The Heart and Mind

Realization of God the centre of the circulation of the blood, while the mind alone is the centre of thinking. But due to literary usage, even today we use such an expression as wholeheartedly, and not whole-mindedly. This is true also for other languages. The subject of the Quran is not anatomy: its subject is guidance to man. Guidance is totally related to reason and understanding. This being so, wherever the Quran uses the word “heart”, in terms of the subject of the Quran, it is to be taken in the sense of mind or reason. When the word “heart” (qalb) has two meanings, one as is generally understood in the sense of heart and the other in the sense of aql (mind) then in such a case the meaning of qalb (heart) used in the Quran, would be determined in relation to the subject of the Quran. In this case qalb in the sense of the heart will not be applicable. Qalb in the Quran will apply to the mind or reason. This is an accepted principle of grammar. This is applicable in both cases, in the Quran as well as in other literature. For instance, if a book written on the subject of anatomy uses the word “heart”, then heart will be taken in the sense of an organ of the body and not mind. On the contrary, when the Quran uses the word “heart”, it will be taken in the sense of the mind. In every language one word often has several meanings. Each meaning is relative to its context. For instance, the word deen in Arabic has several meanings. In chapter 1, verse 3, for example, the Quran has used it to mean the Day of