While looked at biologically, the heart’s efficiency is amazing. The heart works without interruption for seventy to eighty years, without care or cleaning, without repair or replacement. Over a period of seventy years, it beats one hundred thousand times a day, approximately forty million times a year? nearly three billion pulsations all told. It pumps two gallons of blood per minute well over one hundred gallons per hour through a vascular system about sixty thousand miles in length (over two times the circumference of the earth). [1]
The heart starts beating in the unborn foetus before the brain has been formed, that is at day 21-22. Scientists still don’t know exactly what triggers the beating, but they use the word autorhythmic to indicate that the heartbeat is self-initiated from within the heart.
As the brain begins to develop, it grows from the bottom up. Starting from the most primitive part of the brain (the brainstem), the emotional centers (the amygdala and the hippocampus) begin to emerge.
It is well known to brain researchers that the thinking brain then grows out of the emotional regions. That speaks volumes about the relationship of thought to feeling. In an unborn child there’s an emotional brain long before there’s a rational one, and a beating heart before either.
While the source of the heartbeat is within the heart itself, the timing of the beat is thought to be controlled by the brain through the autonomic nervous system. But surprisingly enough, the heart doesn’t need a hardwired connection to the brain to keep beating. For example, when someone has a heart transplant, the nerves that run from the brain to the heart are severed, and surgeons don’t yet know how to reconnect them. But that doesn’t stop the heart from functioning: after surgeons have implanted a heart and restored its beat in a new person’s chest, the heart keeps beating though there’s no longer any connection to the brain.
Source:
1. Schiefelbein, S. The powerful river. In: Poole, R., ed. The Incredible Machine. Washington D.C.: The National Geographic Society, 1986.
This part will be on the human heart, God-Willing.
This section is unique in its kind since it will cover the existing facts concerning the physiological and anatomical discoveries in the human heart along with the concept of the cell memory theory.
The reason why these two blocks have been linked at HeartScience along with many Quranic verses is due to their similarities and for the fact that many of these observations (facts) can be explained through the concept of the cell memory theory. We know today that many controversial concepts start from being a theory and with the time being becomes a fact once technological devices are improved and more scientists get involved in the search for the truth. As an example, we had the very famous relativity theory of Albert Einstein that was at first very controversial and hard to prove but with the years and decades to come it became accepted by almost all physicists and astrophysicists throughout the globe.
Nowadays, the cell memory theory is also a theory, it is not supported by the international scientific community; however, if one follows carefully the undisputable medical discoveries concerning the heart along with the observations of some other researchers one remarks that they all point at one direction – the cell memory theory. See if these works are connected to one another or not, by taking the Holy Quran as a unique template for the Divine Truth of the secrets concerning the human heart.
Scientists all around the world have for centuries considered the heart as an organ whose function is to pump the blood to all the cells of the body for their nutrition and oxygen supply.
According to recent discoveries made by scientists there are way more to that than the pumping function. As shocking as this might be this has already been informed to mankind, as a fact, through the Holy Quran’s many verses. Here are two examples, one from the Quran and the next one from the book Nahj al-Balaghah:
Believers are only they whose hearts tremble with fear whenever God is mentioned, and whose faith is strengthened whenever His messages are conveyed unto them, and who in their Sustainer place their trust – (Surah al-Anfal (Chapter 8 – The Spoils of War) verse 2)
He (the believer) kept his mind alive and killed (the desires of) his heart till his body became thin, his bulk turned light and an effulgence of extreme brightness shone for him. It lighted the way for him and took him on the (right) path. Different doors led him to the door of safety and the place of (his permanent) stay. His feet, balancing his body became fixed in the position of safety and comfort, because he kept his heart (in good acts) and pleased his Allah. (Imam Ali (Peace be upon him) – Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon #220)
As you can see this verse and the sermon informs us that heart is besides pumping an organ that is involved in emotions (such as fear), in desire (things in life) and in driving us to perform good acts.
In the next paragraphs we will prove according to scientific evidence and through stories from the western media, published in the most famous newspapers and magazines that the heart is not only a pump, which will lead us to the conclusion that Quran is a Book from Allah Who knows every secret in the hearts of people – his creation.
In 29th of May 1988 a successful heart and lung transplantation was done on a women called Claire Sylvia, these were taken from an 18-year old male who died because of a road traffic accident, after Claire’s recovery she started to behave like a male and began to eat some food that she could not tolerate before such as green pepper, beer and chickens. When she met the family of that man they said “Her behaviour is exactly the same as their son!!!”
Some scientists ignore this story while others took it as evidence to what is called today the cell memory.
Light within the heart
So what is the Cell Memory?
The theory of the cell memory states that every cell in our body contains information about our personalities and our history (on past events) not only that but each cell has its own way of thinking.
So according to this when an organ is transplanted from one person to another, its cells carry all its memory to the new body and by implanting more than one organ there will be more cells containing more memories.
This is linked to what God Almighty says in the Quran:
He knows all that is in the heavens and on earth; and He knows all that you keep secret as well as all that you bring into the open: for God has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men]. (Súrah at-Taghabun (Chapter 64 – Loss and Gain) verse 4))
This verse is confirming to us that the theory of cell memory is in fact a fact and not a theory, since this verse is stating that God is fully aware of what men hide in their hearts. What else besides information, concerning this verse, can be hidden in cells forming the heart? Nothing, as far as we know, only information, which is saved in heart cells as it is saved in nerve cells.
The fact on cell memory, being revealed through the Quran to mankind for 1400 years ago, is also mentioned in the book called Huang Dei Nei Jing which is the oldest and most important traditional Chinese medical book. Interestingly according to Chinese historians no one knows the author of this book; maybe the information contained in this book (including on cell memory) is from a believer or even from some old prophet sent to the Chinese history. The fact that the ideas contained in this book may be from a prophet of God should not be odd since Allah has mentioned in the Holy Quran that He has sent prophets from time to time (Holy Quran: Chapter 17 (Al-Isra – The Journey by Night) verses 59 and 106 ???).
Here is what some well-known western scientists have discovered.
Dr. Kandis Burt (author of the book Passion Molecules) found out that cells in the human body exchange messages with each other by short chain of amino acids (making up proteins) which, in the past, were thought to be found only in the brain but proved now to be found also in other internal organs such as the heart and the important organs and that memory (of things) is not only stored in brain but also it is stored in the internal organs cells and on our skin cells.(Reference 10)
It is crucial to note that this has already been told to us in the Holy Quran as follow:
Could, then, one whose bosom God has opened wide with willingness towards self-surrender unto Him, so that he is illumined by a light [that flows] from his Sustainer, [be likened to the blind and deaf of heart]? Woe, then, unto those whose hearts are hardened against all remembrance of God! They are most obviously lost in error! (Surah Az-Zumar (Chapter 39 – The Groups) verse 22))
God bestows from on high the best of all teachings in the shape of a divine writ fully consistent within itself, repeating each statement [of the truth] in manifold forms [a divine writ] whereat shiver the skins of all who of their Sustainer stand in awe: [but] in the end their skins and their hearts do soften at the remembrance of [the grace of] God. Such is God’s guidance: He guides therewith him that wills [to be guided] whereas he whom God lets go astray can never find any guide
(Surah Az-Zumar (Chapter 39 – The Groups) verse 23))
Here is an even a verse that proves that our skin (skin cells) do in fact have memory on the Day of Judgment on what (bad actions) we were doing in this world:
Hence, [warn all men of] the Day when the enemies of God shall be gathered together before the fire, and then shall be driven onward, (Surah Fussilat (Chapter 41 – Explained in Detail) verses 19))
till, when they come close to it, their hearing and their sight and their [very] skins will bear witness against them, speaking of what they were doing [on earth]. (Surah Fussilat (Chapter 41 – Explained in Detail) verses 20))
One might ask how or why skin can witness on something that occurred in this world on the Day of Judgment; here is the answer to that:
And they will ask their skins, “Why did you bear witness against us?” – [and] these will reply: “God, who gives speech to all things, has given speech to us [as well]: for He [it is who] has created you in the first instance – and unto Him you are [now] brought back.
(Surah Fussilat (Chapter 41 – Explained in Detail) verse 21))
The most recent research is based on the fact that the cell memory theory has proven and now has lead to the challenge of its traditional view. This work, mentioned in the Newspaper Metro on novemeber 13th 2007 and from the Institute of Karolinska in Stockholm, shows that the cells of our body contains a memory and moreover, that surrounding effects can go over from one generation to the other. The remarkable in this is that these occur without them being stored in the genes. So from nowadays teachers of science in universities should no longer separate the science of inheritance and surrounding from one another.
Dr. J Andrew Armour gave us another concept in 1991 by stating (in his book Neurocardiology-Anatomical and Functional Principles) that there is a ‘small brain’ in the heart which is composed of an elaborate network of neural cells (neurons), supporting cells and neurotransmitters (all of these things work in an independent way from the brain) which enables it to process information from one cell to another, including emotional information. Therefore, this network send information to the brain and as a result of that Dr. Armour thinks that the neural cells in a transplanted heart will send signals from its stored memory to the brain of the new person. An example on an emotional information stored in heart cells can be found in the Holy Quran 8:2.
In the book The HeartMath solution by Doc Childre and Howard Martin one learns that in recent years, neuroscientists have made the exciting discovery that the heart has its own independent nervous system complex system referred to as “the brain in the heart.” There are at least forty thousand neurons (nerve cells) in the heartas many as are found in various subcortical centers in the brain. [1] The heart’s intrinsic brain and nervous system relay information back to the brain in the cranium, creating a two-way communication system between heart and brain. The signals sent from the heart to the brain affect many areas and functions in the amygdala, the thalamus, and the cortex.
