Meanings of Heart in Quran
The word “ghalb” [heart] has been used with different meanings in the Quran. Verse 37 of Surah Qaf associates this word with wisdom and intellect: “Most surely there is a reminder in this for him who has a heart or he gives ear and is a witness.”
Elsewhere as in verse 10 of Surah Al-Ahzab, it refers to spirit and life: “and when the eyes turned dull, and the hearts rose up to the throats, and you began to think diverse thoughts of Allah.”
Verse 12 of Surah Al-Anfal describes heart as the center of emotions: “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve”. Or verse 159 of Surah Al-Imran which reads “Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you.”
Two powerful centers can be spotted in the man; the first one is the center for cognition and that is the brain and the nervous system. When we think about something we feel that we are analyzing that problem with our brain. However, brain and nerves are tools for the spirit.
The second center is for emotions and is controlled by heart. Emotional issues affect here first. When we hear a bad or a good news, we feel the initial pressure on heart.
Yes, the main hub of cognition and emotion is one’s spirit but physically speaking there are different signs and reactions. The reaction to cognition happens in the brain but reaction to emotional issues such as mercy, enmity, fear, peace, happiness, and sorrow first appear in the heart.
Furthermore, heart is a critical organ in our body and a moment of cessation leads to death. Additionally, there is no problem in associating both intellectual and emotional issues with the heart.
