The Quran on the Cerebrum:
God has said in the Quran about one of the evil unbelievers
who forbade the Prophet Muhammad A from praying at the Kaaba:
(Let him beware! If he does not stop, We will take him
by the naseyah (front of the head), a lying, sinful naseyah (front
of the head)! (Quran, 96:15-16)
Why did the Quran describe the front of the head as being
lying and sinful? Why didn't the Quran say that the person was lying and
sinful? What is the relationship between the front of the head and lying
and sinfulness?
If we look into the skull at the front of the head, we will
find the prefrontal area of the cerebrum (see figure 12). What does physiology
tell us about the function of this area? A book entitled Essentials
of Anatomy & Physiology says about this area, "The motivation and
the foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion
of the frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. This is a region of association
cortex..."2 Also the book says, "In relation to its involvement in motivation,
the prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression......
3
So, this area of the cerebrum is responsible for planning,
motivating, and initiating good and sinful behavior and is responsible
for the telling of lies and the speaking of truth. Thus, it is proper to
describe the front of the head as lying and sinful when someone lies or
commits a sin, as the Quran has said, "...A lying, sinful
naseyah (front of the head)!"
Figure 12: functional regions of the left hemisphere of the
cerebral cortex. The prefrontal area is located at the front of the cerebral
cortex. (Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others,
p. 210.)
Scientests have only discoverd these function of the prefrontal area
in the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith L. Moore.
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(2) Essentials of anatomy & Physiology, Seeley
and others, p. 21 1. Also see The Human Nervous System, Noback and
others, pp. 410-41 1.
(3) Essentials of anatomy & Physiology, Seeley
and others, p. 21 1.