Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:192-196

Surah Ash-Shu'ara: Verses 192–196

{And indeed, it is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.} (192)

Know that when Allah Almighty concluded the accounts He narrated concerning the Prophets, He then mentioned what indicates the Prophethood of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is in two ways:

1. The first is His saying: {And indeed, it is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds} (192). This is because, due to its eloquence, it is a miracle, thus proving it is from the Lord of the Worlds. Alternatively, it is because it reports past narratives without any prior teaching whatsoever, meaning it could only be through revelation from Allah Almighty.
2. His subsequent statement: {And indeed, it is in the scriptures of the former ones} (196) seems to confirm this possibility. Since the Prophet (PBUH) mentioned these seven stories exactly as they exist in the scriptures of the former peoples, without any discrepancy, and this occurred without him engaging in learning or preparation, it proves that this [knowledge] can only be from Allah Almighty. This is the intended meaning of the verse.

Regarding His saying, {And indeed, it is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds} (192):

The term Tanzīl (revelation/descending) here means the thing that has been revealed. It was possible for the Qur'an and these stories to be a direct revelation from Allah Almighty to Muhammad (PBUH) without an intermediary, as stated: {The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down} (26:193).

The preposition bā’ (ب) in {nazzala bihi ar-rūḥ} (brought it down by/with the Spirit) is for causation (or transmission, based on variant readings). The meaning of {nazzala bihi ar-rūḥ al-amīn} (The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down) is that Allah made the Spirit descend with it {upon your heart} (26:193), meaning He made you understand it and established it firmly in your heart in a way that cannot be forgotten, like His saying: {We will make you recite, and you will not forget} (Al-A'la: 6).

• Ar-Rūḥ al-Amīn (The Trustworthy Spirit) is Gabriel (peace be upon him).
• He is named Rūḥ (Spirit) because he was created from the Spirit (divine essence/life force).
• It is also said that he is the salvation of creation in matters of religion, thus being like the spirit through which life is sustained.
• Another view is that he is entirely Spirit, unlike humans who have a spirit within a body.
• He is named Amīn (Trustworthy) because he is entrusted with what he conveys to the Prophets (peace be upon them) and others.

Regarding His saying, {upon your heart} (26:193): There are two opinions:

1. It was specified as {upon your heart} even though it was revealed to him, to emphasize that what was revealed is preserved for the Messenger and firmly established in his heart, making any alteration impossible. This secures the warning He delivered, which Allah intended, as He then said: {that you may be among the warners} (26:194).
2. The heart is the true addressee because it is the seat of discernment and testing, while the rest of the limbs are subservient to it.

Evidence for the Heart being the Seat of Understanding:

• From the Qur'an:
  • In Surah Al-Baqarah (2:97): {He brought it down upon your heart}.
  • Here (26:193): {The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down upon your heart}.
  • {Indeed, in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart} (Qaf: 37).
  • Accountability for reward/punishment is linked to what the heart acquires: {Allah will not call you to account for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will call you to account for what you intended by your oaths} (Al-Baqarah: 225).
  • {Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but your piety will reach Him} (Al-Hajj: 37). Piety (Taqwa) is in the heart, as Allah says: {Those are the ones whom Allah has tested their hearts for piety} (Al-Hujurat: 3).
  • {And that which is gathered in the breasts} (Al-'Adiyat: 10).
  • The inhabitants of Hellfire say: {If only we had been listening or reasoning, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze} (Al-Mulk: 10). It is known that reason ('aql) is in the heart, and hearing is the conduit to it.
  • {Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—each of those is something he will be questioned about} (Al-Isra: 36). Hearing and sight only convey what reaches the heart, so questioning them is truly questioning the heart.
  • {Allah knows the treachery of the eyes and what their breasts conceal} (Ghafir: 19). The eyes betray only what the hearts conceal when staring.
  • {And He made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful} (As-Sajdah: 9). He singled out these three for establishing the proof and demanding gratitude, as hearing and sight are only useful insofar as they convey information to the heart, making the heart the judge and controller.
  • {And We certainly established them in what We have established you, and We gave them hearing and vision and hearts. But their hearing and vision and hearts did not avail them at all} (Al-Ahqaf: 26). These three complete the proof established against them, the ultimate purpose being the heart, the judge of what hearing and sight convey.
  • {Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and upon their vision} (Al-Baqarah: 7). Punishment is linked to these three. He also said: {They have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear} (Al-A'raf: 179). The evidence here is that He intended to negate knowledge entirely; if knowledge were established elsewhere as it is in the heart, the purpose would not be achieved. These verses and their parallels clearly indicate that the heart is the intended locus for establishing the proof. Hearing and sight are mentioned because they are the instruments for the heart to receive the forms of sensory perceptions.

• From the Hadith: Al-Nu'man ibn Bashir reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Verily, in the body there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the entire body becomes sound, and if it is corrupt, the entire body becomes corrupt. Verily, it is the heart."

• From Reason (Ma'qūl):
  1. If the heart is overcome (e.g., by fainting), one loses sensation even if the other limbs are cut. If the heart recovers, sensation returns to all limbs. This shows the other limbs are subordinate to the heart. Similarly, when the heart rejoices or grieves, the state of the limbs changes, as do the other psychological states.
  2. The heart is the source of the impulses (mashāqq) that prompt actions from the other limbs. Since impulses are the origins of actions, the absolute commander is the heart.
  3. The seat of intellect ('aql) is the heart; therefore, the absolute commander is the heart.

Regarding the First Premise (Heart as the Seat of Intellect):

There is disagreement here. A group of the ancients held that the seat of intellect is the brain.