The amygdala (a part of the limbic system) is an almond-shaped structure deep inside the brain’s emotional processing system. It specializes in strong emotional memories. The cortex is where learning and reasoning occur. It helps us solve problems and determine right from wrong. The amygdala, the thalamus, and the cortex work closely together. When new information comes in, the amygdala assesses it for emotional significance. It looks for associations, comparing what’s familiar in emotional memory with this new information coming into the brain. Then it communicates with the cortex to determine what actions would be appropriate. [2]
The discovery that the heart has its own nervous system “brain” that affects the amygdala, the thalamus, and the cortex helps to explain what physiologists John and Beatrice Lacey of the Fels Research Institute realized in the 1970s. At that time, it was known that the body’s nervous system connected the heart with the brain, but scientists presumed that the brain made all the decisions. The Laceys’ research showed that something else was happening.
The Laceys found that when the brain sent “orders” to the heart through the nervous system, the heart didn’t automatically obey. Instead, the heart responded as if it had its own distinctive logic. Sometimes when the brain sent an arousal signal to the body in response to stimuli, the heartbeat sped up accordingly. But frequently it actually slowed down while the other organs responded with arousal. The selectivity of the heart’s response indicated that it wasn’t merely mechanically responding to a signal from the brain. Rather, the heart’s response appeared to depend on the nature of the particular task at hand and the type of mental processing it required.
Even more intriguing, the Laceys found that the heart appeared to be sending messages back to the brain that the brain not only understood but obeyed. And it looked as though these messages from the heart could actually influence a person’s behavior. [3]
The Laceys and others discovered that our heartbeats aren’t just the mechanical throbs of a diligent pump, but an intelligent language that significantly influences how we perceive and react to the world. Subsequent researchers also discovered that the rhythmic beating patterns of the heart are transformed into neural impulses that directly affect the electrical activity of the higher brain centers those involved in cognitive and emotional processing. [4-6]
So in other words, these discoveries weren’t invented independently by HeartMath, but rather were first stated in the 1970s, by Laceys, when unfortunately his ideas were considered controversial. But if those researchers would have been familiar with the Quranic verses then they would have accepted his theories; in order for them to later become facts.
This is what Dr. Rollin McCraty, the head researcher at the Institute of HeartMath said about the heart whose background is in electrical instrumentation design and high-tech problem-solving: “We observed the heart was acting as though it had a mind of its own and was profoundly affecting perception, intelligence and awareness”. This is what is told to us, based on a work from HeartMath, in the first chapter of the book The HeartMath solution by Doc Childre and Howard Martin, “Over the past twenty years, scientists have discovered new information about the heart that makes us realize it’s far more complex than we’d ever imagined. We now have scientific evidence that the heart sends us emotional and intuitive signals to help govern our lives. Instead of simply pumping blood, it directs and aligns many systems in the body so that they can function in harmony with one another. And although the heart is in constant communication with the brain, we now know that it makes many of its own decisions.”
That is what Allah has already told us in the Holy Quran (63:3; 50:37; 17:46; 6:25 and so on, mentioned on the next page).
In the following book The Biology of Transcendence Joseph Chilton Pearce introduces the emergent science of neurocardiology, the new medical field exploring the brain in the heart. He cites specialists in this field who have determined that half or more of the cells of the heart are neural cells like those making up our brain. Some reports claim that 60 to 65 percent of heart cells are neurons, all of which cluster in ganglia, small neural groupings connected through the same type of axon-dendrites forming the neural fields of our brain (p. 64).
Notice that our left and right brain do have different functions. Here is a short description of them:
Left Brain Functions
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe Right Brain Functions
uses feeling
“big picture” oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can “get it” (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking
The left-brain can lead to brilliant creative thinking, yet can be devoid of intelligence, intelligence being a generalized move for well-being that is generated by the heart and limbic system and their connections with the right hemisphere and prefrontal lobes (The book The Biology of Transcendence p. 37-8).
Notice here that the limbic system (the center of belief and emotion), the heart (containing memory cells on among others faith and emotion) and the prefrontal lob (where one uses to commit a sin or lie for instance) are all connected together.
Is there any example on this?
Yes, indeed this is linked to the following kind of person: A hypocrite who cannot use his heart to differentiate between what’s right and wrong (in other words, take a good wise decision) since God seals his heart [as a result]; as the following verse from the Holy Quran says:
this, because [they profess that] they have attained to faith, whereas [inwardly] they deny the truth – and so, a seal has been set on their hearts so that they can no longer understand [what is true and what false].
(Surah Munafiqun (Chapter 63 – The Hypocrites) verse 3))
At the Institute of HeartMath (IHM), scientists have found that the heart is capable of giving us messages and helping us far more than anyone ever suspected. Throughout the book The HeartMath solution, one learns about the research that provides new evidence of the power of heart intelligence. And it is shown how that intelligence can have a measurable impact on our decision-making, our health problems, our productivity at work, our children’s learning ability, our families, and the overall quality of our lives.
It’s time to reexamine the heart. As a society, we need to take the concept of heart out of confinement in religion and philosophy and put it right in the “street,” where it’s needed most. The HeartMath Solution is a comprehensive system that will give you new information about heart intelligence; new tools, techniques, and exercises to access that intelligence; and instructions and examples regarding how and when to apply it to make your life better.
These last paragraphs from the book The HeartMath solution starts to sound like a lecture given by a priest or sheik on the religion, faith and hence morality.
So these scientists from HearthMath are reached the true medical sciences of the human heart of the Holy Quran revealed some 1400 years ago to mankind. To prove that their results obtained from intensive researching from 1991 until today is correct let’s refer us to the universe’s Absolute Source – the Holy Quran. Here are some of these verses:
Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the truth).
(Surah Qaf (Chapter 50 – Qaf) verse 37))
“And We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand the Qur’án, and deafness into their ears: when thou dost commemorate thy Lord and Him alone in the Qur’án, they turn on their backs, fleeing (from the Truth).
(Surah al-Isra (Chapter 17 – The Journey by Night) verse 46))
And there are among them such as [seem to] listen to thee [O Prophet]: but over their hearts We have laid veils which prevent them from grasping (understanding) the truth, and into their ears, deafness. And were they to see every sign [of the truth], they would still not believe in it-so much so that when they come unto thee to contend with thee, those who are bent on denying the truth say, “This is nothing but fables of ancient times!” (Surah al-An’am (Chapter 6 – The Cattle) verse 25))
They were well-pleased to remain with those who were left behind – where for their hearts have been sealed, so that they cannot grasp the truth.
(Surah at-Tauba (Chapter 9 – The Repentance) verse 87))
Has it, then, not become obvious unto those who have inherited the earth in the wake of former generations that, if We so willed, We could smite them [too] by means of their sins, sealing their hearts so that they cannot hear [the truth] (understand)?
(Surah al-A’raf (Chapter 7 – The Heights) verse 100))
Unto those [earlier] communities – some of whose stories We [now] relate unto thee -there had indeed come apostles of their own with all evidence of the truth; but they would not believe in anything to which they had once given the lie: thus it is that God seals the hearts of those who deny the truth; (Surah al-A’raf (Chapter 7 – The Heights) verse 101))
This example taken from the Qur’án shows us that there is indeed a connection between the heart and the decision taken by an individual (i.e. from the prefrontal lob). In other words, when one is a believer he can use the information based on belief (from his limbic system) and especially from his heart (that has presumably almost no ‘black spots’ on bad ideology, thought or emotions) to take a good and intelligent decision from his prefrontal cortex (where decisions are originally taken from).
This reminds one of the following verses:
And never concern thyself with anything of which thou hast no knowledge: verily, [thy] hearing and sight and heart – all of them – will be called to account for it [on Judgment Day]! (Súrah al-Isra (Chapter 17 – The Journey by Night) verse 36))
What Allah is trying to tell us through this verse is that you shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself, since God says that He has given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them.
So one has to use his intellect; however what is the use of the intellect if one has a sealed heart due to committing sins and ignoring the signs of Allah? According to Pearce’s book a person’s intelligent is generated by the heart and the limbic system, i.e. by the center of belief that has been saved in the heart cells and the limbic system cells. So it is basically too late for someone whose heart has been sealed (by Allah) to use his intellect (as the verse 3 of the Surah Munafiqun states). The exact word that we have been trying to reach and describe is wisdom. Wisdom is the trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight. This is exactly what was said by the first Imam, Imam Ali (AS), in his book – the so called Nahj al-Balaghah:
Submission to Allah’s Will is the best companion; wisdom is the noblest heritage; theoretical and practical knowledge are the best signs of distinction; deep thinking will present the clearest picture of every problem. (Imam Ali (AS) – Nahj al-Balaghah, saying #4)
In another place in Nahj al-Balaghah it is said that Imam Ali (AS) said to one of his sons, Imam Hassan (AS) the following:
Imam Ali once said to his son Imam Hasan, My son, learn four things from me and through them you will learn four more. If you keep them in mind your actions will not bring any harm to you: The greatest wealth is Wisdom; the greatest poverty is stupidity; the worst unso- ciableness is that of vanity and self-glorification; and the best nobility of descent exhibits itself in politeness and in refinement of manner. The next four things, my son, are: “Do not make friendship with a fool because when he will try to do you good he will do you harm; do not make a miser your friend because he will run away from you at the time of your dire need; do not be friendly with a vicious and wicked person because he will sell you and your friendship at the cheapest price and do not make friend of a liar because like a mirage he will make you visualize very near the things which lie at a great distance and will make you see at the great distance the things which are near to you”. (Imam Ali (AS) – Nahj al-Balaghah, saying #38)
Another saying from Imam Ali (AS) is the following:
There is no greater wealth than wisdom, no greater poverty than ignorance; no greater heritage than culture and no greater support than consultation. (Imam Ali (AS) – Nahj al-Balaghah, saying #54)
Now that’s what one calls a fully experienced man that helps an individual to survive in any form of society and especially to be a successful one. The saying from Imam Ali (AS) that justifies this is the following one:
Success is the result of foresight (prudence) and resolution (decision), foresight depends upon deep thinking and planning and the most important factor of planning is to keep your secrets to yourself. (Imam Ali (AS) – Nahj al-Balaghah, saying #48)
One last saying – that is long but worth it to read – is from Imam Ali (AS) as well:
Kumayl bin Ziyad Nakha’i says that once Imam Ali put his hand in his hand and took me to the grave-yard. When he passed through it and left the city behind, he heaved a sigh and said “Kumayl, these hearts are containers of the secrets of knowledge and wisdom and the best container is the one which can hold the most and what it holds, it can preserve and protect in the best way. Therefore, remember carefully what I am telling you. Remember that there are three kinds of people: one kind is of those learned people who are highly versed in the ethics of truth and philosophy of religion, second is the kind of those who are acquiring the above knowledge and the third is that class of people who are uneducated. They follow every pretender and accept every slogan, they have neither acquired any knowledge nor have they secured any support of firm and rational convictions. Remember, Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth because it protects you while you have to guard wealth. It decreases if you keep on spending it but the more you make use of knowledge the more it increases. What you get through wealth disappears as soon as wealth disappears but what you achieve through knowledge will remain even after you.
