2.3.9. Why are hazardous games haram/makrooh?

In the Name of Allah, the Exalted!  

The question regarding why hazardous games are forbidden (haram) or unrecommended(makrooh) can be answered from a philosophic and logic perspective as well as from a psychological and of this a medical one.  

Prefrontal corex or al-naseyah

As fun as it may be, hazardous games influence the human psyche and even the forelock, called al-naseyah (in Arabic) – named in the Holy Quran – or medically speaking, the prefrontal cortex (in Latin):  

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most merciful.

Does he not know that Allah does see?
Nay, but if he cease not We will seize him by the forelock –
The lying, sinful forelock –
(The Holy Quran: Surah Al-Alaq (Kapitel 96 – The Clot) verse 14-16)  

  

 


The verses above tells us that humans will be dragged by their forelock and will be thrown in the fire of hell on the Day of Judgment if they don’t cease lying and commit sins. 

A man’s forelock (or al-naseyah) is the center of planning, reasoning… and decision-making, such as to become angry and lie; which is medically proven and even taught in medical schools all around the world.
In other words, al-naseyah is the ‘government’ of our nervous system that gives order to our other body parts to carry out good deeds or to commit sins, such as by hitting someone or become angry.  

So far it is too early to get into the subject of hazardous games since the linkage between this topic and al-naseyah isn’t obvious yet; therefore, another scientific aspect is needed in order to enable understanding of the existing correlation.
One of many medical studies (such as Prefrontal Cortex Deactivation During Video Game Play, by the Japanese Dr.Goh Matsuda and Dr.Kazuo Hiraki, source) carried out, have shown that those playing video games and watch television a lot get a decrease in their forelock activity; which is one of the reasons why one cannot leave the TV to carry out more important things, such as doing homework or perform the prayers, after having watched TV long enough. On every such occasion we say to ourselves:”Ahh… I’ll get up a bit later.” This excuse is used most of the time and its true cause is that as soon as the activity in the forelock shrinks the whisperings of Satan will commence and distract the person in order to hinder him from thinking, planning, and therefore prioritize more important things in life. This is why youths tend to become more addicted to video games and TV; since their ability to think, plan and decide gets inactivated and as a result they “surrender” themselves to the TV’s entertaining role.    

Now is the time to start with the main topic, namely hazardous games.  

Let us take the example of card games, where luck decides most of the game’s outcome.  

Many medical studies, such as Why do we gamble and take needless risks?, by Professor Keith Kendrik, a British scientist (source), have shown that each time a person wins the forelock gets activated, whereas each time he loses the forelock gets inactivated. This indicates that each time a person loses he gets deeper and deeper into a downwards state that doesn’t lead to any reward for the brain’s hormonal activity but instead results in the inactivation of our thinking and decision ability.  

This is among the many reasons why a card game is taken seriously even though no money has been bet nor are any enemies playing along, other than friends.  

The diminishing activity in the forelock leads to the fact that one cannot think clearly and at the same time wants to get back the reward-sensation one used to get on every winning occasion. When an individual doesn’t get any reward he becomes desperate, becomes more and more jealous and as a result gets angry. It is at this specific time that Satan’s whispering takes such a full effect that the angry person would react verbally (by swearing for instance) or moreover, react physically and become violent. It is interesting to know that the central site of the human intellect is the naseyah. As soon as a person’s intellect isn’t controlled by one’s own ego (nafs) he gets exposed to risks to commit sins due to the fact that the negative feelings above dominate the brain’s activity.  

This is the reason why in desperate situations, the person often sells his clock, his furniture, his car and even his own child (which has been seen in extreme cases) after having lost more and more money and fallen into deep debts.  

Of course our topic isn’t about money here, but from the example given above, one finally understands why our 6^th Imam, Imam Sadiq(A.S.) said:
“One shall not take a ‘path’ that leads to commit sin(s)” [instead of simply saying that one shall not commit sin(s)].
Actions that lead a person to a ‘place’ or a ‘state’ – where sins are usually committed (in this case hazardous games) – should be avoided at all cost so that a series of following and growing sins aren’t carried out.  

But still, let us assume that a person still chooses to play card because he is certain that he can control his temper by avoiding becoming jealous and angry each time he loses. This leads us to the question:
“If he succeeds in not becoming angry what guarantees that the others around the table don’t fall into such negative feeling after each loss or stressful situation?”
To answer this question let’s compare this situation to one of Fatima al-Zahra’s (A.S.) sayings, the daughter of the Holy Prophet Mohammed(S.A.A.S.): that a female doesn’t wear libas al-taqwa (i.e. hijab) exclusively for Allah and herself; she wears it also so that other people wouldn’t see her and as a result fall into sins. Thus, by reasoning in such a logic manner, she even took into account the consequences that a lack of hijab could lead to in a society. The same principle goes for hazardous games; an individual might believe that he won’t fall into risks but should instead take into account the fact that his friends might become victims of such risks. This is how a true ‘responsible’ Muslim person acts.  

Finally, by taking into account the medical and psycho-neurological aspect of this topic (even by the help of the saying of Zahra(A.S.)), we should classify hazardous games at least as makrooh (unrecommended) or preferably as haram in order to avoid a series of sins that can occur to the friends playing around the table or even to ourselves.   

 

7.1. The Ear of the Heart

In the Name of Allah, the Exalted!

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.

wa aleykom sallam wa rahmatollah!

2.4.8.1. The Ear of the Heart

In the Name of Allah, the Exalted!

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.

wa aleykom sallam wa rahmatollah!