Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

CHAPTER THREE: The influence of the heart on the mind

Every reader of the Holy Quran would notice that it uses the word'heart' many times as a tool for thought andFiqh (i.e. religious jurisprudence). The Holy Quran does not confine the mental faculty of reasoning in the mind but in the heart as well. This is exemplified in the following verses:

"…who have hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see… "(179:7)

"Have they never journeyed about the earth, letting their hearts gain wisdom… "(46:22)

"…Verily, it is not their eyes that have become blind – but blind have become their hearts that are in their breasts "(46:22)

"Will they not ponder over this Quran? Or are there locks upon their hearts? "(24:47)

"…their hearts have been sealed so that they cannot grasp the truth "(87:9)

"...God has sealed their hearts so that they do not know "(93:9)

"…for over their heartsWe have laid veils which prevent them from grasping its purport… "(46:17)

In the previousQuranic verses, we see that knowledge and jurisprudence are related to the heart, and the hearts, which do not grasp the truth, are like blind eyes. In the followingQuranic verse, hearts are described as containers of faith, piety, and serenity on one hand, and containers of deviance, doubt, and ailment.

"It is He who from on high has bestowed inner peace upon the hearts of the believers… "(4:48)

"…and in the hearts of those who followed himWe engendered compassion and mercy… "(27:57)

"…God has caused your faith to be dear to you, and has given it beauty in your hearts… "(7:49)

"…for true faith has not yet entered your hearts… "(14:49)

"…our hearts are veiled from whatever thoucallest us to, and in our ears is deafness "(5:41)

"…for their hearts are filled to overflowing with love of the golden calf because of their refusal to acknowledge the truth "(93:2)

"…those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ which has been expressed in allegory… "(7:3)

"…the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was disease… "(49:8)

"…whose hearts have become a prey to doubt, so that in their doubting they waver between one thing and another "(45:9)

"…but for those in whose hearts is disease, each new message but adds another disbelief to the disbelief they already harbor "(125:9)

"…whatever Satan may cast to become a trial for all in whose hearts is disease and all whose hearts are hardened… "(53:22)

"…as for the true believers it is they in whose hearts He inscribed faith, and whom He has strengthened with inspiration… "(22:58)

"…their hearts are corroded by all evil that they were wont to do "(14:83)

These many references to the functions of the human heart inFiqh (jurisprudence), knowledge, faith, and disbelief, raise the query of whether the Islamic rationalism is free from the influences that render it non-objective or make it lose its purity if it designs a role for the heart in such rational domains, which are usually attributed to the minds solely.

Some interpreters of the Holy Quran dodged that query by saying the word'heart' in this context refers to the mind [18] . Yet, this is unacceptable, as the Holy Quran mentions the word 'mind' itself in other places and it has no reason to use the two words to mean one semantic meaning. The Holy Quran does not use words in random, but rather each word has a special meaning. The two words 'heart' and 'mind' have different senses of meanings and accordingly they are not interchangeable.

In our opinion, the Holy Quran wants to show its judgment in an issue thatha multiple different opinions, which is the argument whether emotions are in the heart, as traditionally said, or in the mind and the brain. For each theory, there are many proponents, and some writers believed that emotions are the basis for any civilization. The Holy Quran wants to show that each of the mind and the heart has its own domain and both in Islam are complementary to each other and not in a state of conflict. The mind discerns what is right and what is wrong to accumulate science and knowledge, whereas the heart discerns the dichotomies of goodness and evil, of beauty and ugliness, of mercy and cruelty…etc. When the heart, and by necessity the emotional aspect, is guided and regulated by religion, it will not be a source of worry or harm, as the divine religion controls the unbridled, wild nature of emotions, and orient them toward positive values like benevolence, goodness, beauty…etc. and to avoid the negative notions like ugliness, evil…etc. In this respect, the wisdom of the heart converges with that of the mind, even if it has a different source, and it presents a distinctive addition to rationality. That is why we can say that hearts discern and grasp even ifthe do not use the tools of the mind to understand. The hearts have their sense in a way that we can say that a person feel and act according to emotions first and then comes the role of the mind to examine these emotions to accept some of them, refuse some, and remain helpless toward some. In many cases, the wisdom of the heart would guide us by emotions in a better way in comparison to the mind, especially if the mind is confined to think through certain ideologies. Although biologically the heart is a blood-pump but blood might have secret ways in influencing people, yet undiscovered by science.