O Kumayl! Knowledge is power and it can command obedience. A man of knowledge during his lifetime can make people obey and follow him and he is praised and venerated after his death. Remember that knowledge is a ruler and wealth is its subject.
O Kumayl! Those who amass wealth, though alive, are dead to realities of life, and those who achieve know- ledge, will remain alive through their knowledge and wisdom even after their death, though their faces may disappear from the community of living beings, yet their ideas, the knowledge which they had left behind and their memory, will remain in the minds of people”.
Kumayl says that after this brief dissertation, Imam Ali pointed towards his chest and said, “Look Kumayl! Here I hold stores and treasures of knowledge. I wish I could find somebody to share it with me. Yes, I found a few, but one of them, though quite intelligent, was untrustworthy, he would sell his salvation to get hold of the world and its pleasures, he would make religion a pretence to grasp worldly power and wealth, he would make this Blessing of Allah (knowledge) serve him to get supremacy and control over friends of Allah and he would through knowledge exploit and suppress other human beings. The other person was such that he apparently obeyed truth and knowledge, yet his mind had not achieved the true light of religion, at the slightest ambiguity or doubt he would get suspicious of truth, mistrust religion and would rush towards skepticism. So neither of them was capable of acquiring the superior knowledge that I can impart. Besides these two I find some other person One of them is a slave of self and greedy for inordinate desires, which can easily drag him away from the path of religion, the other is an avaricious, grasping and acquisitive miser who will risk his life to grasp and hold wealth, none of these two will be of any use to religion or man, both of them resemble beasts having appetite for food. If sensible trustees of knowledge and wisdom totally disappear from human society then both knowledge and wisdom will suffer severely, may bring harm to humanity and may even die out. But this earth will never be without those persons who will prove the universality of truth as disclosed by Alláh, they may be well-known persons, openly and fearlessly declaring the things revealed to them or they may, under fear of harm, injury or deaths hide themselves from the public gaze and may carry on their mission privately so that the reasons proving the reality of truth as preached by religion and as demonstrated by His Prophet may not totally disappear. How many are they and where could they be found? I swear by Alláh that they are very few in number but their worth and their ranks before Alláh are very high. Through them Alláh preserves His Guidance so that they, while departing, may hand over these truths to persons like themselves. The knowledge which they have acquired has made them see the realities and visualize the truth and has instilled into them the spirit of faith and trust. The duties which were decreed as hard and unbearable by them. They feel happy in the company and association of things which frighten the ignorant and uneducated. They live in this world like everybody else but their souls soar to the heights of Divine Eminence. They are media of Alláh on this earth and they invite people towards Him. How I love to meet them O Kumayl ! I have told you all that I have to say, you can go back to your place whenever you like”. (Imam Ali (AS) – Nahj al-Balaghah, saying #146)
Some of the more fascinating evidence supporting the notion of a heart brain are the numerous documented stories (in the book Change of Heart, by Claire Sylvia) of heart transplant patients who have taken on the habits, expressions, tastes and memories of the dead donor. One woman knew the name, address and family of the dead donor – information that had been withheld from her. In a most dramatic case, a teenage girl received the heart of a woman who had been murdered. Shortly thereafter, in dreams and in quiet moments, the woman was able to reconstruct details from the crime scene so as to enable the police to gather enough evidence to convict the killer.
“These stories take this phenomenon out of the realm of coincidence,” said Dr. Rollin McCraty. “The same type of memory-encoding neurons found in the brain is also found in the heart. After an operation, it takes some time for nerves to reconnect, so that can’t explain all the heart-transplant phenomena, because sometimes personality transfers happen immediately. I think that it’s on electromagnetic and energetic levels where the real activity is going on.” Indeed, other researchers in the country have come to similar conclusions. Psychoneuroimmunologist Paul Pearsall Ph.D, author of The Heart’s Code, believes the heart resonates an intelligence field to every cell in our body. Gary Schwartz, Ph.D. and Linda Russek, Ph.D., of the University of Arizona’s Human Energy Systems laboratory in Tucson, are of the opinion that the heart “pumps” patterns of energy and information throughout the body.
Paul Pearsall did research in 2002 on changes in the behaviour of the recipient people resembling the donors. The research was conducted on 74 cases, including 23 heart transplants within 10 years; he found things in some cases difficult to be believed!!
Here are some cases that were observed after the performed heart transplantations:
Case one:
An 18- year old young man, who liked poetry, music and singing died in a car accident, his heart was transplanted in an 18-year old girl, the operation was successful, after recovery she met the parents of that deceased young chap, she surprisingly played the same music and sang the same song that he used to play she sang completing the song till its ending although she did not hear them from the deceased before!!
Case two:
A 47-year old white man had a transplantation of a heart from a 17-year old African American, The recipient was surprised after the operation because he started to like classic music, he discovered later that his donor used to like that kind of music too!!
Case three:
After a young chap had had a heart transplantation, he discovered that he started to use a strange word that he did not use before; after he had met the wife of the donor he found that she and her husband used to use this word as a code between them that indicated that everything is OK!!
Case four:
A heart transplant was done on an eight-year old girl , the heart was taken from a ten- year old girl ,who was stabbed to death in her lung (her heart was unscathed). About 2 months after she got the heart, she began to have horrible nightmares. She began to describe someone coming out of the shade and stabbing her. She got to the point that – in her dreams – she actually could see the man. She identified him, she told the police where to go get him, on arresting the man, he confessed (from the book The Heart’s Code by Dr. Paul Pearsall Ph.D). Pearsall’s official website is the following: http://www.paulpearsall.com .
Source:
1. Armour, J., and Ardell, J., eds. Neurocardiology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.
2. LeDoux, J. The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
3. Lacey, J., and Lacey, B. Some autonomic central nervous system interrelationships. In: Black, P., Physiological Correlates of Emotion. New York: Academic Press, 1970:205?227.
4. Frysinger, R. C., and Harper, R. M. Cardiac and respiratory correlations with unit discharge in epileptic human temporal lobe. Epilepsia. 1990;31(2):162171.
5. Schandry, R., Sparrer, B., and Weitkunat, R. From the heart to the brain: a study of heartbeat contingent scalp potentials. International Journal of Neuroscience. 1986;30:261275.
6. McCraty, R., Tiller, W. A., and Atkinson, M. Head-heart entrainment: A preliminary survey. In: Proceedings of the Brain-Mind Applied Neurophysiology EEG Neurofeedback Meeting. Key West, FL, 1996.
How did you find the information from the previous sections? Convincing?
Well, if not this section will do the job; it will certainly make you totally amazed, without any doubt.
For a long time now scientists have thought that the heart responds to the signals that come from the brain but now, or rather from some time now, evidence have shown that there is a bilateral (two-way) dynamic relation.
The heart sends signals to the brain in many forms such as:
1- Neurologically through electrical impulses.
2- Chemically through hormones & neurotransmitters.
3- Physically by pressure waves.
4- Electromagnetic field.
This may not be new to you however the last point is worth mentioning and explaining in detail.
Let’s keep on going and see where the road ends:
The Electromagnetic Field:
A stronger electromagnetic field dispered from the heart than the brain
The electrical component of the heart’s field is 40-60 times greater in amplitude and permeates every cell in the body. The magnetic component is approximately 5000 times stronger than the brain’s magnetic field and can be detected several feet away from the body with sensitive magnetometers. This makes the heart the body’s main source of power.
The picture shows the heart electromagnetic field, which is the most effective in the human body; it does not only encircle every cell in the body but it also goes out to the surrounding place, it can be estimated or detected several feet a way from the body with sensitive magnetometers.
The electrical transmission from one individual to another
It is difficult to understand the roll that our magnetic field plays. But there have been some remarkable discoveries made on the roll that the earth’s magnetic field plays on our body (more on this can be read in the coming section on earth’s electromagnetic field).
The figure shows us when two people come near each other or touch each other, how one’s heart affect other’s electrical brain waves.
On the right side of the figure you can see when the two subjects hold each other’s hands; a transfer of electrical energy is transmitted from (B’s) heart to A’s Brain and this can be detected by the EEG.
This observation can be compared to the relation between a mother and a baby. Once the mother of a baby embraces his crying baby this baby will become calm and feel safe. What happens is that electric waves from the mother’s heart are transferred to the baby’s brain (shown by the EEG). The baby’s brain receives these waves that in turn give tranquilizing signals to the baby’s heart (that is what many religious scholars in Islam used to tell Moslems about holding a baby by his mother).
Some might argue that holding ones hand is not the same as holding a baby. Therefore, I recommend these people to thing again. Here is tremendous information on the relation between mother-baby that is related to heart and brain and written by Randall Parker on January 29 2004 at 05:12 PM. The title of the article is called “Women Hold Babies On The Left To Connect To Emotional Half Of the Brain”.
The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and usually helps to process emotions, explains Bourne (see the table in section 3.5.1). So holding the baby on the left-hand side may help to direct the sight of emotionally charged information, such as tears or laughter, to the specialized right hemisphere for processing, she says.
