Function of Heart from Quran’s Viewpoint
Nahy Abu Quraisha, a neuroscientist and professor of medical sciences at Cairo University, in an article titled “Hear Is Just Not for Pumping Blood”, has elaborated on the features of heart based on the verses of the Quran and cited studies by modern scientists that describe the heart as being something more than just an organ that pumps blood in the body, saying it is a center of emotions and reasoning.
Excerpts from the article are as follows:
God says in verse 2 of Surah Al-Anfal: “When God is mentioned, the true believers begin to feel fear of Him in their hearts and when His revelations are recited to them their faith strengthens. In God alone do they trust.”
This verse refers to the heart not as an organ pumping blood around the body and one that has nothing to do with emotions and feelings.
God also says in verse 28 of Surah Ar-Raad: “… those who believe, and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Is it not with the remembrance of Allah that hearts are satisfied.”
We also read in verse 53 of Surah Al-Hajj: “(This He permits) in order that He makes satan's interjections a temptation for those in whose hearts is a sickness and those whose hearts are hardened and the harmdoers are in a wide schism.”
So God introduces heart as an organ that is comforted, gets sick, gets hardened, and gets fearful.
According to verses 22 and 23 of Surah Az-Zumar, “One whose chest (heart and mind) is left open for Islam (submission to His will) shall receive light from God. Woe to those whose hearts have become like stone against the remembrance of God. They are clearly in error. God has revealed the best reading material in the form of a Book with similar passages which refer to each other and make the skins of those who fear their Lord shiver. Then their skins and hearts incline to the remembrance of God. This is the guidance of God. He guides whomever He wants. No one can guide those whom God has caused to go astray.”
These verses also affirm that the heart hardens and softens. These are material descriptions of the heart that we will discuss later and narrate true stories that Western media have mentioned and newspapers as well as specialized scientific journals have published.