The human being is like a boat with the heart as the sailing, driven by emotions and sentiments either slowly or fast according to the degree of emotions in the heart. The mind is the steering gear in this boat used to avoid rocks or going astray, and guise the boat to a safe shore.

Some rationalist wonder at the role of the heart in the process of grasping and acquiring knowledge, others feel this role without knowing its secrets. The best scientist who tackled this point is Max Planck the German scientist who devised the quantum theory. He mentions in his book titled ''Where Is Science Going " after discussing the quantum theory, the notion of causality and how the quantum theory will not impede it as some had claimed. Planck has distinguished between the scientific activity and the psychological one, and he propounds that the scientific realm is just one aspect in the vista of the human intellectual thought. He says that the human imagination starts from reality, and then surpasses it more often than not. This reality is the origin in arts and music, but branches of science need a push of imagination as well. Imagination enables science to formulate hypotheses to be tested by empiricism to lead to other visions or certain hypotheses. He says, ''The first step which every specialized branch of science takes consists of a jump into the region of metaphysics ".[19]

In this jump, researchers would be sure of the basis of the hypothesis they reached. Rational, abstract thinking would not guide researchers to this especially that great discoveries were devoid of applicable, beneficial purposes. ''in other words, the fundamental principles and indispensable postulates of every genuinely productive science are not based on pure logic but rather on the metaphysical hypothesis - which no rules of logic can refute – that there exists an outer world which is entirely independent of ourselves " [20] We know this outer world exists via our consciousness, which can be a sixth sense to people. This outer world affects everyone in a different manner. This is to be taken into consideration when tackling scientifically natural phenomena. The most important item in the scientific methods of thinking is to differentiate the outer aim under observation and the internal nature of the observer.

Plank asserts many times a certain point, in his book, which is that the spirit of unbiased seeking and longing for knowledge dominates and drives true scientists. This makes the difference between great scientists and researchers in a factory, for instance, who perform applied research to gain material benefits, and the former group perform their work with the soul of devotion and the steadfast quest for knowledge as they struggle to seek approaching it not even reaching it.

Planck concludes decisively that relativity theory does not eradicate the idea of the absolute; on the contrary, and ironically, the theory proves it. He said that there is no relativity unless measured by the absolute[21] . On the other hand, he proved the impossibility to reach the absolute, for it is the ideal we always place before us, and so it is unreachable. Yet, this is not a source of disappointment, as Lessing said that, ''reaching the truth is not what makes the researcher happy, it is the struggle and the quest for it ''.

Planck criticized the positivist theory that says that sensory perception is the only source of knowledge. He says that two facts refute this: there is a real outer world ad it is virtually unknown. These two facts allow the irrational (or mystical) element to exist side by side to natural and human knowledge. Branches of science need this mystical aspect (of the heart, imagination and the unknown realm of the absolute) to aid them in solving problems facing them discovering nature, the world, and the universe at large.

Planck tackled the relation between causality (representing the mind and knowledge) and the individual liberty. He said that causality could not reach the realm of the ego, the source of our hopes and pains. In terms of principles, people can discover the causal relations of human behavior, but not totally or practically as the observer and the object of observation is one.

Some might believe that this inability is due to the limitations of human perceptions, but this is wrong, as if they say one cannot run to catch one's shadow because one is not running fast enough. Human behaviors that cannot be governed by causality law are related to a sound logical basis, like the premise that the part is never bigger that the whole. The distance between the individual liberty and causality is a fact proved by the human consciousness.

Planck refutes in his book the purported opposition between religion and science, as they complement each other. Science opens the portals of the psyche and links it to the spiritual realm of religion. Serious intellectuals know that the nature of the religious element is to be acknowledged and adapted if the power of the human soul is to function in a balanced manner. Real intellectuals, in all ages, were believers, even if they did not show their religious sentiments. This is not a mere coincidence. The best fruits of philosophy emerged as the result of linking understanding to the moral values.

The book ends in an interview with Planck and Einstein, under the title, ''Socratic Dialogue ". In this dialogue, the author refers to the doubts cast by people over science and religion. Planck says, ''the church could not offer a spiritual haven to people and so they deserted it for other trends ". He asked Einstein whether science would replace religion. Einstein said,

''No, as science needs the spirit of belief. Whoever works seriously in the field of knowledge sees at the gate of the temple of science this motto hanging: 'Have Faith', as this faith is indispensable for any scientist . The scientist who deals with experiment results must have an imaginative picture about the law under observation, and decide for matters in an imaginative hypothesis. Mental faculties alone will not push any scientist forward as no order can emerge out of chaos unless by a constructive force. If the imaginative picture is broken, the scientist is to try to formulate another one, as it is indispensable, and so is faith. This imaginative vision and faith in the ultimate success are indispensable. The pure rationalist has no place here. " [22]

Planck cites the wretched, impoverished life of JohannesKepler the great German scientist, whose faith in the higher design behind existence and creation gave him strength. This staunch faith was the light of his life and made him perform his research in an infinite framework. If he is compared toTycho de Brahe whohade more means, we see him as a mere researcher and not a great scientist, this is because he did not believe in the eternal laws behind the universe. As forKepler , he became the father of modern astronomy.

Another question posed by the author to Planck was that he the quantum theory posed problems to the principle of causality, as it is to be reconsidered, and science could never reach the complete, absolute truth about nature. Planck said that this is true and that human arts and literature try to interpret existence, as we are part of nature. People always find themselves in face of the irrational, and if they do not have faith and if we solved all problems using the human mind, then there would be no more art, literature, music, nor wonder at life and existence. Life would be boring and science will come to a halt, and might lose its allure, as there would be no more 'unknown things' to discover and seek. Science would lose its founding stone; i.e. the direct consciousness of the existence of an outer reality. ''As Einstein has said, you could not be a scientist if you did not know that the external world existed in reality, but that knowledge is not gained by any process of reasoning. It is a direct perception and therefore in its nature akin to what we call Faith. It is a metaphysical belief… "[23]

The words of Planck are similar to what is mentioned in the Holy Quran, as it perceives that dry, abstract rationalism was not the starting point of scientists. Rationalism is not systematic enough to drive people in their research. It is not a powerful force to go on in the quest for knowledge. Despite reaching results, they always face new problems. The spirit of divine faith should be in any scientist first to be the momentum for surmounting difficulties in research. This will link scientists to the universe and to its Creator. The vast outer realm is independent from us, and we can link ourselves to this mystical, absolute power via the heart (container of sensations and emotions) as the Holy Quran says, and not via the mind (place or abstract rationality).

Although Planck did not mention the word'heart' per se, but his words lead to it as a tool of discernment as mentioned in the Holy Quran. It is noteworthy that scientists of astronomy are the nearest to religion and faith. Both religious scholars and scientists of nature look at the sky. The former see ittrough the Holy Quran in its description of the heaven, the earth, the sun, the wind, the rain…etc. as proofs of the existence of God. The latter see the sky through the telescope, and they reach the deep faith like religious scholars when they see the natural phenomena by their eyes. Einstein's words do not differ much from religious scholars' words. This is the best proof of the influence of the heart on the mind. ''Even Einstein toward the end of his life claimed that propositions arrived at by purely logical means were completely empty of reality. He went on to say it is very difficult to explain this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it. I maintain that cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and the noblest incitement to scientific research "[24]

Before Einstein and Planck, Goethe advised his disciple Ackermann to think by his heart.