Keep in mind that the left brain gets input from the right side of the body and the right brain gets input from the left side. It is interesting to note that the heart is traditionally associated with the seat of emotions and it happens to be on the left side of the body and that side is the side that connects to the center of emotional processing in the brain in most people.
Previous research has indicated that 70-85% of women and girls show a bias to hold infants, or dolls, to the left side of their body. This bias is not matched in males (e.g. de Chateau, Holmberg & Winberg, 1978; Todd, 1995). This study tests an explanation of cradling preferences in terms of hemispheric specialization for the perception of facial emotional expression. Thirty-two right-handed participants were given a behavioural test of lateralization and a cradling task. Females, but not males, who cradled a doll on the left side were found to have significantly higher laterality quotients than right cradlers. Results indicate that women cradle on the side of the body that is contralateral to the hemisphere dominant for face and emotion processing and suggest a possible explanation of gender differences in the incidence of cradling.
One thing that would be interesting to discover is whether less emotionally intense women are less likely to prefer one side over the other for holding a baby.
The idea that an energy exchange of some type occurs between individuals is a central theme in many healing techniques. The fact that the heart generates the strongest electromagnetic field produced by the body, coupled with the recent discovery that this field becomes more coherent as the individual shifts to a sincerely loving or caring state prompted us to investigate the possibility that the field generated by the heart may significantly contribute to this energy exchange.
We present a sampling of results which provide fascinating evidence that an exchange of electromagnetic energy produced by the heart occurs when people touch or are in proximity. Signal averaging techniques are used to show that one’s electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is registered in another person’s electroencephalogram (EEG) and elsewhere on the other person’s body. While this signal is strongest when people are in contact, it is still detectable when subjects are in proximity without contact.
This study represents one of the first successful attempts to directly measure an energy exchange between people, and provides a solid, testable theory to explain the observed effects of many healing modalities that are based upon the assumption that an energy exchange takes place. Nonlinear stochastic resonance is discussed as a mechanism by which weak, coherent electromagnetic fields, such as those generated by the heart of an individual in a caring state, may be detected and amplified by biological tissue, and potentially produce measurable effects in living systems. One implication is that the effects of therapeutic techniques involving contact or proximity between practitioner and patient could be amplified by practitioners consciously adopting a sincere caring attitude, and thus introducing increased coherence into their cardiac field.
The fact that the electromagnetic energy transfer is possible between two individual without any contact but close enough can – in theory I believe – be compared to how great effect the electromagnetic energy field of a believer has on another individual. An example on this is the Prophet Muhammed (SAAS) among others who many of the non-Muslim people of Mecca were afraid of; since they used to claim, verbally, that “that man (Muhammed) looked deep into my soul”. This used to be said since those people knew that they were wrongdoers who have rejected the signs of their Lord – including by not accepting Muhammed as the Messenger of God. Therefore I believe that those kinds of people who had a “heart of stone” feel strange and afraid while receiving the electromagnetic field of a true believer of God; since their heart is full of hatred and sins committed throughout their lives. In Islam, as in most other religions, it is said that one can see a light being ejected from a believer; even though this cannot be directly seen it is rather felt in ones heart while being close enough or especially in contact with that person. Since we do know from optics (modern physics) that what is thought of as “light” is actually a propagating oscillatory disturbance in the electromagnetic field, i.e., an electromagnetic wave the electromagnetic energy transfer from a believer to another person is a light being transmitted into the heart of the other; as said in Islam. This does not mean that only belivers eject electromagnetic radiation, but rather that believer’s propagated radiation can be felt more by others than non-believer’s raditation. Why is it so? So far no one has the answer. Hence, I have used this fact as a support for my strong theory from the famous book of Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Serway & even wikipedia. May God be Praised!
The shape of the electromagentic field’s wave is composed of both an electric and a magnetic component that are positioned 90° in respect to one another as follow in the second figure below. The speed of propagation of the electromagnetic wave is c or speed of light. Note that a usual mechanical wave does not have an electrical nor a magnetic wave.
Difference in nature between mechanical and light waves.
As proved above, more sophisticated techniques developed by IHM – from Institute of HeartMath – have indicated that there is an energy exchange that occurs up to five feet away from the body even without touching, but when people do touch – even a simple handshake – there is a surprisingly large exchange of subtle electromagnetic information being transferred.
Therefore to prove that this also is applied to non-humans this time we’ll consider a boy and his dog instead of human-human contact.
In an informal experiment, a boy named Josh and his dog Mabel demonstrate how one heart field can calm another heart down. IHM researchers monitored the heart rhythms of both the dog and the boy. Researchers had Mabel enter a room by herself. Her heart rhythms were very jagged and erratic. Then Josh entered the room and greeted Mabel – petting her and emotionally bonding with her. At this point Mabel’s heart rhythms made a significant shift, synchronizing with Josh’s heart rhythms. Mabel’s rhythms stayed very close to Josh’s rhythms throughout their visit. When Josh got up and left the room, Mabel’s heart rhythms clearly shifted again, becoming very spiked and jagged (see graphic below). Although the experiment was not a formal study, it appears that Josh’s calm heart field connected with Mabel’s heart, helping her to feel secure and relaxed.
The human heart rhythm reaching the dog’s
Considering everyday interactions, moods and attitudes, whether we realize it or not, our hearts not only affect our own experience, but they can also influence those around us. This poses questions about our everyday interactions, such as if a parent comes home feeling edgy and stressed from the day’s events, does this transfer to their children, creating stress in them? Or perhaps we’re influencing our colleagues more than we know. If we’re feeling uncertain and anxious about a business plan being accepted, might we be transferring this uncertainty in a meeting via a handshake, or if we feel insecure about a relationship, could we be sabotaging it by emanating our insecurities?
In University of Arizona, now, one of the scientists is doing research on 300 heart transplantation trying to prove the cardio electric theory which states that there is an exchange of energy and information between the heart and the brain by using the electromagnetic field, he is trying to find how many recipients did feel changes in their personalities or their diet, also trying to answer questions according to the ethical point of view; if someone receive a heart from a criminal what will happen to him?
As you can see these experimentally observed facts cannot be ignored. Their nature is really worth studying. If we put everything all together, from the chapter on the brain as well as everything we’ve covered on the heart, we have good reasons to concentrate us more on the human heart than the brain. In other words, we’ve always put our weight on the brain, considering it as the only intellectual source of our biological system, whereas it seems that the heart has a more important role than the brain both intellectually and certainly spiritually when the Quranic verses are taken into account.
So when you read the Holy Quran, you can feel a merciful hand patting on your heart removing sadness and desperateness. It includes within itself all the science and knowledge that man has reached and not yet reached, you won’t lose any time reading it . It even talks to the unbelievers and is keen on removing atheism (or any other such thought). Even those who are skeptic of God can find answers to their questions.
And at last, allow us to see what God has told us on this in the Holy Quran:
In time We shall make them fully understand Our messages [through what they perceive] in the utmost horizons [of the universe] and within them¬selves, so that it will become clear unto them that this [revelation] is indeed the truth. [Still,] is it not enough [for them to know] that thy Sustainer is witness unto everything? (Surah Fussilat (Chapter 41 – Explained in Detail) verse 53)
Source:
Kate Ruth Linton
Under the supervision of: Tom Anderson. Knowing By Heart: Cellular Memory in Heart Transplants. MONTGOMERYCOLLEGE STUDENT JOURNAL OF SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS.Volume 2 September 2003
American Heart Association. “Heart Transplantation.” 2002. MedLine Plus. Nov. 2002. <www.nlm.nih.gov>. This website provides some statistics concerning heart transplantation and survival rates.
Sylvia, Claire, A Change of Heart, Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1997.
THE ELECTRICITY OF TOUCH:DETECTION AND MEASUREMENT OF CARDIAC ENERGY EXCHANGE BETWEEN PEOPLE
Rollin McCraty,MA, Mike Atkinson, Dana Tomasino, BA and William A. Tiller, PhD. In: Fifth Appalachian Conference on Neurobehavioral Dynamics: Brain and Values. 1997. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Continuation of Article: http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/soh_24.html
References:
About the Authors:
Paul Pearsall, PhD, is a Clinical Professor at the Department of Nursing, University of Hawaii. He is the author of over 200 professional articles and 15 international best-selling books including The Heart’s Code (Broadway Books, ).
Gary E. Schwartz, PhD, is Professor of Psychology, Surgery, Medicine, Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Arizona. He is also Director of the Center for Frontier Medicine in Biofield Science and Director of the Human Energy Systems Laboratory, both at the University of Arizona. He is the co-author (with Linda Russek) of The Living Energy Universe (Hampton Roads Publishing, , soon to be re-released; reviewed in NEXUS 7/04), and co-author (with William L. Simon) of The Afterlife Experiments (Pocket Books, 2002; reviewed in NEXUS ) and The G.O.D. Experiments (Atria Books, 2006).
• Linda G. Russek, PhD, is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona and Director of The Heart Science Laboratory of The Heart Science Foundation in Tucson, Arizona.
She has co-authored more than 40 papers as well as the book, The Living Energy Universe (with Dr Gary Schwartz; see above).
Editor’s Note:
This article was originally published under the title “Changes in Heart Transplant Recipients that Parallel the Personalities of their Donors” in the Journal of Near-Death Studies, vol. 20, no. 3, Spring 2002.
, http://veritas.arizona.edu/ and http://www.openmindsciences.com/
Leslie A. Takeuchi, BA, PTA is a physical therapist assistant and is currently a graduate student in Holistic Health Education at John. F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California. An article about Julie Motz’s energy healing work appeared in the June/July issue of San Francisco Medicine in 2000. Her book, “Hand of Life” was published by Bantam Books in 1998.
