The Quran, the Heart and Modern Science

By S. Arshad, New Age Islam 31 July 2024 The Quran Also Refers to The Heart as an Important Factor in Reasoning and Cognitive Abilities of Brain Main Points: 1. Modern science has found correlation between heart and brain health. 2. Heart attack leads to decline in cognitive abilities of brain. 3. Thickness in left ventricle leads to lower cognition levels over time. ------- In recent years, researchers in the universities of the US and the UK have conducted studies on the correlation between the health of brain and heart. These studies have shown that the health of the heart directly affects the functions of brain. If the health of the heart deteriorates, the health of brain is also affected. In 2021, researchers associated with the University of Sau Paulo and some universities of Britain studied the health of brain and heart of 29000 men and women and arrived at the conclusion that those with better heart health had better cognitive abilities. Similarly, in 2022, American researchers conducted a study on 30,000 persons and drew the conclusion that after a heart attack, cognitive abilities of the patient decline overtime. In the international stroke conference organised by the American Stroke Association in February 2022, the researchers presented the finding that preventing a heart attack helps prevent a decline in the cognitive abilities of the brain. According to a research paper published by Queen Mary University and Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford in 2021, Dr Zahra Raisi Estabraghi says: "We already knew that patients with heart disease were more likely to have dementia and vice versa but we've now shown that these links between heart and brain health are also present in healthy people. We demonstrated for the first time in a very large group of healthy people that individuals with healthier heart structure and functions have better cognitive performances." All these scientific studies prove that the cognitive abilities of human beings do not depend on the health of brain alone but the heart also plays an important role in it. These scientific findings have given a new dimension to the understanding of the Quran. The Quran more often refers to the heart instead of the brain when it speaks of the reasoning and logical abilities and the cognitive abilities of human beings. The Quran speaks of the disease in the hearts and the sealing of the hearts of certain groups of people. It says that those with disease in the heart do not understand the truth or cannot arrive at the right opinion on spiritual or religious issues. The Quran says that those with stiffness in their heart do not realise the truth. Here are some of the verses of the Quran: "Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and their sight is covered. They will suffer a tremendous punishment."(Baqarah:7) "There is sickness in their heart, and Allah only lets their sickness increase. They will suffer a painful punishment for their lies."(Baqarah: 10) "Those who have no knowledge say, 'If only Allah should speak to us or a sign would come to us'. The same was said by those who came before. Their hearts are all alike. We have made the signs clear for the people of sure faith."(Baqarah:118) "Then after him We sent other messengers to their own people and they came to them with clear proofs. But they would not believe in what they had rejected before. This is how we seal the hearts of the transgressors." (Yunus:74) "There are the ones whose hearts Allah has sealed and they only follow their desires."(Muhammad: 16) "Do they not then reflect on the Quran? Or are their locks upon their hearts."(Muhammad:24) "Have they not travelled throughout the land so their hearts may reason and their ears may listen? Indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind but it is the hearts in the chests that grow blind." (Al Hajj: 46) "This is how Allah seals the heart of those unwilling to know the truth." (Al Rum: 59) "No calamity befalls anyone except by Allah's will, and whoever has faith in Allah, He will rightly guide their hearts and Allah has perfect knowledge of all things." (At Taghabun:74) "They preferred to stay with those left behind and their hearts have been sealed, so they do not comprehend."(Tawbah: 87) "This how Allah seals the hearts of the disbelevers.':(Al Araf:101 In all the above quoted verses, God refers to the hearts of human beings as the centre of reasoning, logic and cognitive functions. Those with disease in their hearts do not arrive at the right decision or truth. God seals the hearts of those who ignore and reject the message delivered by the messengers. As a result, they do not realise the truth and wander around with vain ideas. All these verses also show that the cognitive abilities of man depends on the health of the heart. Those with disease in their heart do not have a true understanding of things. The disbelievers do not have the realisation of truth because their hearts are not healthy. The defects in their heart has affected their reasoning and logical thinking leading them to vain beliefs and ideas. Many people think that their heart is healthy but in fact their heart is sick. The Quran speaks of the sickness in the heart of certain groups. Modern research corroborates this. Betsy Mills, PhD writes in his article: "A study found that the presence of left ventricle heart thickening around age 30 was associated with worse global cognition 25 years later during middle age." (How does a healthy heart protect the Brain?) The Quran also speaks of stiffness or thickness in the heart which causes a faulty perception and understanding of life, death and the universe. Since their heart is not healthy, they do not grasp the essential teachings of their religious scriptures and have false beliefs and misleading ideas. Therefore, the Quran does not consider the heart merely an organ of the body performing physical functions of the body in a mechanical way but tells man that it plays an essential and pivotal role in reasoning, logical thinking and cognitive functions of the brain. Without a healthy and flawless heart, man cannot have a true understanding of truth and realities of life, death and the universe. Thus, modern science has corroborated the Quran's stand on the importance and significance of heart in the cognitive functions of the brain. ----- S. Arshad is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com. 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