How do you reconcile what we said about the head being the site of imagination and thinking with the statement that jurisprudence is in the heart?
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The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you.
Reconciling what we said about the head being the site of imagination and thinking with the statement of Allah the Exalted regarding the heart, or that jurisprudence is by the heart, is the reconciliation.
The Shaykh : The reconciliation in this matter is easy. The later scholars say: The heart referred to here is the heart of thought, not the heart that pumps blood. The heart in the chest is merely a filter for the blood and has no other function. They interpret the hearts in the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 52 to mean the heart of thought, which is in the brain. This is known regarding the brain, because it is well known that if the brain is disordered, thinking and action become disordered. Imam Ahmad said: The intellect is in the heart, and it has a connection to the brain.
Some of the later scholars say: Thinking and imagination are in the brain.
Then the brain is to the heart what a secretary is to a president; that is, it imagines things and writes down what is decided, then sends it to the heart, and the heart is the one that executes, commanding or forbidding. For this reason, Abu Hurayrah compared the heart to a king and the limbs to soldiers. This view is the closest to the truth, because it is not possible to interpret the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 52 to mean the spiritual heart. The Messenger explained, clarified, and made clear: Sahih al-Bukhari 52.
The questioner : What is the summary?
The Shaykh : The summary is this: The site of thinking is the brain, and the site of deliberation is the heart.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The heart, which is in the chest.
The questioner : ...
The questioner : Jurisprudence is understanding.
The Shaykh : Jurisprudence, which is understanding, occurs in the head and in the heart.
The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you
The Shaykh : The time has ended, if Allah wills, and until the next meeting, if Allah wills, on a day like this. We ask Allah to benefit us and you with knowledge. Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. I bear witness that there is no deity but You. I seek Your forgiveness.
Reconciling what we said about the head being the site of imagination and thinking with the statement of Allah the Exalted regarding the heart, or that jurisprudence is by the heart, is the reconciliation.
The Shaykh : The reconciliation in this matter is easy. The later scholars say: The heart referred to here is the heart of thought, not the heart that pumps blood. The heart in the chest is merely a filter for the blood and has no other function. They interpret the hearts in the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good
ألا وإن في الجسد مضغة إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كلهSome of the later scholars say: Thinking and imagination are in the brain.
Then the brain is to the heart what a secretary is to a president; that is, it imagines things and writes down what is decided, then sends it to the heart, and the heart is the one that executes, commanding or forbidding. For this reason, Abu Hurayrah compared the heart to a king and the limbs to soldiers. This view is the closest to the truth, because it is not possible to interpret the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body
ألا وإن في الجسد مضغةThere is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt
مضغة إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله، وإذا فسدت فسد الجسد كلهThe questioner : What is the summary?
The Shaykh : The summary is this: The site of thinking is the brain, and the site of deliberation is the heart.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The heart, which is in the chest.
The questioner : ...
The questioner : Jurisprudence is understanding.
The Shaykh : Jurisprudence, which is understanding, occurs in the head and in the heart.
The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you
The Shaykh : The time has ended, if Allah wills, and until the next meeting, if Allah wills, on a day like this. We ask Allah to benefit us and you with knowledge. Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. I bear witness that there is no deity but You. I seek Your forgiveness.