Comparing & Thamatic Analysis Christian prayer and Islamic prayer with emphases on psalms & sahife sajjadie

Thematic Analysis is one of the most important methods in qualitative research. In this method, researcher tries to synthesize, conceptualize, and mix the data. Thematic Analysis of Sahife Sajadiem, as one of the most authorized prayer texts in Islam, versus Christian prayers, Psalms in our example, and referring the concepts to one another, came with significant results. In both texts, key concepts were praise, confession, request, vow, taking refuge, supplication, and love. Although each of these themes can have different meaning and significance in prayer context of each religion, these common themes shows how comparable these prayer texts are. Addressing God is the key theme that can be considered as the source to all other themes. In both religions, addressing God means that the God- man relationship has transferred from I-thou to I-thee relationship. In this regard, man sees that God is so close to him. Nonetheless, these texts are quite different. In Psalms, there is supplication for justice and complains of oppressed and poor. Some Psalms contain curse and negative feelings, in some others the writer claims his innocence and oppressed state. So, the intimate God-man relationship is revealed through supplication and complains. But in Sahife sajadie, most of the requests are spiritual and ethical with a simple language that has deep knowledge. Sahife, besides using complex and mysterious terminology present important themes like, praise, confession and request. All of these, little by little take us to an intimate relationship with God. A relationship that entails confession of God’s greatness, loving Him but not much of complains as in Psalms prayers.