Extracted from Nexus Magazine, Volume 12, Number 3 (April – May 2005)
PO Box 30, Mapleton Qld 4560 Australia. editor@nexusmagazine.com
Telephone: +61 (0)7 5442 9280; Fax: +61 (0)7 5442 9381
From our web page at: http://www.nexusmagazine.com/
by Paul Pearsall, PhD
Gary E. Schwartz, PhD
Linda G. Russek, PhD
Since we have discussed about emotions being saved in the heart this section will explain further on emotion in the heart.
Recent HeartMath studies define a critical link between the heart and brain. The heart is in a constant two-way dialogue with the brain — our emotions change the signals the brain sends to the heart and the heart responds in complex ways. However, we now know that the heart sends more information to the brain than the brain sends to the heart. And the brain responds to the heart in many important ways. This research explains how the heart responds to emotional and mental reactions and why certain emotions stress the body and drain our energy. As we experience feelings like anger, frustration, anxiety and insecurity, our heart rhythm patterns become more variable. These variable patterns are sent to the emotional centers in the brain, which it recognizes as negative or stressful feelings. These signals create the actual feelings we experience in the heart area and the body. The variable heart rhythms also block our ability to think clearly.
Many studies have found that the risk of developing heart disease is significantly increased for people who often experience stressful emotions such as irritation, anger or frustration. These emotions create a chain reaction in the body — stress hormone levels increase, blood vessels constrict, blood pressure rises, and the immune system is weakened. If we consistently experience these emotions, it can put a strain on the heart and other organs, and eventually lead to serious health problems.
Hence let’s talk on the roll that emotion play in the heart.
According to HeartMath, strong emotions can affect the heart’s electrical system, thereby overriding the capacity of the brain.
Brain research by LeDoux (London, 1999) has identified that when experiencing negative emotions (see the pictures below), the brain has a ‘quick and dirty’ route to activate our innate ‘fight or flight’ response. This response, based on perception rather than reasoned thought, can often be inappropriate or disproportionate to what the situation requires. By the time the brain has had time to rationalize a more appropriate response, it can be too late. Irrational decision-making, angry outbursts (not using the prefrontal cortex or lose of control of the ego), feelings of doubt and insecurity are often the result. No matter how rational an analysis may be, as soon as the body detects stress, the heart emits signals, the amygdala sends out an alarm to react, resulting in an increase in cortisol/adrenalin (see the picture below) – and a decision that had the potential to be made based on objectivity and reason (i.e. by using the prefrontal cortex) becomes emotionally biased.
As you can see it is much wiser to use ones prefrontal cortex (i.e. control the ego) – the intellect – while experiencing anger or negative emotions than simply allow a part of your limbic system to take over. The problem with the limbic system (as said in the brain-section) is that it is (alone) the most primitive brain that can neither read nor write, by providing us with the feeling of what is real, true, and important.
Hence there are mainly two ways to control the negative emotions or eager:
– One is to use our intellect, thus control our ego (in our prefrontal cortex) that Satan usually uses to whisper into us in order to incite us to commit evil acts or even occupy us with negative thoughts; or to
– In a more risky way, let our belief (only if strong belief on God, moral values exist) be used to behave in situations such as while having negative (thoughts or eager).
Usually the first way is easier to use but once the belief (in God) is acquired and enriched along with the acquisition of a good moral character the task to control ones emotion will become much easier since the heart takes control by sending info to the intellect and thus to the rest of the surrounding limbs or senses to perform good acts and avoid bad actions.
HeartMath’s research shows that when we experience heart-felt emotions like love, care, appreciation and compassion, the heart produces a very different rhythm. In this case it is a smooth pattern that looks like gently rolling hills. Harmonious heart rhythms, which reflect positive emotions, are considered to be indicators of cardiovascular efficiency and nervous system balance. This lets the brain know that the heart feels good and often creates a gentle warm feeling in the area of the heart. Learning to shift out of stressful emotional reactions to these heartfelt emotions can have profound positive effects on the cardiovascular system and on our overall health. It is easy to see how our heart and emotions are linked and how we can shift our heart into a more efficient state by monitoring its rhythms.
Benefits come from being appreciative:
The feeling of appreciation (in Islam called ‘qina’a) is one of the most concrete and easiest positive emotions for individuals to self-generate and sustain for longer periods. Almost anyone can find something to genuinely appreciate. By simply recalling a time when you felt sincere appreciation and recreating that feeling, you can increase your heart rhythm coherence, reduce emotional stress and improve your health.
For people who may initially find it difficult to self-generate a feeling of appreciation in the present moment, experts suggest that they recall a past memory that elicits warm feelings. With practice, most people are able to self-generate feelings of appreciation in real time and no longer need the past time reference. Dr. Rollin McCraty, director of research for the Institute of HeartMath, says, “It’s important to emphasize that it is not a mental image of a memory that creates a shift in our heart rhythm, but rather the emotions associated with the memory. Mental images alone usually do not produce the same significant results that we’ve observed when someone focuses on a positive feeling.”
Positive emotion-focused techniques, like those developed by HeartMath, can help individuals effectively replace stressful thoughts and emotional patterns with more positive perceptions and emotions. One of the long-term benefits to be gained from the practice of these kinds of techniques is increased emotional awareness. This increased awareness can help individuals maintain a more consistent emotional balance, a fundamental step in the process of improving cardiovascular health.
Diet and exercise will continue to be an important factor in keeping the heart healthy. However, there is increasing awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy emotional state for those recovering from heart-related illnesses, as well as for maintaining heart health. Studies have shown that positive emotion-focused techniques reduce stress and anxiety, which is a safe and effective way to lower blood pressure and increase functional capacity in heart failure patients. This approach is currently being used in a number of hospitals and cardiac rehabilitation programs around the US and even elsewhere.
So far, you all have been familiar with the emotional roll of heart and the psychological and neuro-executive side-effects of heart transplants on patients. Moreover, we have learned that after a natural heart transplant one receives information from the (newly transplanted) heart-cells into his brain that leads to the fact that one experiences new behaviors, tastes, interests, etc. In other words, it is as if one is making a “little brain” transplantation; since over 60% of heart-cells are believed to be composed of neurons. So the heart in itself is a center of emotion, intellect and prudence.
This raises us to the following question: what will happen to a patient after receiving an artificial heart?
Therefore, it is time for us to analyze what will happen when an artificial heart is transplanted for a patient whose heart has serious functional defect. These kinds of transplants usually are done for those who are in such a critical state that they no longer can wait for an organ donor (i.e. if they do not undergo this transplantation they will die).
A person with artificial heart suffers just from an artificial heart which acts as a mere blood pump. He suffers from changes in his behavior and conducts.
By concentrating on the mental, psychological changes, which affects the person who has undergone an operation of artificial heart one realizes that the new artificial heart is empty from any emotional reactions. It has no reaction to danger whereas the natural heart reacts. It has no reaction to any thing which a person might love whereas the natural heart responds. It is a passive and reactions heart which does not act and react with the rest of the body. For example an ordinary heart contains prudent hormones, which send messages to the other parts of the body; i.e. this makes it evident that the heart is the center of prudence and insight and not mere a pump of blood.
Hence this is what Alláh the Exalted says in the Holy Quran:
And never concern thyself with anything of which thou hast no knowledge: verily, [thy] hearing and sight and heart – all of them – will be called to account for it [on Judgment Day]!
(Surah al-Isra (Chapter 17 – The Journey by Night) verse 36)
Beyond this it should be also be said that there occurs several complications after artificial heart transplantation is done. Some of them will be named briefly.
It has been revealed by many scientifical articles on this subject that patients after the implantation surgery die of uncontrolled bleeding. 1
Others such as Dr. Clark lived 112 days as he battled seizures, periods of mental confusion, severe lung and kidney problems, etc. 2
Therefore, implantation of artificial heart is thus far from being medically possible both due to health, neuro- and cardiopsykological issues that are resulted from it. And even if, if the procedure would be successful, which has greatly improved during the past decade, resulting in heart transplant patients living longer than a few years, one can say for sure that these patients would still feel an sensation of emptiness when it comes to the brain-heart connection, which involves memory, the psychological and most likely even the spiritual dimension of one’s existence.
This part is about the effect on the heart of a person who helps someone or performs emotionally a good duty. By emotionally it is meant that the person performs the action with a good clean intention (nie) as a form of therapy against stress. In Islam, this leads to the fact that one feels relieved inside and proud after helping someone financially for instance. We will now see what actually happens medically while carrying out this good deed.
Using MRI scans, scientists have identified specific regions of the brain that are very active during deeply compassionate emotions. Stephen Post, head of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, says: “This is a care and connection part of the brain. States of joy and delight come from giving to others, it doesn’t come from any dry action where the act is out of duty in the narrowest sense.” Post is describing heartfelt giving. The term as “dry action” can also be linked to as committing a righteous deed but by “making a show out of it” to for example impress friends or relatives that you are a very good person instead of performing it for yourself to God. This is what Imam Ali (AS) said about this in his book:
The best form of devotion (dedication, affection) to the service of Allah is not to make a show of it. (Nahj al-Balaghah (Peak of Eloquence), saying #27)
Or else the consequence will be that one doesn’t get any biological benefit (oxytocin secretion into the bloodstream) or any compensation from God (on the Day of Judgment) in his /her book of deeds (or record).
Neurochemicals are also a part of this picture of altruism (unselfishness). A recent study has identified high levels of the hormone oxytocin in people who are charitable toward others. But what about the heart? Dr. J. Andrew Armour, a leading neurocardiologist on IHM’s Scientific Advisory Board, has found the heart contains cells that synthesize and release hormones such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and dopamine, among others. More recently it was discovered that the heart also secretes oxytocin, commonly referred to as the “love” or “bonding” hormone. Remarkably, concentrations of oxytocin produced in the heart are as high as those found in the brain.
