Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asssalamu Alaikum,

For long time, I am not receiving any mail from you. I hope, you all are doing well. I have a doubt which has struck my mind recently.  Qur'an states that لهم قلوب لا يفقهون بها ----------- Here Qur'an is mentioning that understanding is with heart. But Modern science says that thinking is with brain.  So could you please explain.

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Answer:

Thinking with heart or mind

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Respected brother in Islam, ‘modern science’, in its absolutely limited knowledge of the Truth, declares that it is the brain which thinks, understands, and processes all information and the heart is merely a physical organ whose main duty is to pump blood to the various parts of the body……but the One Who created the heart declares in Truth in His Glorious Quran and through His appointed Messenger (saws), that the function of the heart is much much bigger and greater than the mere pumping of blood to the various parts of the body!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 63 Surah Munafiqoon verse 3:

3 That is because they believed, then they rejected Faith: so a seal was set on their hearts: therefore they understand not.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verses 86-87:

86 When a Surah comes down enjoining them to believe in Allah and to strive and fight along with His Messenger, those with wealth and influence among them ask thee for exemption and say: "Leave us (behind): we would be with those who sit (at home)."

87 They prefer to be with (the women) who remain behind (at home): their hearts are sealed and so they understand not.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 179:

179 Many are the Jinns and men We have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not eyes wherewith they see not and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle; nay, more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning).

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 50 Surah Qaaf verse 37:

37 Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the Truth).

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verses 45-46:

45 When thou dost recite the Quran We put between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter a veil invisible:

46 And We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand the Qur'an and deafness into their ears: when thou dost commemorate thy Lord and Him alone in the Qur'an they turn on their backs fleeing (from the Truth).

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 30 Surah Rome verses 58-60:

58 Verily We have propounded for men in this Qur'an every kind of parable: but if thou bring to them any Sign, the disbelievers are sure to say "Ye do nothing but talk vanities."

59 Thus does Allah seal up the hearts of those who understand not.

60 So patiently persevere: for verily the promise of Allah is true: nor let those shake thy firmness who have (themselves) no certainty of faith.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 25:

25 Of them there are some who (pretend to) listen to thee; but We have thrown veils on their hearts so they understand it not and deafness in their ears; if they saw every one of the Signs not they will believe in them; in so much that when they come to thee they (but) dispute with thee; the disbelievers say: "These are nothing but tales of the ancients."

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Anaam verses 125-126:

125 Those whom Allah (in His Plan) Wills to guide He opens their breast to Islam; those whom He Wills to leave straying He makes their breast close and constricted as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe.

126 This is the way of thy Lord leading straight: We have detailed the Signs for those who receive admonition.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 57:

57 And who doth more wrong than one who is reminded of the Signs of his Lord but turns away from them forgetting the (deeds) which his hands have sent forth? Verily We have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this and over their ears deafness. If thou callest them to guidance even then will they never accept guidance.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verses 106-109:

106 Anyone who after accepting faith in Allah utters unbelief except under compulsion his heart remaining firm in faith but such as open their breast to unbelief on them is Wrath from Allah and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty.

107 This because they love the life of this world better than the Hereafter: and Allah will not guide those who reject faith.

108 Those are they whose hearts ears and eyes Allah has sealed up and they take no heed.

109 Without doubt in the hereafter they will perish.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 54:

54 And that those on whom knowledge has been bestowed may learn that the (Qur'an) is the Truth from thy Lord and that they may believe therein and their hearts may be made humbly (open) to it: for verily Allah is the Guide of those who believe to the Straight Way.

As much as it may be the brain which processes information, it is truly the hearts which affirms, doubts, or denies the processed information. For all matters pertaining to love, hate, joy, happiness, desires, fears, suspicions, faith, belief, etc…..it is the heart rather than the brain which accepts or doubts or denies the information processed by the brain.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 5200 Narrated by Abu Dharr

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "He has been successful whose heart Allah has made sincere towards faith, whose heart He has made free from disbelief, his tongue truthful, his soul calm, his nature straight, whose ear He has made attentive and his eye observant. The ear is a funnel and the eye is a repository for what the heart learns. He is successful whose heart is made retentive."

Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 1.49 Narrated byAn Numan bin Bashir

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying: ‘Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good, but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt; and that is, the heart!’

• When one hears some good news, do they experience joy in their brains or in their hearts?
• When one hears some bad news or hears of a loved one’s death, does one feel pain in one’s brains or does one feel pain in their hearts?
• When one loves someone, does one love someone with their brains or from their hearts?
• When one sends a message of love to someone, does one send the portrait of a brain or a heart?
• When one is betrayed, does one feel or say that the person has ‘broken my brain’ or he/she ‘has broken my heart’?
• When one memorizes something, does one say that ‘I have memorized it by my brain’ or does one say ‘I have memorized it by heart’?

Every individual experiences their fears, or desires, or joys, or happiness, or pain, or love, or hate, or suspicion, or doubts, etc. with and from their hearts…….but ‘modern-science’ because of its limited knowledge insists that the heart is merely a physical organ which pumps blood and has absolutely nothing to do with these natural experiences!

The discrepancy brother is with the limited knowledge of ‘modern-science’, not in the Declarations and the Guidance of the One Who Created everything in existence! The brain indeed does collect and process the information it receives from the various faculties of sight, and touch, and hearing, etc….but it is truly the heart which decides and determines whether to accept, reject, doubt, affirm, or deny that information it has received!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan