14.5.1 QUR'ANIC CONCEPTS RELATING TO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The Qur’an mentioned the functions of the nervous system (thought, memory, forgetting, and emotions) in association with 4 Qur’anic phenomena (naasiyat, lubb, qalb/nafs, fuaad, and dhihn. Humans have freedom of action on a limited scale.

14.5.2 STRUCTURE and FUNCTION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The nervous system consists of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Most physiological functions are autonomic not under conscious cortical control. Human behavior can be explained by the nafs, organic factors (chemical and anatomical), early learning, early conditioning, and socialization. Genetically-determined organic factors of behavior do not excuse humans from accountability because the nafs can override organic factors. Diet and environmental factors may also affect behavior. Humans can artificially change their behavior by using chemicals and intoxicants.

14.5.3 THE INTELLECTUAL FUNCTION, ‘aql

Intellect, ‘aql, includes conceptualisation and categorization, measuring and counting, concrete and abstract thought, causal reasoning, and problem solving. It cannot reason out all moral issues without guidance from revelation. It is very creative and imaginative. It is the basis of judgment (reconciling apparently contradictory information). It is is needed for sensory perception. It is needed for acquisition of knowledge. It is related to observation The 3 main intellectual processes are understanding, fahm; insight, idraak; and judgment, hukm. Consciousness, shu’ur, is both physical (awareness of the environment) and moral (sensitivity to immoralities in the community). Learning is related to memory and language. Humans think by manipulating verbal symbols. Communication is the basis for growth of civilization, family and social functioning, problem solving, and acquisition of new knowledge. The disorders of the intellect are kufr, shirk, junuun, jahal, and thought disorders (sterile argumentation, doubt, self-delusion, and conjecture).

14.5.4 MEMORY FUNCTIONS, dhhakirat, hifdh

Humans are capable of great memory but the capacity is not fully used. Short-term memory is recollection of recent events. Long-term is persistent recollection of distant events. Implicit memory is involved skills such as driving, eating, and drinking. There is a neurological basis for memory. Memory capacity can be enhanced by dua, strong motivation, and repetition. Memory can suffer from decay, distortion, confabulation, moral forgetting and physical forgetting. Shaitan is the cause of forgetting, moral and physical. Forgetting as a type of negligence cured by remembrance of Allah, dhikr Allah. Humans are not punished for forgetting. Reminding in a moral sense and the physical sense helps humans remember.

14.5.5 THE MOTIONAL FUNCTION

The qalb is the seat of emotions. Its emotional states can be expansion, inshiraah; stress, dhiiq; and calmness, tama'aninat. The basic animal drives are hunger, thirst, sex, self-protection & security, sociability, and inner promptings of the nafs. The food and sex drives are the strongest and both are necessary for survival of the human species. Humans have drives more and above the animal drives described above: honor, sharaf; altruism, iithhar, faith, iman, consciousness of Allah, taqwah, seeking the pleasure of Allah, ridhallah; seeking knowledge, talab al ‘ilm; appreciation of esthetic beauty, and self-actualization. Drives are inside and emotions are their external manifestations. Satisfaction of drives is associated with pleasant emotions. Dissatisfaction of drives is associated with unpleasant emotions. Drives cannot be denied or abolished but have to be controlled and channeled. Pleasant emotions are love, hope, elation, tranquility, mercifulness, and empathy. Unpleasant emotions are fear, rage, aggression, enmity, hate, hamm & ghamm, sadness, despair, laziness, and jealousy. Stress is tightness of the chest, dhiiq al sadr and stressful life, maishat dhankat. The opposite of stress is inshiraah al sadr. Stress involves psychological stress, dhiiq nafsi. Stressful events are traumatic, uncontrollable, and unpredictable. It is part of human nature to be inpatient and thus when confronted by a problem that cannot be resolved quickly they become stressed. Life is full of difficulties, ‘usr. Allah helps those in difficulty. He causes difficulty to be removed by ease. Each difficulty, ‘usr, is accompanied by what makes it easy, yusr. Patience is called for in moments of difficulty. Psychological reactions to stress are anxiety, anger, aggression, apathy and depression, cognitive impairment. The physiological reaction to stress manifests as the usual signs of adrenaline releases. Long-term stress affects good health. Emotional immaturity is basically refusal to accept and deal with emotions in a balanced way. Emotional disorders lead to behavioral dysfunction and social dysfunction.