When you are altruistic – lending a helping hand – your oxytocin level rises, which helps relieve your stress. Altruistic behaviour also may trigger the brain’s reward circuitry — the feel-good chemicals such as dopamines and endorphins. However, the hormonal benefits of the good deed depend on the genuine (true) intent of the altruistic act – meaning performing the act with a good clean intent (nie). This is why in Islam we say that everything should be done with clean intent:
الاَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّةِ
Actions depend on (are rewarded according to) intentions. (Nahj al-Fasahah (Peak of Rhetoric), saying #164)
نِيَّةُ المُؤْمِنِ أبْلَغُ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ
A believer’s intention is more significant than his deeds. (Nahj al-Fasahah (Peak of Rhetoric), saying #41)
Research shows that altruistic people are healthier and live longer. This is something that we Moslems have in our religion. In Islam it is said that if one keeps good relationship with his family and relatives (doing so called wasle rahm in Arabic) then Allah will grant him a long and healthy life in this world. Hence here is what the Holy Prophet (SAAS) has told us:
مَنْ أحَبَّ أنْ يُبْسَطَ لَهُ في رِزْقِهِ، وَأنْ يُنْسَأَ لَهُ في أجَلِهِ فَلْيَصِلْ رَحِمَهُ
Whoever wishes to have abundant sustenance and long life, should go on keeping the bonds of kinship.
(Nahj al-Fasahah (Peak of Rhetoric), saying #3139)
Keeping a good relationship with others especially family and relatives is comparable to the results of the experiment carried out by Dr. J. Andrew Armour on the oxytocin secretion triggered while performing an altruistic act. You could try this to feel your body and mind relieving (due to oxytocin secretion) when you help your cousin or aunt or when you embrace them by joy and care. This feeling of relieve can be felt even after giving money to an unknown person in the street; as an amateur you may find a hard time to give your own money and therefore hesitate at first due to your strong desire for money. However after giving money, for a moment, you’ll feel that you have performed an act that is human and hence your heart will be amazingly enjoyed by the consequences of your deed. Therefore this is what the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAAS) has told us:
A believer’s intention is better than his deed, while a hypocrite’s deed is better than his intention, and everybody acts upon his own intention. When a believer does an action, a (sort of) light passes through his heart. (Nahj al-Fasahah (Peak of Rhetoric), saying #40)
This might be one of the positive effects of the heart and later body while performing deeds with a good clean intent. The thing that is meant with “…a (sort of) light passes through his heart” is the feeling of real joy and satisfaction that one gets after having performed the deeds with good intent, concerning a believer. The reason is that a hypocrite cannot feel any (positive) thing on this heart after having accomplished the deed; since he still does not know himself and beyond, he’s not honest with himself:
Seek the Truth. You will find it within yourself; therefore, know yourself. (Sayings of the prophet Muhammad, selected traditions by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeiri, p.21)
The one who knows himself knows surely his Lord. (Sayings of the prophet Muhammad, selected traditions by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeiri, p.94)
As a theory, I, as the author and medical student, would like to add a remark to the roll of oxytocin.
I have noticed that this hormone, also present in dates (read the section on embryology – coming in June), has in addition to relieve stress another roll in the human body.
This hormone present in dates helps alert the muscles of uterus to contract and increase contraction during delivery. This is in addition to many other benefits. Praise is to Allah, the High and the Able! Dates are what Allah told Maria (Peace be upon her) – through the Angel Jibra-íl (AS) – to eat while bearing her son, the Prophet Jesus (Peace be upon him), as told in the Surah 19 verses 23 to 26.
What I have to add to these facts is that I believe theoretically that consuming dates, especially the dates called “rotab”, will relieve stress in a more effective manner while carrying out an altruistic act with a genuine (true) intent. While performing this act the levels of oxytocin will increase in the blood (originally from specific cells in the heart) where there are presumably already a certain level of oxytocin in the blood due to daily date consumption as recommended by the last Prophet Muhammad (SAAS) in his book called Nahj al-Fasahah.
So far we have learned the medical facts concerning the presence of oxytocin and what its effects are but since science is a very complex field it is very crucial not to close this file (subject). In other words, we cannot claim that the presence of oxytocin (as a fact) is fully correlated with the saying #40; instead, what we certainly can say is that there is a very good reason to believe so, so far. It is very likely that in the future other newly discovered medical facts will be presented experimentally and therefore counted in as factors playing their role in the heart to confirm the saying of the dear last Prophet Mohammed (SAAS).
So the entire hidden and “supposedly discovered” scientific knowledge is solely in Allahs possession.
Source:
As a start let’s describe what intelligence stands for.
For decades researchers have sought to understand the nature of intelligence. The first IQ tests were designed early in this century to measure intelligence as cognitive ability and intellect, and our school systems were geared up to help people develop both. Because it was found that IQ scores didn’t increase much between kindergarten and adulthood, no matter how much education people received, many IQ experts argued that intelligence is inherited and can’t be changed. They endorsed widely different estimates of the heritability of intelligence, ranging from 40 percent to 80 percent. [1]
Reuven Bar-On, a clinical psychologist and lecturer in medicine at the Tel Aviv University Medical School, coined the term emotional quotient (or “EQ“) in 1985. Bar-On devoted more than fifteen years of research to developing a formal psychological survey that aims to measure people’s emotional intelligence. Based on his research and results, Bar-On summarized the qualities that contribute to emotional intelligence as follows:
It is thought that the more emotionally intelligent individuals are those who are able to recognize and express their emotions, who possess positive self regard and are able to actualize their potential capacities and lead fairly happy lives; they are able to understand the way others feel and are capable of making and maintaining mutually satisfying and responsible interpersonal relationships without becoming dependent on others; they are generally optimistic, flexible, realistic and are fairly successful in solving problems and coping with stress without losing control.[2]
In 1996 Daniel Goleman wrote his groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence. Goleman’s exhaustive research confirmed that success in life is based more on our ability to manage our emotions than on our intellectual capabilities and that a lack of success is more often than not due to our mismanagement of emotions. His research helps explain why many individuals with a high IQ falter in life while others with only a modest IQ do exceptionally well. According to Goleman, the good news about emotional intelligence is that, unlike IQ, it can be developed and increased throughout life.
In his book, Goleman says that the ABCs of emotional intelligence include “self-awareness, seeing the links between thoughts, feelings and reactions; knowing if thoughts or feelings are ruling a decision; seeing the consequences of alternative choices; and applying these insights to choices.”
Before moving on with this section some terms must be explained. [3] Biofeedback is a form of alternative medicine that involves measuring a subject’s bodily processes such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, galvanic skin response (sweating), and muscle tension and conveying such information to him or her in real-time in order to raise his or her awareness and conscious control of the related physiological activities. Neurofeedback (NFB), also called neurotherapy, neurobiofeedback or EEG biofeedback (EEGBF) is a therapy technique that presents the user with realtime feedback on brainwave activity, as measured by electrodes on the scalp, typically in the form of a video display, sound or vibration. The aim is to enable conscious control of brainwave activity. If brain activity changes in the direction desired by the therapist, a positive “reward” feedback is given to the individual, and if it regresses, either a negative feedback or no feedback is given (depending on the protocol).
Biofeedback researchers and practitioners are enthusiastic about the emergence of this new Biofeedback tool. Like Neurofeedback, Heart Rate Variability’s (HRV) simple technical name belies its power and importance in the rapidly evolving field of life, performance enhancement and longevity. However, its effectiveness is amplified even more when combined with Neurofeedback training. Heart rate variability is a measure of the naturally occurring beat-to-beat changes in heart rate, a powerful, non-invasive measure of autonomic nervous system function and an indicator of neurocardiac fitness. The heart and brain maintain a continuous two-way dialogue, with each influencing the other’s functioning. It is now known that the signals the heart sends the brain can influence perception, emotional processing, and higher cognitive functions.
Throughout history spirituals and philosophers have asserted that “when the heart enters the brain wisdom emerges”. Now, neurocardiology has demonstrated that there are physiological correlations for this ancient concept. Furthermore, these discoveries have been translated into a fascinating and enjoyable form of Biofeedback with enormous potential. Part of the reason for this potential is that people are attracted to the simple, common sense notion that there is something that can be done to assure that their thinking will be positively influenced by their hearts. Of course, heart represents one’s humanity, compassion, wisdom etc., but most people are keenly aware that feelings in the heart profoundly affects health.
With HRV hard science is being applied in order to achieve the physical and psychological objectives of improved health and enhancement of intelligence. And skillful HRV training is doing so by increasing EQ (Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman) and integrating all of that with attention and improved brain coherence. Using non technical language we can describe the process as follows: unhealthy stress causes thinking to become relatively incoherent and that correlates with incoherent brain wave activity. Incoherent (dysfunctional) brain wave activity leads to a decrease in general health and increases mistakes, lowering performance and enjoyment of life. This kind of dysfunctional thinking also influences the variability and coherence of EKG (heart rate) activity. The two dynamics then potentate each other leading to a downward spiral of quality of health and thinking.
Think about the biological implications for consciousness. For example, as said earlier, the heart has many “brain cells” of its own, and secretes many “brain chemicals” including two of the most important in life and performance enhancement – serotonin (critical in managing stress) and oxytocin (critical in enhancing relationships or “bonding”). Furthermore it has been demonstrated that as the heart rhythms become more coherent so do the brain rhythms, and as brain rhythms become more coherent, so does thinking. Coherent thinking in turn leads to enhanced creativity or more theta brain waves which are associated with bursts of insight – the “eureka” experience.
This is correlated with a saying from the Prophet Mohammed (SAAS), stating the following:
Whoever purifies (his intent) forty mornings for God’s sake, will come up with fountains of wisdom flowing from his heart to his tongue. (Nahj al-Fasahah, saying # 3081)
In other words, if you perform all the compulsory sayings of God (i.e. praying correctly, not committing sins and performing good deeds… etc…) and keep your mouth closed (i.e. impede backbiting tongue) with good clean intent for forty days Allah will reward you by make your heart expose (new) knowledge; not knowing from where these information have originated from.
These rewarded sayings can be about science, moral issues and any other things.
An important thing worth mentioning is that the knowledge that one receives usually cannot exceed the individuals’s intellect. Another thing is that the worth of the information is equivalent to the person’s intention, the level of his faith and especially the weight of his good actions.
