THE QURAN ON THE CEREBRUM

THE QURAN ON THE CEREBRUM

God has said in the Quran about one of the evil unbelievers who forbade the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, from praying at the Kaaba:

“No!  If he does not stop, We will take him by the naseyah(front of the head), a lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)!” (Quran 96:15-16)

Why did the Quran describe the front of the head as being lying and sinful?  Why didn’t the Quran say that the person was lying and sinful?  What is the relationship between the front of the head and lying and sinfulness?

If we look into the skull at the front of the head, we will find the prefrontal area of the cerebrum (see figure 1).  What does physiology tell us about the function of this area?  A book entitled Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology says about this area, “The motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion of the frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. This is a region of association cortex...”[1]  Also the book says, “In relation to its involvement in motivation, the prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression....”[2]

So, this area of the cerebrum is responsible for planning, motivating, and initiating good and sinful behavior and is responsible for the telling of lies and the speaking of truth.  Thus, it is proper to describe the front of the head as lying and sinful when someone lies or commits a sin, as the Quran has said, “

...A lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)!”

Scientists have only discovered these functions of the prefrontal area in the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith L. Moore.[3]

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Footnotes:

[1] Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 211.  Also see The Human Nervous System, Noback and others, pp. 410-411.

[2] Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 211.

[3]Al-E’jaz al-Elmy fee al-Naseyah (The Scientific Miracles in the Front of the Head), Moore and others, p. 41.

The Forehead

Allah, the Almighty, says: 

“Nay! If he (Abu Jahl) ceases not, We will catch him by the forehead. A lying, sinful forehead” (I)

The Scientific Fact:

The human brain consists of three main lobes; the frontal lobe, the occipital lobe, the temporal lobe, and the parietal lobe. Each lobe has its own special function. Yet, they all work together and complement each other. 

The frontal lobe in the human brain is distinctive from that of animals since it includes centres that are responsible for speaking and behaviour. It also includes certain neural centres with distinctive functions and places including the pre-frontal cortex which lies exactly behind the forehead and forms the major part of the frontal lobe. 

This pre-frontal cortex is the main unit for building the character of the person. It plays a role in initiative and judgement. It also contains the motor speech area of Broca which coordinates the process of producing voices between the organs of speech including the larynx, the tongue, and the face. Also, it contains the movement zones which include the frontal eye field. 

The frontal eye field sustains the organized movement of the eye to the opposite direction. The primary and secondary motor areas that control the willed movements of the muscles. All this show that the frontal area of the frontal lobe, which lies in the forehead, is for directing behaviour and shaping up human personality. 

Any damage to this area would lead to the deterioration in moral criteria and the efficiency of memory and the ability to work out logical problems.

Facets of Scientific Inimitability:

The mystery of this verse mentioned above was only solved recently. No wonder, the Ever-Glorious Qur'an mentioned the area of the forehead as being the lying and the sinful one. Furthermore, the Ever-Glorious Qur'an said that this body part will be hit and held; it is an allusion to the area which monitors the human behaviour. 

So it is the body part to be held accountable for man’s deeds. It is a Divine wisdom that Allah commanded this part to be placed on the ground in prostration so that it will learn how to be honest and upright. 

Almighty Allah says: 

“Verily, prayer prevents from al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) and the remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah is greater indeed. And Allah knows what you do” (II)