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.
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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.
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S. Arshad is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-science/quran-heart-modern-science/d/132831
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