Verses six and seven of Surah Al-Baqarah, which address the condition of disbelievers and the impacts of faith and disbelief on the human heart, open a window towards a profound understanding of the heart's role as the centre of human perception and cognition. These verses, by elucidating the fundamental differences between the believer and the disbeliever in worldly and hereafter life, emphasise the centrality of the heart in regulating cognitive and practical inputs and outputs. This work, adopting a scientific and systematic approach, analyses the presented content and examines the psychological and epistemological aspects of faith and disbelief in an elevated style befitting an academic context. The objective is to provide a coherent text suitable for erudite audiences that, while fully faithful to the original content, also manifests its scientific depth and richness.
Translation: Indeed, those who disbelieve it is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them they will not believe. Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil. And for them is a great punishment.
The heart, as the existential nucleus of the human being, constitutes the centre of all perceptual and practical inputs and outputs. This organ not only plays a pivotal role in the path of virtue and goodness but also in deviation and deficiency. The Holy Quran introduces the heart as the seat of decision-making and cognition, from which all human actions and thoughts originate.
Just as various bodily organs perceive pain with differing intensity and quality, the heart, as the most sensitive existential component of the human being, exhibits deeper reactions to cognitive and spiritual pains and problems. For instance, the pain of the eye or tooth differs from that of the foot, and due to its centrality, the heart manifests more intense reactions to spiritual harms such as disbelief or sin.
This distinction in perception relates to the proximity and dimension of bodily organs relative to the heart and brain. The heart, as the centre processing all perceptions, is more sensitive to worldly and hereafter afflictions. The Holy Quran refers to the role of the heart in cognition in the following verse:
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا
Translation: Have they not travelled through the earth and had hearts by which to reason?
Faith and disbelief, as two opposing states within the human heart, exert different influences on worldly and hereafter life. Faith, as a light that illuminates the heart, brings clarity, goodness, and true success, whereas disbelief, by causing cognitive blockage, results in constriction, revulsion, and failure. The Holy Quran alludes to the punishment of disbelievers in the following verse:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
Translation: Indeed, for those who disbelieve, there is a great punishment.
This punishment manifests not only in the hereafter but also in this world in the form of anxiety, futility, and psychological failures.
Disbelief, by erecting cognitive barriers within the heart, deprives a person of enduring spiritual pleasures. This deprivation constitutes a form of worldly punishment manifesting as anxiety, a sense of emptiness, and an incapacity to find meaning. Conversely, faith, by fostering reassurance and purity, bestows tranquility and positive orientation upon the individual.
The Holy Quran refers to various heart diseases such as terror, hardness, constriction, sickness, and the locking of the heart, each possessing distinct characteristics and effects. These ailments generate unhealthy inputs and outputs of the heart and obstruct the actualisation of virtues and perfections. For example, constriction of the heart signifies cognitive narrowness that prevents the understanding of truth.
فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ فَزَادَهُمُ اللَّهُ مَرَضًا
Translation: In their hearts is a disease, so Allah has increased their disease.
The heart, as the centre of perceptual and practical inputs (imports) and outputs (exports), plays a crucial role in mental and spiritual health. Cardiac problems such as sin or disbelief produce unhealthy inputs and outputs, whereas cardiac virtues such as faith and purity result in existential coherence.
Modern psychotherapy methods, often limited to prescribing sedatives, instead of genuine treatment, lead to symptom suppression and a form of psychological death. These methods, akin to chains of the past, hinder human mobility and dynamism and fail to address the root causes of problems. For example, sedatives induce lethargy and numbness without restoring mental health.
Despite the vast capacities of the Holy Quran in identifying and treating heart diseases, religious science has been ineffective in this field due to its focus on marginal topics and lack of coherent planning. This inefficiency has led to the isolation of religious science and a decrease in its societal impact.
Just as hospitals are essential for treating physical diseases, the establishment of spiritual hospitals is necessary for treating heart and psychological ailments. These hospitals, utilising Quranic sciences, can address anxiety, emptiness, and other psychological issues, promoting faith, clarity, and intimacy within society.
Religious science, relying on the Holy Quran, can serve as a rich resource for identifying and treating heart diseases. This necessitates a revision of the educational system and a focus on Quranic sciences, prioritising fundamental issues such as Quranic psychology instead of peripheral topics.
وَمَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا
Translation: And whoever is given wisdom has certainly been given much good.
Quranic sciences, especially in the field of psychology and the treatment of cardiac diseases, can be exported to the world as scientific and spiritual capital. These sciences, by offering solutions to psychological and spiritual problems, can meet human needs and serve as an advantage for Islamic societies.
Religious science requires a constitution and a definitive programme to delineate the duties of scholars and the instruction of Quranic sciences. Such a structure prevents dispersion and disorder in scientific activities and enhances efficiency and effectiveness.
Even the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was recommended to care for the heart and avoid anger and harshness, which underscores the importance of self-purification and continuous monitoring of the heart. Such self-purification helps one remain safe from cardiac diseases such as hardness and constriction.
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَأَنْسَاهُمْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ
Translation: And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves.
The interpretation of verses six and seven of Surah Al-Baqarah, emphasising the heart's centrality in human cognition, elucidates the differences between faith and disbelief and their effects on worldly and hereafter life. The heart, as the axis of cognition and perception, regulates human cognitive and practical inputs and outputs. Faith brings clarity and goodness, while disbelief leads to constriction and failure. The Holy Quran, by mentioning cardiac diseases such as hardness and constriction, offers remedies for them. The critique of modern psychotherapy methods and the inefficiency of religious science in this field highlight the necessity of establishing spiritual hospitals and revising the educational system. Quranic sciences, with their immense capacities, can be exported globally as capital for treating psychological and spiritual ailments. This work, presenting a scientific and elevated viewpoint, invites erudite audiences to contemplate the capacities of the Holy Quran and utilise it in psychotherapy and self-purification.
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi