Disease

And when I am ill, then He cures me, [Al-Quran 26:80] 

Disease & Cure - I 

Usage in the Quran search result:

According to the search result, the two noun forms are:

marad (مَّرَض) and marid (مَّرِيض)

Marad (مَّرَض) is used when describing a condition which hinders a person from faith. The Quran introduces the reader to this right at the beginning, and associates it with lying, stating that Allah increases this disease because they lie:

فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ

 فَزَادَهُمُ اللَّهُ مَرَضًا

 وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ

In their hearts (is) a disease,

so has increased them Allah (in) disease;

and for them (is) a punishment painful because they used to [they] lie.

[Al-Quran 2:10]

This word (مَّرَض) is specifically used with the word qalb to inform that the heart is diseased. It is important to note here that we find two words: qalb and fu`ad, both of which are generally translated as heart. However, in the Arabic text of The Quran, the usage of words is very precise. As per my understanding, the word for the physical heart is qalb, while fuad is one of the functions of the heart. 

Rijsun meaning impurity or filth is also associated with this condition of the qalb: 

The Quran also links lying to the forehead/forebrain:

Excerpt from Lying Sinful Forelock

The study quoted in the following excerpt also 'covered the most anterior part of prefrontal cortex': 

Excerpt from Divine Will and Human Free Will

Emerging research also points to brain-derived gene expressions which impact the health of the heart. There seems to be a strong, but not yet fully understood, link between lying and the heart! 

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Marid (مَّرِيض) is used to describe the person in the state of being ill or sick. The Quran uses this term to describe people suffering from any type of illness. Expressions of leniency and compassion are generally found for people suffering from illness, such as exemption from fasting (2:184, 2:185),  shaving head at pilgrimage (2:196), ablution (4:43, 5:6), permission to put down arms while praying during wartime (4:102), from battle (9:91, 48:17), from nightlong prayers (73:20).

The Quran also permits the sick to remain as social or otherwise as they wish:

لَّيْسَ عَلَى الْأَعْمَىٰ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى الْأَعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَن تَأْكُلُوا مِن بُيُوتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ آبَائِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ إِخْوَانِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخَوَاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَعْمَامِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ عَمَّاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخْوَالِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ خَالَاتِكُمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُم مَّفَاتِحَهُ أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَأْكُلُوا جَمِيعًا أَوْ أَشْتَاتًا فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُم بُيُوتًا فَسَلِّمُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ تَحِيَّةً مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ مُبَارَكَةً طَيِّبَةً كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

Not is on the blind any blame and not on the lame any blame and not on the sick any blame and not on yourselves nafs that you eat from your houses or houses (of) your fathers or houses (of) your mothers or houses (of) your brothers or houses (of) your sisters or houses (of) your paternal uncles or houses (of) your paternal aunts or houses (of) your maternal uncles or houses (of) your maternal aunts or what you possess its keys or your friend. Not is on you any blame that you eat together or separately. But when you enter houses then greet [on] yourselves nafs a greeting from Allah blessed / flourishing (and) good / pure. Thus Allah makes clear for you the Verses so that you may understand.

[Al-Quran 24:61; Translation edited for clarity in italics]

This ties in with the concept of belief in predestination that anything that happens within our nafs or in the earth is already recorded before it happens. (Q57:22); as well as the information that all things are from Allah (Q4:78) and the good is from Allah while the sayyi-atin (bad/ill/evil/misfortune) is from our nafs (Q4:79).  

Also noteworthy is that the permission for social interaction to the sick is given in Surah an-Noor. Allah is the Noor of the Skies and Earth, and to Him nothing is invisible. More on this in this post.  

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The verb form (مَرِضْ) occurs just once:

وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ

And when I am ill, then He cures me,

[Al-Quran 26:80]

Links to posts in the series Disease and Cure 



Last updated on: April 4, 2022

Lying Sinful Forelock

The Holy Quran, 96:15-16

كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمْ يَنتَهِ لَنَسْفَعًا بِالنَّاصِيَةِ

نَاصِيَةٍ كَاذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ

Sahih International: No! If he does not desist, We will surely drag him by the forelock - A lying, sinning forelock.

Pickthall: Nay, but if he cease not We will seize him by the forelock - The lying, sinful forelock –

Interpretation

Q96:15-16 refer to a lying, sinful forelock. Q11:56 informs us that ‘...there is no living creature but He (Allah) holds it by its forelock...’ Q55:41 further states: ‘The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the forelocks and the feet.’

Forelock or Forebrain?

The Qur'an 11:56, 55:41, 96:15 and 96:16 are the only four ayaat using the noun form of root letters ‘nun-sad-ya’, translated in all instances as forelock by most translators. Could the word be referring to the brain or the forebrain?  

Note: Q21:18 uses the root letters dal-mim-qayn which most translators translate as head, while some translate it as brain. 

Facts about the human brain[1]

·         The human brain is the largest brain of all vertebrates relative to body size

·         The cerebrum makes up 85 percent of the brain's weight

·         It contains about 100 billion nerve cells (neurons), the "gray matter"

·         It contains millions of nerve fibers (axons and dendrites), the "white matter"

Like all vertebrate brains, the human brain develops from three sections known as the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain. Each of these contains fluid-filled cavities called ventricles. The forebrain develops into the cerebrum and underlying structures;

What is the function of the Cerebrum in the forebrain? [2] [3]

The Cerebrum: The cerebrum or cortex is the largest part of the human brain, associated with higher brain function such as thought and action. The cerebral cortex is divided into four sections, called "lobes": the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe. …What do each of these lobes do?

·         Frontal Lobe- associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving

·         Parietal Lobe- associated with movement, orientation, recognition, perception of stimuli

·         Occipital Lobe- associated with visual processing

·         Temporal Lobe- associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech

What is the link between lying and the forebrain?

In a study in 2005: ‘Liars showed a 22-26% increase in prefrontal white matter and a 36-42% reduction in prefrontal grey/white ratios compared with both antisocial controls and normal controls.’ [4] [5]

‘Pathological liars have a surplus of white matter, the study found, and a deficit of gray matter. That means they have more tools to lie coupled with fewer moral restraints than normal people, ...  studies of autistic children – who typically have trouble lying – have showed the converse pattern of gray matter/white matter ratios.’  [6]

According to an article published in Brainfacts.org in 2013: ‘Although several brain areas appear to play a role in deception, the most consistent finding across multiple fMRI studies is that activity in the prefrontal cortex increases when people lie. The prefrontal cortex, situated just behind the forehead, is a collection of regions responsible for executive control (the ability to regulate thoughts or actions to achieve goals). Executive control includes cognitive processes such as planning, problem solving, and attention — all important components of deception — so it’s no surprise the prefrontal cortex is active when we lie. Dishonesty requires the brain to work harder than honesty, and this effort is reflected by increased brain activity. Studies even show people take longer to respond when lying.’ [7]

Lying: a voluntary decision or a hard-wired involuntary trait?

It remains to be investigated that: ‘whether the brain differences lead to lying or whether repeated lying somehow "exercises" connections in the brain.’[8]

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[1] http://www.livescience.com/29365-human-brain.html

[2] http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih2/addiction/activities/lesson1_brainparts.htm

[3] http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/kinser/Structure1.html

[4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16199789

[5] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2376803/

[6] http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/11655.html

[7] http://www.brainfacts.org/in-society/in-society/articles/2013/the-truth-about-lies-the-science-of-deception/

[8] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87922568 

Last updated on: October 4, 2016