Another vision from the British thinker C. E.Joad , who was famous in the 1950s, and had written many books on philosophy, we find in the "Rational Review " in 1946 in an article titled ''On Being No Longer a Rationalist ". He said he was not a rationalist in the extreme manner and never believed that the material aspect is the only one of the existence. He was not a believer in the determinist or naturalist view of existence, either. Hence, he did not believe that science or the mind solely, is the only source of knowledge or the only criteria to know the truth.

Yet,Joad acknowledged the ability of the human mind to reach results that match reality, but with an important reservation. He said that the mind is not free or abstract. The mind is not a mental function of the brain as said by materialists, who claimed that that the brain is just an organ composed of millions of cells and its ideas are wrong or right as long as this organ is sound. By this criterion, we might say that the materialistic view might not be true as it is the result of the thinking brain.

Joad said that it is important to have an independent, powerful element to drive human behavior. He called it 'the human consciousness' that combines life and the material aspect. May be this began in an unconscious level and then it reached conscious level in the biological existence, experience of generations, and accumulated acquired factors passed to generations.

This consciousness is not confined to rationalism, but it extends to justice, nature, beauty…etc. i.e. values in short.Joad said if values were not unified, they would lose their influence.Joad said that evil is deep-rooted in the human psyche. He was influenced by the negative impact of the totalitarian systems and World War I and II. This is the source of the Christian concept of sin. People who understated evil as superficial factor were victims of naïve optimism of rationalism. He said the world would not enter a golden era under the banner of communism or psychoanalysts. This contradicts real facts, and if this contradiction was not resolved, humanity might fall into degeneration.

Joad expressed the stance of many European thinkers. Rationalism alone in its limitation and abstract, deterministic, and naturalistic view is not enough for any thinker to understand life, thought, and the universe. Rationalist thought is partial, unpersuasive and limited, and fail to quench the thirst for knowledge.

Joad tackled evil and sin like religions, at varying degrees. Islam shows these two concepts in a balanced manner. Islam does not underestimate evil and did not overlook goodness, but places them in dichotomies: temptations of devils and guidance of prophets, human weakness and divine aid. The power of evil showed the limitations of rationalism, as it could never lead the world, for evil forces would prevent this.Joad as a Christian overlooked the idea of the sacrifice that lessens evil and sin.

Joad quotes in his book titled "The Recovery of Faith " published in 1951, that is after five years from his article, what Bertrand Russell said in his book titled ''Logic and Faith ":

"…the contradiction between the mind and instincts is illusory. These instincts lead to ideas and faiths, the mind has to either refute or defend them, and this is done by conciliating former ideas and faiths. The mind is the coordinating element, not a creative one. Russell says that the apparent contradiction between the mind and faith might occur to some people when the mind is weakened or when faith acquires a unilateral force. This contradiction is not essential between faith and the mind " [25]

Accordingly,Joad concludes that religion is the result of combining the mind with the intuition and it is wrong to attribute science to the mind alone, and to confine religion to intuition.

***

Demonstrating these views and the above-mentionedQuranic verses explained what was obscure or vague in this respect. The Holy Quran addresses the heart more than the mind in the aspect of faith in the process of thinking. Islam presupposes the existence of faith derived from the heart for those who discuss any intellectual issues, even if this faith is of the abstract, objective truth. This kind of faith is the most elevated one, as it is nearer to the idea of God, and thus it converges with the mind principle of religion. This kind of faith gives a momentum to scientists to continue their research and makes it devoid of opportunism and limitations as much as possible as well as preventing it from turning into routine work by which rationalism might lose its objectivity.

Quranic references to hearts as containers of faith or disbelief, evil or goodness, mercy or cruelty…etc. are very clear. Bad hearts are exemplified in one place in theQuranic text by the wives of the prophets Lot and Noah, whereas good hearts are exemplified in theQuranic text by the Virgin Mary and the wife of the Pharaoh who raised Moses. God has revealed religions to hearts as the Holy Quran says, "Trustworthy divine inspiration has alighted with it from on high, upon thy heart, O Muhammad, so that thoumayest be among those who preach "(193-194:26) and has commissioned the divine message to prophets and not to philosophers. God has made contemplations, thinking, and consideration the proofs of religions. This is the common ground to combine the mind and the heart. God in the Quran considers the sound heart that is free of evil a major reason to survive in the Day of Resurrection, "The Day on which neither wealth will be of any use nor children, and when only he will be happy who comes before God with a heart free of evil "(88-89:26)

