Hala Hadi, Deer Park
The Palestinian author and poet Mahmoud Darwish said, ‘If it was a piece of paper, I would tear it. If it was a bottle, I would break it. If it was a wall, I would tear it down, but it is my heart.’
There is a peculiar irony embedded into the human. His universe is defined by logic, whereby he uses his rationale to systematically go about his day. His hours are the consequence of a plethora of scientific concepts converging together to produce a matrimony of biological realities. Rational order underpins the very core of his existence, from mechanically breathing to advancing the very world he lives in. Nuclear fission, genetic editing, black holes, artificial intelligence. His life today is a bursting kaleidoscope of intelligence and technicolour. His mind is an exquisite instrument humming the stunning tune of the splendid. The molten atoms that suspend themselves in the liquid glass of skyscrapers that are reaching, enduring, extending and obtaining the clouds. And yet, if you ask the human what inspired such profound excellence, what was the determination for such greatness, what influenced the new eve of today…
… he will humbly point his feeble fingers to his heart.
The wonderful irony. The meticulousness of our world, achieved by an organ labelled illogical, irrational and erratic. Whilst it is undeniable that the heart is traditionally associated with passion and interests, it is also attributed to a sense of stubbornness. In Urdu there is a saying ‘mera dil nahi manraha’, meaning ‘my heart won’t agree’. The Japanese say, ‘kokoro ga nattoku shinai’, ‘my heart cannot accept it’. In German ‘mein herz lässt es nicht zu’, ‘my heart won’t allow it’.
One may say that the heart exists as its own distinct entity, slyly enticing us through the shimmers of time with a persistence that rattles the mind. Almost as if, thinking, to some extent, is controlled by the heart itself:
‘…They have hearts but they understand not therewith, and they have eyes but they see not therewith…’. Holy Qur’an 7:1801
In reference to the heart, the Qur’an employs the Arabic term yafqahūna, which is also used in other verses to denote understanding, comprehension and discernment with reference to the heart. This linguistic choice suggests that the Qur’an attributes to the heart not merely an emotional capacity, but also an intellectual one, positioning it as a faculty through which perception, reasoning and understanding may be derived.
Although science has yet to establish the heart as an independent centre of cognition, emerging research is beginning to illuminate its remarkable neurological capabilities, an idea pioneered by the Qur’an. For example, the heart possesses an intrinsic nervous system, capable of producing neurotransmitters and processing information independently of the brain. Research shows this cardiac nervous system can learn, remember, and make functional decisions before signals even reach the central nervous system 2. Additionally, body-mapping experiments have found that children as young as six, when asked to identify where they experience intellectual conflict and difficulty, frequently point directly to their hearts 3. This may suggest an innate knowledge of the capabilities of the heart from a young age.
Beyond its potential scientific implications, perhaps the Qur’anic conception of the heart invites a deeper philosophical distinction: that the world is not merely to be understood through the intellect but also discerned through the heart. If intelligence may be understood as the language of the mind, then perhaps morality is the language of the heart. Just as we cultivate our intellectual faculties to comprehend the world, we must equally cultivate our capacity for empathy, compassion and moral discernment to determine how we ought to inhabit it. Knowledge enables us to understand what is possible; the heart helps us recognise what is right.
This distinction is particularly pertinent in an age that increasingly prioritises intellect and technological advancement. The human mind has demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to transform the world, yet its achievements are not inherently synonymous with moral progress. The atomic bomb, for instance, exemplifies the extraordinary ingenuity of minds such as J. Robert Oppenheimer’s, yet exposes the limitations of intellect divorced from moral discernment. Alas, for what good is the mind if the heart does not guide it to be used correctly?
Ultimately suggesting that true thinking and understanding of the world should be guided by the heart so that man may embed morality into all his actions. Perhaps we ought to surrender ourselves more readily to this steadfast organ, for what worthier form of greatness can there be than goodness itself?
Indeed, even the act of imparting goodness to others seems to begin this way. Once a reporter asked His Holiness Khilafatul Masih III (may Allah have mercy on him), ‘how do you spread your message of peace?’ He replied: 4
‘We try to win the hearts’
References:
1. https://alislam.org/quran/app/7:180
2. https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/little-brain-on-heart-essential-for-cardiac-function/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26898716/
4. https://www.alhakam.org/this-week-in-history-30-july-5-august
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