Magpie said, "O my brothers and sisters, we have heard from the eagle how the intellect, or Aql, works. Know that Allah created every part of the human body for a specific purpose and a particular function. Thus, the hand was created for grasping and holding, the foot for walking, the tongue for articulating speech, the mouth for eating, the nose for smelling, the skin for touching, and likewise, the remainder of the internal and external limbs and organs. If a person uses a limb according to the way it was created to be used and for the purpose for which it was designed, that is the clear truth and justice on the basis of which the heavens and earth were set up. Furthermore, that is better and beneficial for that limb and its owner, as well as for the function for which it was used. Such a person is truly righteous whose state of being is upright and such people are following guidance from their Rabb and it is they who will be successful.
If the limb is not used in the proper way and, instead, it is left unused, that is a loss, and its owner is cheated. The “proper way” is the way pleasing to Allah; the way in accordance with the divine commandments, also known as the sharee‘ah. So, if it is used in contradiction to what it was created for, that is misguidance and destruction and its owner is among those who exchanged the blessings of Allah with disbelief.
The master of all limbs and their head is the heart, as it has been named "qalb." The heart was called qalb because it is the essence of what the body contains and the essence of everything is its heart. Ibn Taymiyyah said, 'Indeed, Allah created the human heart in order for them to know things in the same way which He created the eye to see things and the ear to hear things.'
Narrated An-Nu'man bin Bashir, that he heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying,Allah has placed in the heart a warner for each of us whenever we approach evil. This is evident from the hadeeth recorded in Musnad Ahmad, that (ﷺ) the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “ Allah has laid down a parable of a straight path. On each side is a wall with open doors and curtains hanging down over the open doors. At the top of the path there is a caller saying, 'Go straight, all of you, on the path and do not deviate.' Above him is another caller who says, 'whenever anyone tries to open any of those doors, ‘Woe to you! Do not open it, for if you (do so), you will go through it.’ The path is Islam, the open doors are the things that Allah has forbidden, and the curtains hanging down are the limits of Allah. The caller at the top of the path is the Qur'an and above him is the (one who) admonishes for Allah’s sake and who is present in every Muslim's heart.”الْحَلاَلُ بَيِّنٌ وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشَبَّهَاتٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الْمُشَبَّهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِيِنِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ، وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ كَرَاعٍ يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى، يُوشِكُ أَنْ يُوَاقِعَهُ. أَلاَ وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى، أَلاَ إِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ مَحَارِمُهُ، أَلاَ وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ. أَلاَ وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ"Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things. Beware! There 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 and that is the heart." - [Sahih Al-Bukhari, 52]
This warner is sometimes referred to as the conscience. If careful attention is paid to its warnings, the individual’s inner thoughts and outer actions improve and the warnings in turn get stronger. If the warnings are ignored, the outer actions and inner thoughts become increasingly destructive and the signals become progressively weaker until they can no longer be perceived. This state is referred to by Allah as blindness. In many cases, despite their weakness, these signals never die out, because if they did, the possessor of such a heart would never be able to repent. Allah, in His supreme mercy, has allowed the signals to continue so that an individual may spend a good portion of his life doing evil, yet change totally in the latter years of his life and die among the righteous.
Ibn Hajar commented on the Prophet’s stress on the heart saying, “He specified the heart for that because it is the leader of the body; when the leader is good the followers become good and when he becomes corrupt so do the followers. [The statement] contains a notation about the great importance of the heart, encouragement to reform it and an indication that pure earnings have an effect on it. The intent that is connected to it is the understanding that Allah has placed in it.
It is also used to prove that Aql is in the heart. Allah says,And Allah also says,اَفَلَمۡ یَسِیۡرُوۡا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ فَتَکُوۡنَ لَہُمۡ قُلُوۡبٌ یَّعۡقِلُوۡنَ بِہَاۤ اَوۡ اٰذَانٌ یَّسۡمَعُوۡنَ بِہَا ۚ فَاِنَّہَا لَا تَعۡمَی الۡاَبۡصَارُ وَ لٰکِنۡ تَعۡمَی الۡقُلُوۡبُ الَّتِیۡ فِی الصُّدُوۡرِ"So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts." - [QS.22:46]The Qur’anic commentators said it meant "Aql” and that He referred to it as the heart because it is the place where [Aql] resides.” Ibn Katheer quoted well-known student of Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujahid, as saying, “ It means a sound understanding with which he comprehends, or a good mind.”اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَذِکۡرٰی لِمَنۡ کَانَ لَہٗ قَلۡبٌ اَوۡ اَلۡقَی السَّمۡعَ وَ ہُوَ شَہِیۡدٌ"Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind]." - [QS.50:37]
As the heart was created to know things, its pursuit of things of a desire for knowledge is called thought and reflection, just as the ears pursuit of speech desiring to hearm it is called listening, and the eye's attention to things trying to view them is called sight. Thus, thought relative to the heart is like listening relative to the ear and sight relative to the eyes, etc. If the heart comes to know what it reflected on, that was its goal, likewise, if the ear hears what it listened for, or the eye sees what it looked at. But attainment of these goals is not automatic, though we tend to take it for granted. Each and every one of them is actually one of the many blessings granted by Allah.
Philosophers seeking the purpose of life, scientists searching for the origin of life, etc. Many people may read the Qur'aan but only those who fear Allah and believe in the unseen, establish regular prayer and spend in charity from their wealth gain the knowledge of guidance from it. How many thinkers do not find the knowledge they seek, just as many looking for the new moon do not see it, and many listening for a particular sound do not hear it. Its opposite is one who is given knowledge of something which he did not reflect on nor did he have previous knowledge about it, like one who suddenly sees the crescent moon without intending to do so or one who hears a statement without listening out for it. All of this is due to the fact that the heart by itself accepts knowledge. This issue depends on the fulfillment of certain conditions and the preparedness of the organ. It could be the result of a human act and thereby be what was desired or it could come as a favor from Allah and be a talent.