Arguments supporting the Heart as the seat of Intellect:

1. Scriptural Evidence: {Have they not traveled through the earth and have [thus] hearts with which to reason or ears with which to hear? For indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts} (Al-Hajj: 46). Also, {They have hearts with which they do not understand} (Al-A'raf: 179) and {Indeed, in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart} (Qaf: 37), meaning intellect, which is named 'heart' because it is its seat.
2. Association of Ignorance/Sealing with the Heart: Allah attributes the opposites of knowledge to the heart: {In their hearts is disease} (Al-Baqarah: 10), {Allah has set a seal upon their hearts} (Al-Baqarah: 7), {Saying, "Our hearts are covered"} (An-Nisa: 155), {Allah warns you concerning Himself} (At-Tawbah: 64), {They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts} (Al-Fath: 11), {Nay! But there is rust upon their hearts} (Al-Mutaffifin: 14), {Do they not then ponder the Qur'an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?} (Muhammad: 24). Since these verses indicate the heart is the locus of ignorance and heedlessness, it must also be the locus of intellect and understanding.
3. Personal Experience: When we concentrate deeply in thought, we feel tightness and distress in the region of the heart, as if it is physically suffering. This indicates the heart is the seat of intellect. If this is established, the accountable party (mukallaf) must be the heart, as accountability is conditional upon intellect and understanding.
4. Physiological Priority: The heart is the first organ to form and the last to perish (established by dissection). It is situated in the chest, the center of the body. Rulers, who require servants, are typically placed in the center of the realm to be surrounded by their periphery, thus being further from harm.

Arguments supporting the Brain as the seat of Intellect:

1. The sensory organs, instruments of perception, transmit signals to the brain, not directly to the heart.
2. The nerves responsible for voluntary movement originate from the brain, not the heart.
3. If the brain suffers an affliction, intellect is impaired.
4. In common parlance, someone lacking intellect is described as having a "light brain" or "light head."
5. Intellect is the noblest faculty, and the noblest location should be its seat. The brain is considered higher than the heart.

Rebuttals to the Brain Arguments:

1. It is possible that the senses transmit their effects to the brain, and the brain then transmits those effects to the heart. The brain is a near instrument to the heart, and the senses are distant instruments. Sensation serves the brain, and the brain serves the heart. We personally experience that when we decide an action must be done or avoided, the limbs move, and we perceive these deliberations originating from the heart, not the brain.
2. It is possible that the effect travels from the heart to the brain, and the brain then moves the limbs via the nerves originating from it.
3. It is possible that the soundness of the brain is a condition for the heart's influence to reach the other organs.
4. The common usage arises because the heart's temperament is balanced by the coolness it derives from the brain. If the brain deviates from moderation, the heart also deviates (either by excessive heat or deficiency), leading to impaired intellect.
5. If their claim were true, the seat of intellect should be the skull itself. Since that is false, their claim is refuted. And Allah knows best.

Sub-section (Far'a):

The meanings we established as specific to the heart are sometimes attributed to the chest (ṣadr) or the heart/mind (fu'ād).

• Chest (Ṣadr): Because of verses like {And that which is gathered in the breasts} (Al-'Adiyat: 10), {and to test what is in your breasts} (Al 'Imran: 154), {Indeed, He is knowing of what is in the breasts} (Hud: 5), and {whether you conceal what is in your breasts or reveal it} (Al 'Imran: 29).
• Fu'ād: Because of {And We turn over their hearts and their sights} (Al-An'am: 110).

Some differentiate between Qalb (Heart) and Fu'ād (Mind/Viscera): Qalb is the black clot within the Fu'ād, excluding the surrounding flesh and fat, and the totality is the Fu'ād. Others consider Qalb and Fu'ād synonyms.

In any case, it must be known that within the organ named Qalb and Fu'ād, there is a specific location that is truly the seat of intellect and choice, and the majority of this organ is subservient to that location, just as other organs are subservient to the heart. An organ's mass might increase without an increase in the associated meanings (intellect, joy, grief), or decrease without a loss of those meanings. Thus, it seems the name Qalb refers to the specific parts where these meanings truly reside, while Fu'ād might refer to the entire organ. This concludes the discussion on this matter, and Allah grants success to the truth.

Regarding His saying, {that you may be among the warners} (26:194):

Warning (Indhār) encompasses calling to everything obligatory in knowledge and action, and forbidding everything reprehensible, because in both aspects, the fear of punishment is involved.

Regarding His saying, {in a clear Arabic tongue} (26:195):

The preposition bā’ (ب) can relate to {the warners}, meaning: that you may be among those warned by means of this tongue. These warners are five: Hud, Salih, Shu'ayb, Isma'il, and Muhammad (peace be upon them).

Alternatively, it can relate to {revelation} (192), meaning: He revealed it in the Arabic tongue so that He might warn with it. If He had revealed it in a non-Arabic tongue, the people would have turned away, saying, "What shall we do with what we do not understand?" thus invalidating the warning. In this view, revealing it in Arabic, your tongue and your people's tongue, means it is revealed to your heart because you understand it and your people understand it. If it were foreign, it would be revealed to your hearing but not your heart, as you would only hear the sounds of letters without grasping their meanings.

Regarding His saying, {And indeed, it is in the scriptures of the former ones} (26:196):

This can refer to these specific stories, or it can refer to the description of the Qur'an, or the description of Muhammad (PBUH), or the various aspects of warning, as all these things have already been mentioned.

**{7. Was it not a sign to them that the scholars of the Children of Israel knew it? *And if We had sent it down to some of the non-Arabs, *And he had recited it to them, they would not have believed in it. *Thus have We made it enter the hearts of the criminals. They will not believe in it until they see the painful punishment, And it comes to them suddenly while they are unaware.} (26:197–202)