, examines the meanings and implications of these movements in the three Abrahamic religions and analyzes their connection with concepts such as humility, submission, and spiritual connection. From an aesthetic perspective, worship movements have a kind of harmony, rhythm, and physical coordination that can affect the sensory and emotional experience of the individual in worship. On the other hand, in the theology of these religions, these movements are considered as tools for approaching God and manifesting collective faith in religious rituals. In this article, relying on religious sources and the perspectives of philosophers and theologians, an attempt is made to show how devotional movements, in addition to their ritual and theological dimensions, bring a deeper understanding of beauty and spirituality to the believer. The findings show that these movements in all three religions carry common meanings and at the same time have specific distinctions in their historical and cultural contexts.