This meaning is expressed in manyHadiths , like the following: " The prophet pointed to his heart and said that piety is in here ". '' Piety is the good manners with people, and the evil is something that aches your heart and you fear people might see it ". '' Trust the judgment of your heart even if people present to your their judgment ''. Finally, " If the heart is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, then the whole body is corrupt ".Ibn Hanbal said that if one receives two opposing judgment, one should trust one's heart and take the judgment one's heart prefers. Trusting one's heart is the proof of faith. Religious scholars see that the human intention is a prerequisite to all good deeds and acts of worships. The place of intention is the heart, and thus the intention, and the heart, is the spirit of the good deeds.

We cannot deny that the mind and its tool, science, are the light by which people differentiate between dichotomies like good and evil, guidance and deviance, right and wrong…etc. the mind solely is not enough to do so. The heart full of faith and belief is the required tool for this. Faith is the driving force to overcome weaknesses and lusts. Without this faith, life with its temptations like money and power would overwhelm the human psyche and put off the light of the mind. That is because the luminous glitter of worldly lusts is more powerful than the faint glimmer of the mind.

This aspect is part of the Islamic rationalism. Islam proposes its benevolent theory of rationalism. If the mind inspires people to follow evil or lusts, Islamic rationalism do not approve of that. This point will be further discussed in chapter six of this book.

Hearts are place of faith, belief, and emotions in Islam, but they are the sources of arts and literature as well. This point is not tackled in the Holy Quran, but it is a natural result of the hearts when they play their role in thought. Arts and literature have different mode and path from rationalism, but they create balance in life and complete and aspect that could not be completed by the dry abstract rationalism. Sound societies combine the sciences of the mind, the arts of the heart, and the guidance of faith.

In sum, theQuranic references to the human heart make it contribute to the human thought in three ways. Firstly, to give the human thought the momentum of faith so that it thrives. Secondly, it gives the element of benevolence and to ensure that objective rationalism would not veer toward evil. Thirdly, it enriches life with activities that cannot be derived by the mind alone, which are the arts and literature derived from the hearts.

PART II: THE COMPONENTS OF ISLAMIC RATIONALISM

Chapter Four: the first component: thinking as the way of FAITH

chapter five: the second component: objectivity and the ways of god

chapter six: the third component: benevolence and goodness

Some people might ask if there is an Islamic rationalism, and what the differences between it and other kinds of rationalism are. Rationalism does not mean necessarily the objective, abstract one applicable in all times and places. When rationalism tackles major problems of human beings, society, and the universe at large, it varies a lot in its methods, ways, and results. The expression 'Islamization of knowledge' is not thorough or exact, and of course, it is not objective, but this does not deny that Islamic rationalism has many distinctive components that distinguish it from other types of rationalist trends in other societies, like the bourgeois or communist society, for instance, and it does not contradict the principles of rationalism either.

Islamic rationalism differs from bourgeois or communist ones. Its distinctive features are that it has certain ends or aims; it is not neutral or abstract, for it is benevolent and refuses evil. This feature is taken up by Islamic rationalism from the principle of responsibility. The Muslim intellectual thinkers and scientists know that they are responsible before God of their results and ideas. The Quran says, "Verily, thy hearing and sight, and heart – all of them – will be called to account for it on Judgment Day "(36:17)

This sense of responsibility is not confined to Islamic rationalism, as it is found in communist rationalism. Yet, responsibility in Islamic rationalism is before God and it is based on pure faith and belief without fear of punishment or seeking rewards, whereas in communist rationalism responsibility is linked to authority and its ideology. The difference is so vast between the two cases.

This part tackles the relation between Islam and rationalism in three components: thinking as the way of faith, and the Islamic notion of objectivity and the ways of God, and the benevolent nature of Islamic rationalism.