The righteousness and correctness for which the heart was created is that it understands things. I do not say that it only knows things, for someone could know something and not understand it, he could even be negligent of it or reject it. The one who understands something is one who is able to specify its limitations, accurately define it, be conscious of it, and confirm it in his heart. In time of need it is sufficient for him, and his actions match his statements, his internal is the same as his external. That is one who is granted wisdom and whoever has been given wisdom, has been given a great good.
People, vary in their ability to understand things from perfect to deficient, and in the amount they understand from a little to a lot, and from general to precise, etc.
The three organs, hearing, sight and emotion, are the main means of gaining knowledge and understanding it, of understanding what is liked and disliked, and of distinguishing between those doing good for
the person and those doing evil, etc. Adult humans are able to understand or deduce the hidden reasons behind actions, while animals and children are not. For example, a cow maybe fed regularly order to be fattened for slaughter and consumption. Relative to the cow, the humans who fed it were doing what was good for it, but their intentions of killing it, relative to the cow, were evil.
I mean, the knowledge that distinguishes between humans and other animals, outside of what they share with them like, smell, taste and touch. Even the senses of smell, taste and touch can provide such knowledge when interpreted by the human mind. For example, something might smell good, taste nice and feel comfortable and yet be harmful or it may smell bad, taste terrible and feel uncomfortable and yet be beneficial. Animals, like children, are unable to distinguish in many circumstances what is actually harmful or beneficial to them. Here, we focuses on the senses of sight and hearing, as these are the most frequently used sources for gathering information. Their dominance is reflected in the frequent Qur’anic references to them to the exclusion of the others.
Allah said,Ibn Katheer explained that Allah mentions His blessings to His servants in that He brought them from their mothers’ wombs not knowing anything, then He gives them hearing to recognize voices, sight to see visible things and hearts - meaning reason - whose seat, according to the correct view, is the heart, although it was also said that its seat is the brain. With Aql, a person can distinguish between what is harmful and what is beneficial. These abilities and senses develop gradually in a human being. The more he grows, the more his hearing, vision and intellect increase, until they reach their peak. Allah has created these faculties in human beings to enable them to worship their Rabb, so they use all these organs, abilities and strengths to obey their Master.وَ اللّٰہُ اَخۡرَجَکُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بُطُوۡنِ اُمَّہٰتِکُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ شَیۡئًا ۙ وَّ جَعَلَ لَکُمُ السَّمۡعَ وَ الۡاَبۡصَارَ وَ الۡاَفۡـِٕدَۃَ ۙ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ"And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful." - [QS.16:78]
Al-Bukhari reported that on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, radhiyallahu 'anhu, who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,In tafsir Ibn Katheer, the meaning of the hadeeth is that when a person is sincere in his obedience to Allah, all his deeds are done for the sake of Allah, so he only hears for the sake of Allah, he only sees for the sake of Allah - meaning he only listens to or looks at what has been allowed by Allah. He does not grasp or walk except in obedience of Allah, seeking Allah’s help in all of these things.إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ: مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا، فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ، وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِي بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ، كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا، وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا، وَإِنْ سَأَلَنِي لَأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنْ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لَأُعِيذَنَّهُ، وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ أَنَا فَاعِلُهُ تَرَدُّدِي عَنْ نَفْسِ عَبْدِي الْمُؤْمِنِ، يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ وَأَنَا أَكْرَهُ مَسَاءَتَهُ"Allah, Mighty and Sublime be He, said, 'Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.'"
Although all three are mentioned together, the eye is inferior to the heart and the ear. It is different from them in that it only sees things that are present and corporeal, like images and objects. On the other hand, the heart and ears enable one to know about spiritual and theoretical things that are invisible and intangible. Furthermore, even these two are different in that the heart understands things by itself and knowledge is its nourishment and specialty. As for the ear, it merely carries words containing knowledge to the heart. In itself, it captures statements and words,and when they reach the heart, the heart extracts from them the knowledge they contain. Actually, this is the case for all the senses. All the five senses are sources of information that the mind-heart interprets and acts upon.
The master of knowledge, in reality, is the heart. The remainder of the organs and limbs are gatemen to whom information reaches, which they were unable to acquire by themselves. It is the master to the degree that whoever loses any of the other organs, loses only the knowledge that was conveyed through it. Thus, the deaf person is unable to gain knowledge from speech, and the blind person is unaware of what vast knowledge objects contain. A blind person who feels the surface of a pyramid or a space shuttle cannot understand the history behind them by his sense of touch.
Likewise, whoever looks at things or listens to the words of scholars, without the participation of the heart, does not understand anything. Thus, the pivot of affairs is the heart.
Those who have been granted wisdom and benefit from knowledge are on two levels. First level, either a person who sees the truth by himself and accepts it and follows it, without needing anyone to invite him to it. That is one who truly possesses a heart. Second level, a person, who does not understand thetruth by himself, but needs someone to teach it to him, clarify it for him, advise him regarding it and mold him according to it. That is an attentive person who "listens attentively, meaning “he hears the speech, comprehends and understands it in his mind and grasps its implications by his intellect.” That is one whose heart is present and not absent. As Mujaahid said, "He was given knowledge and it was a reminder for him."
