Donkey’s Bray & the Healthy Sound Level

In the Qur’an, there is a chapter named Luqman in which Luqman the Wise imparts advice and moral teachings to his son. Among all the pieces of advice and moral teachings, one is: “And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys.” (Qur’an 31:19)

Why donkeys? One could argue that at the time the Qur’an was revealed, there were no other loud noises like the horns of trains or loud music from big speakers. This is why the donkey’s bray is mentioned as an example. However, there is much more to it.

Let us first take a look at this screenshot 👇

It’s a simple Google search about the healthy sound level for humans, which is equivalent to 70 dB or below.

Now, see this screenshot 👇

It’s the sound level of a donkey’s bray in decibels, which is somewhere around 71.1 dB.

Do you see the pattern? In the verse mentioned above, the example of a donkey’s bray or voice is given because it represents the limit of a healthy sound level. Any sound above that can be harmful to us.

How on Earth could a human know about this almost 1450 years ago? There was no concept of sound frequencies back then and absolutely no tool to measure the sound level of a donkey’s bray. Certainly, someone who has created the donkeys, the sound, and everything else could tell us something so specific that remains accurate for years to come.

Inspired by Syed Abdullah Tariq’s video.