14.4.1 VISION

Vision is physical or moral. The eye is the organ of vision and emotional expression (sadness, pleasure, beauty, communication). Light is a condition for sight. The sources of light are the sun, the moon, the stars, and lamps. Darkness is either physical or moral. Human vision is limited, can be deceived by a mirage, and has poor speed and size discrimination. Blindness can be moral or physical.

14.4.2 HEARING

The ear is an organ of hearing. Biaural hearing is a bounty from Allah enabling humans to judge distance. Deafness can be physical or moral.

14.4.3 CHEMICAL SENSATION

Human smell and taste are weak. Odors may be pleasant or unpleasant. Smell and taste of food are appetizing, stimulates salivary and gastric secretions. Humans cannot smell out enemies but can smell or taste dangerous and discard harmful substances. The poor food discrimination of babies due to poor smell and taste enables them to like a wide range of food. Poor human smell is a bounty because they are spared many bad odors in the environment. Chemical sensations by chemoreceptors and osmoreceptors are useful in homeostasis.

14.4.4 SURFACE SENSATION

The Qur'an mentioned touch as lams or mass. The skin is a sensory organ. The hand is a sense organ that feels size, shape, and texture. The tactile ability of the hand is the basis of human civilization because it enables manufacture and use of tools. Touch can also be used to show love and intimacy. Earthly pain is less severe than pain in the hereafter. Somatic pain is a bounty for humans as an early warning of tissue injury. It is Allah’s bounty that most visceral pain is not felt. Heat is a punishment in the hereafter, and a discomfort on earth. It is Allah’s bounty to protect humans from heat by clouds and shades. Cold is the opposite of heat. Cooling rain water and cold drinking water are bounties of Allah. Hunger and thirst can be physiological, psychological, and moral. They are a warning to replenish food stocks before depletion and do not always indicate immediate danger or pathology. Diabetes mellitus is associated with hunger and diabetes insipidus is associated with thirst. Moral hunger manifests as loss of control of appetite and not getting satisfied. Hunger is a test and a punishment. There will be no hunger in jannat. The food of the dwellers of hell does not cure or satisfy hunger.

14.4.5 OTHER SENSORY MODALITIES

It is Allah’s bounty that humans are not consciously aware if visceral, kinesthetic or propioceptive sensation otherwise they would be overwhelmed by information. Allah wanted humans to concentrate on sensory input from the external and not the internal environment. The Qur’an and sunnat have described phenomena of extra-sensory perception (ESP) as inspiration, ilhaam; intuition, hadas; instincts, jibillat; and imagination, khiyaal; telepathy; dreams; and revelation. Scientific understanding of ESP is limited. Only dreams of prophets are true. The Qur’an and sunnat have condemned astrology, foretelling, divination, and sorcery.