فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٞ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا

“So that they may have hearts with which they reason.”

[Qur’ān 22:46]

The Reasoning Heart

Modern Scientific Discovery

Recent neuroscience has revealed that the heart is far more than a blood-pumping organ. It contains about 40,000 neurons, forming what scientists call the “intrinsic cardiac nervous system” — the heart’s little brain. This allows the heart to send signals to the brain, process information, and even influence thoughts and emotions.

Key Scientific Facts:

The heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart.

It can process information, make decisions, and regulate emotions independently.

Cognitive functions like reasoning, perception, and emotional balance are shaped by this heart–brain connection.

These discoveries, confirmed in modern science, echo a Qur’ānic description revealed over 1,400 years ago.

Qur’ānic Revelation 1400 years ago

"Have they not traveled throughout the land so their hearts may understand, and their ears may listen? Indeed, it is not the eyes that go blind, but the hearts within the chests that grow blind."

(Qur’ān 22:46)

Scientific Explanation

The Qur’ān attributes understanding and reasoning directly to the heart — “so their hearts may understand (يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا)”.

This was revealed at a time when people only viewed the heart as a pump, with no link to cognition.

Words of the Chosen

"Indeed, in the body there is a piece of flesh: if it is upright, the whole body will be upright; and if it is corrupt, the whole body will be corrupt. Truly, it is the heart."

— Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: - Sahīh Muslim, Book 22, Hadīth 107)