And the most important thing is that the knowledge is certainly not a theory but rather a useful fact. So if someone would claim to have been rewarded an information that turns out to be false, then let the person know that he or she has used his intellect through thinking to find it.
As you can see a link between the heart, brain and tongue does exist. Hence let’s analyze the saying of the 6th Imam – Imam Sadiq (AS):
The left and right ears
The heart possesses two ears (see the right/left atrium on the picture); the spirit of belief slowly invites him towards righteous deeds, while the Satan slowly invites him towards evil deeds. Therefore, whoever becomes victorious in this struggle takes over heart’s control. (Imam Sadiq (AS) – Bihar al-Anwar vol. 70, p.53.
Let’s use this powerful saying from Sadiq (AS) for the person who is rewarded new knowledge from God.
It can be understood that this person has been successful in his daily tests, since his heart has for forty days been under the control of his victorious righteous deeds. This means that positive emotion (in his heart) is strengthened due to the execution of good deeds during forty days. Therefore, Allah rewards him by giving him new useful knowledge, i.e. the emotion (in the form of signals according to scientists) is transferred to the brain that leads in turn to the fact that the person’s tongue starts to narrate new information that correlate with useful facts.
Furthermore it has been demonstrated that as the heart rhythms become more coherent so do the brain rhythms, and as brain rhythms become more coherent, so does thinking. Coherent thinking in turn leads to enhanced creativity or more theta brain waves which are associated with bursts of insight – the “eureka” experience.
What if a person does the same good actions for less than forty days, will he then be rewarded new knowledge? No, Imam Sadiq (AS) has been clear in that. The number 40 is a specific number that has been seen while the Prophet Moses (AS) endured the people of Israel for 40 years, the Prophet Jonah (AS) being kept in the belly of a whale…etc… where they all got rewarded by God after fassing these tests.
Since the answer was no that happens is that the signals (on positive emotion) from the heart, which demonstrate heart rhythms, become more coherent and are transferred to the brain so that these in turn make the brain rhythms become more coherent. It is the coherent of the brain rhythms that lead to a more effective thinking. Therefore, in this case, the person will expose sayings that may be fact or simply theory, since the sayings are originated by his own intellectual thinking and not granted by God. All this effective intellectual thinking is made possible to us thanks to the good deeds that the person has carried out.
Source:
1. Rosenfeld, S. A. Conversations Between Heart and Brain. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health, 1977; quote p. ii.
2. Bar-On, R. The era of the EQ: Defining and assessing emotional intelligence. Presented at the 104th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, 1996.
[3] http://www.mindfitness.com/imf/hrv.htm
Many people, Muslims as non-Muslims, believe that the Quranic verses that refer on the heart’s roll in emotion and belief are examples given by Allah that are related to philosophy or are simply metaphoric examples. In fact, it has been shown to readers that mankind is way far from knowing the truth about the cells involvement in emotion, memory, helping someone, having the feeling for God’s presence… etc…
As a Muslim one believes in the Message revealed to mankind from all the prophets (peace be upon them all) sent by Allah until the last Prophet Mohammed (SAAS). After the death of each of the last three greatest prophets Moses (AS), Jesus (AS) and Mohammed (SAAS) there were so called 12 most faithful and loyal followers whose task was to guide the people and protect the Holy Books that were the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran.
Since many of the sayings revealed in this topic will be by the 12 infallible Imams (peace be upon them all), from the family of the Prophet Mohammed (SAAS) and that this blog mainly cofuses on Islamic science, we should cover this page into two parts:
– The first one explaining who these 12 Imams were, their worth, status and moral traits;
– then their sayings will be covered.
The 12 infallible Imams (Peace be upon them):
Every true muslim sould have been following the information given to over 100 000 Muslims during the last greatest speech of the prophet Muhammad’s (SAAS) in his last pilgrimage (called “Haj’at-tal witha’”) during the day called (“ghadir khom”). He said to his brothers and sisters in Islam to not worry; since he was soon to pass away.
He said: “I have left for you the Holy Quran and my Household (“ahlulbayt”). Whoever follows these two will be guided in the right path”.
During the same day Mohammed (SAAS) chose the one who would be the leader after his death and chose the most faithful follower called Imam Ali (AS) who was the first Imam of all the 12 Imams. Notice that there were also 12 faithful followers that succeeded Moses (AS) and Jesus (AS).
With the mention of this Household it was meant Imam Ali as the first Imam. The Imams that were supposed to follow him after his death were Imam Ali’s son Imam Hassan (AS) and Imam Hussein (AS). After these first three Imams the leadership was supposed to be transferred to nine more Imams (from the same family) were the last Imam is the Imam Mehdi (AS) that we all (mankind) are waiting for his reappearance before the return of the Prophet Jesus (AS). For those who want to preferably follow the Quran as a source on Imam Ali can read the following verse:
Verily your guardian is Allah and His messenger (Muhammad) and those who believe and establish the prayer, and give charity (alms) while they are (in Ruku’) bowing down. (Surah Al-Ma’idah (Chapter 5 – The Table Spread) verse 55)
This famous verse has been revealed in praise of the action of Imam Ali (AS). Abu Dhar recounts, “Once, I was saying my prayers in the company of the Holy Prophet (S) when a beggar came to the mosque asking for some alms. Nobody gave him anything. Ali (AS) was in the state of “Ruku`” and he pointed out his ring to the beggar, who approached him and removed the ring from his finger.” It was at this time that the verse above was revealed. When we say (Ali is the Wali of Allah) in the “Adhan” (that one says before all prayers to call others for praying-time), it is based on this verse of the Holy Quran.
Note that between the disciples of our prophet Muhammad (SAAS), Abu Dhar al- Ghaffari was very truthful, strong and pious. From the outset of his conversion to Islam till the last moment of his life, he didn’t stray from the Path of Truth (i.e. that of the Holy Prophet (SAAS) and his ahlulbayt). He fought hardly against oppression and was one who fully supported Ahlulbayt (AS) and their wilayah (Imam Ali as the first leader and Imam after the Holy Prophet (SAAS)) and was among the first people to convert to Islam.
The significant status of the People of the Household (“Ahlulbayt”) of the Holy Prophet (SAAS) had been continuously emphasised by the Holy Prophet (SAAS) himself during his life time. There are many “Ahadith” (traditions) to this effect.
The most renowned Hadith is that which is known as “Thaqalayn” (i.e. “Two ‘Heavy’ things”). The Holy Prophet (SAAS) said the following:
“I leave behind two heavy things for you – The Holy Qur’án and my Ahlulbayt; if you hold fast unto them, you shall never go astray for they will never separate until they come to me together on the Day of Resurrection”.
This significance of the Ahlulbayt has also been mentioned in the Holy Quran several times. They are specifically mentioned in verse 33 of Surah al-Ahzab, which is known as “Ayat ut Tathir”, literally meaning “the Verse of Purification”.
We narrate Hadith al-Kisa (The event of the Cloak) quite regularly whenever we gather for a “Majlis” (gathering), whether in large numbers or small. The event is said to have taken place at the residence of Bibi Fatimah (AS), the duaghter of the Last Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him & his Household).
The narration states that the Holy Prophet (SAAS) came to the house of his daughter and requested for a cloak and then lay down to rest. His grandsons, Imam Hassan (AS) and Imam Hussein (AS) came and joined him under the cloak. Thereafter, Imam Ali (AS) and Bibi Fatimah (AS) also came under the cloak.
Bibi Fatimah (AS) narrates that when they were all assembled under the cloak, the Holy Angel Jibra-il (AS) came to the Holy Prophet (SAAS) and conveyed to him the verse which reads:
BEHOLD, God raised Adam, and Noah, and the House of Abraham, and the House of `Imran above all mankind, (Surah Al-Imran (Chapter 3 – The Family of Imran) verse 33)
The word House of ‘Imran used above refers to Ahlulbayt i.e. the Household of the Prophet Muhammad (SAAS).
As a reference to the event of the cloak, the group, assembled under the cloak, has been referred to as “Panjatan Pak” or “Holy group of Five”.
This narration of where the verse was revealed has been recorded in both the Shia and Sunni history books. Two important Sunni references are “Sahih” of Moslem bin Hajjaj, and “Musnad” of Ahmed ibn Hanbal.
At the end of Hadith-e-Kisá, it is narrated that Imam Ali (A) asked the Holy Prophet (SAAS) as to the significance of the gathering under the cloak. The Holy Prophet (SAAS) replied that any group that mentions the event in their gathering, the angels (AS) will seek forgiveness for them until they disperse. The Holy Prophet (SAAS) also said that anyone who has a dire need or is in sorrow will have his prayer answered by the blessings of the narration of the event of the cloak.
When studying the Ayah of Tathir, one will undoubtedly note that the verse begins with addressing the wives of the Holy Prophet (SAAS). Hence, some argue that the people referred to in this verse as Ahlulbayt are the wives, and not the children of the Holy Prophet (SAAS). To this there is a very simple and convincing answer.
The mode of address used in addressing the wives is the feminine plural mode. Hence, in the words “Qarna fi Buyútikunna” – the nún at the end denotes feminine plural address exclusively to the wives of the Holy Prophet (SAAS). Yet, when we come to the part of Ahlulbayt, the verse switches to a different mode of address – “`Ankum Yutahhirakum”. This mode of address is used either for exclusive male plural or male and female mixed plural. Hence the verse changes to addressing a different group of people in a discourse that is overall being addressed to another group. The verse is addressing the wives of the Holy Prophet (SAAS), except in this small part of the verse! In this last part, the address is directed to the Household of the Holy Prophet (SAAS).
Beyond these imams where are many verses from the Holy Quran that describes on believers and their aim (together with Imam Mahdi (AJ)); these verses are 21:105, 24:55. 61:9 and 28:5. Some might argue that this is only in the faith of Muslims but that is untrue. Even the Christians and Jews believe in the coming of Mahdi (AJ). The Jews wait for the so called Meshdi or Mashia (in Hebrew) compared to the Madhi (AJ) name of the muslims that are the same person. The Christians also believe in his coming as mentioned in the Psalm 37 of the Bible. More can be read on: http://smma59.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/mahdi-pbuh-in-other-religions-and-nations/
Some might ask then who we do follow when we for instance don’t find some specific answers to our questions in the Holy Quran or Hadithes (from the Prophet Mohammed (SAAS) and his Ahlulbayt). In such cases one has to follow those scholars (in religion) that are from the family of the ahlulbayt – mening from the family-tree of the 12 imams. These are called ”seyyed” followed by their respective name. One usually asks someone, “who is your so called marja’?” and one can reply that it is Seyyed Sistani, Seyyed Khamenei, Seyyed Shirazi for instance. It is again God who has told us in the Holy Quran to follow these kind of scholars while one seeks for more help in religion:
AND [even] before thy time, [O Muhammad,] We never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired: and if you have not [yet] realized this, ask the followers of [earlier] revelation,”
(Surah An-Nahl (Chapter 16 – The Bee) verse 43)
As you can see Allah is the most merciful; He has indeed left us everything we need to always be rightly guided in the so called God’s right path.
The reason why I am informing readers about the twelve Imams is that they were the ones after the prophets who were had an incredible high knowledge. The specific knowledge that they had being very useful to us concerns the heart. The following information revealed by the Imams shows that their scientific knowledge is purely from the Prophet Mahammed (SAAS) and from God Almighty since the information is scientifically very advanced; so advanced that no human being could discover it. Even we today, after 1400 years, have hardly discovered them by the help of highly sophisticated medical and physical devices. Here are some of words told of them:
Imam al-Baqir (AS) – the fifth imam – said the following:
“There are three kinds of hearts:
a. First type: Reversed heart which lacks feelings for any sort of righteous deeds. Such heart is the heart of an unbeliever.
b. Second Type: The heart which contains a black spot in which a war is being waged between the truth and falsehood, and whichever becomes victorious will take over the heart’s control.
c. Third type: The conquered heart in which there is a lighted lamp which is never going to be turned off. Such a heart is the heart of a believer.” (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 70, p-51.)
From these three types of heart scientifical conclusions can be drawn by the first two types.
This type of heart shows that the heart is involved in carrying out a good righteous deed as we have been informed earlier by the work of Dr. J. Andrew Armour.
According to Dr. Armour one does not feel any relieve in stress (no oxytocin secretion to the blood occurs) if one doesn’t perform the altruistic act with a genuine (true) intent. A person carrying out the altruistic act by this manner can be compared to the first type of hearts (a). Therefore, it is usually said that these people have a heart of stone.
The information given on the second type of heart is that there occurs a war between the truth and falsehood and the one that is victorious will take over the control of the heart. This statement justifies the theory of cell memory since in order for one of them be victorious (the truth or the falsehood) this information (the truth or the falsehood) must be saved in specific cell of the heart. The one that is saved (accepted by the individual) will be victorious and control the heart.
Imam al-Baqir (AS) said:
“Initially there is a white spot and light within the heart of a human being and as a result of his committing sin, a block spot appears. If the person repents the black spot gets wiped out, but if he persisted in sinning, the blackness gradually increases ultimately covering the entire white spot, When this happens the owner of such heart will never return towards goodness and become manifestation of the following Quranic verse: ‘Nay, but that which they have earned is rust upon their hearts.’” (Source: al-Kafi, vol. 2, p.273)
This quote is similar to the event that takes place in the first and second type of heart.
It is told here that initially a man’s heart has white spots. While committing a sin a black spot will cover the white one, which happens when the falsehood wins over the truth (compared to heart of type b). If the person continues to commit sins these black spots will gradually cover the entire white spot that results in the lose of the battle between the truth and the falsehood. This leads to the fact that the falsehood will be controlling the heart for always (compare to heart of type a).
However, if the person refuses to commit sins everyday during a long battle against the falsehood he will succeed in keeping his heart’s original white spots that he was born with. This person will eventually have the heart of a believer (compared to heart type c).
The next hadith is from the sixth Imam, Imam Sadiq (AS) and since we have a chapter named Imam Sadiq’s scientific miracles the continuing information will be found there.
Click on this link to read more about this amazing hadith.
In this section we will be dealing with the amazing sayings of our sixth Imam, Imam Sadiq (Peace be upon him).
Imam Sadiq (AS) said:
“The heart possesses two ears; the spirit of belief slowly invites him towards righteous deeds, while the Satan slowly invites him towards evil deeds. Therefore, whoever becomes victorious in this struggle takes over heart’s control.”
(Source: Bihar al-Anwar vol. 70, p.53)
Since this saying involves both a medical and especially spiritual aspect it would be wise enough to bring forth its medical one as a start. The information revealed to us is very specific since the word ‘ears’ are named. Anatomically (outside the frame of Islam or any other religion) it is known that the human heart has two ears, called in Latin auricular dexter (right ear) and auricular sinister (left ear). These are located in the upper right and left part of the heart. What this saying is telling us is that the cells(or its smallest entities within) in the ears are involved in performing righteous deeds. Medically speaking, there are left ‘and’ right auricles (referred to as atrial appendages) which are continuous with the left atrium and right atrium (the upper chambers of the heart) respectively. They are believed to be remnants of the left and right atrium of the developing heart when we were embryos.
In the medical course of Human Physiology on learns that the human heart works myogenic, meaning that the heart’s beating is not triggered by the brain (neurogenic), but rather by the heart itself. Moreover, the exact place where the impulse of the heart ‘is initiated’ is located in the atrial wall, as said by Imam Sadiq (AS) through the words “takes over the heart’s control”. The exact location that generates nerve impulse on the auricle is called the sinoatrial (SA) node. The SA node is also referred to as the pacemaker of the heart as it sets the rate of contraction for the heart. Beyond that it spontaneously contracts and generates nerve impulses that travel throughout the heart wall causing both atria to contract; Sobhan Allah! (God be Praised!)’, that is exactly what Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said. The reason why this is possible is because the node is a specialized type of tissue that acts like both muscle and nervous tissue. When nodal tissue contracts (like muscle tissue) it generates nerve impulses (like nervous tissue) that travel throughout the heart wall.
But how do impulses generated from the SA node travel through the heart?
These impulses reach the atrioventricular (AV) node, which is a section of nodal tissue that lies on the right side of the partition that divides the atria, near the bottom of the right atrium. The AV node delays cardiac impulses from the sinoatrial node to allow the atria to contract and empty their contents first to the lower chamber called ventricles (see the picture below). Then the AV node relays cardiac impulses to the atrioventricular (AV) bundle. The atrioventricular bundle is a bundle of fibers that are located within the septum (wall) of the heart. The AV bundle carries cardiac impulses down the septum to the ventricles via the Purkinje fibers. These fibers are fiber branches that extend from the AV bundle and relays cardiac impulses to the ventricular cells causing the ventricles to contract so that the blood can be sent to the cells of our body as well as to our lungs through our blood vessels.
From medicine to spirituality:
You may have noticed that in this section I’ve said that heart commands one’s action whereas in other sections I have said the brain does it. The matter of fact is that both are true. Those who have read the chapter human heart have learned that the heart’s Electromagnetic(EM)-radiation is much stronger than that of the brain and has therefore a much greater influence on the rest of the body compared to the brain. Beyond that many scientists have discovered that the heart and brain communicate with each other bilaterally (2-ways). We all know that it is our brain’s frontal cortex (prefrontal cortex for higher decision-making) that commands the performing of actions through our body and senses. However, since the EM-wave of the heart is much greater than that of the brain and the fact that the heart has an EQ-intelligence(not IQ) due to the existence of heart cells capable of memorizing information (just like brain cells) it confirms us what some specialist have told us regarding the decision-making. It is the brain(in normal cases) that takes decision however since the heart could play a greater role it can influece the brain’s decision-making(by sending information to it); and this is what the saying above is about. That the information sent from the heart could alter the decision that is about to be made by the brain. Here’s an example on two people, one named Ali and the other Zaker. Let’s say Zaker is a poor person who comes to a mosque and begs for help. The first person who sees him is Ali. Ali is very tired and is very busy in the mosque. When he sees that Zaker is approaching him for help he tries to avoid him, yet at that specific moment he hesitates to do so. Some kind of feeling comes in his heart (a feeling of mercy and care) that makes him more humble and as a result he doesn’t avoid him but instead he goes toward him and help him with what ever he needs. This is an example on how Ali, at first, got negative thoughts in his brain however what saved him from taking such an inhuman action is that his spirit of belief slowly invited him towards righteous deed. Therefore, in this case, it is the spirit of belief that became victorious in this struggle, which lead him to help the poor man.
Finally we can realize that Imam Sadiq(AS) is truly among the most pure people ever created after the Holy Prophets(peace be upon them all) both from his spirituality and moral as well as his scientific-mystical knowledge on heart is unique. The fact that medical scientists use the word ear and that its phsysiological role correlates with that which has been mentioned in Imam Sadiq’s(AS) hadith leaves no room for any doubt or any possible coincidence. Since we all know that there wasn’t any medical or technological devices at that time we have to accept the fact that such knowledge had to be derived from a divine source, thus from no other than Allah Allmighty. Hence try to use the knowledge that you have learned from this section on heart as well as the chapter on the human heart(and brain) to reach the exceptional goal that is the true gift of God on earth; this gift is Ahlulbayt (AS) – the Household of the Holy Prophet Mohammed(SAAS). Therefore, as an individual, open a space in your heart for the love of all the last Prophet Mohammed (SAAS) and especially the Ahlulbayt (AS)(his household) by applying their teachings with the intention that the cells(or the deepest entity) of your body (particularly your heart) experience the true blessing of it, as Dr. J. Andrew Armour proved its existence scientifically and Patrick Glynn medically, statistically and clinically.
The HeartScience Center 
