AWOT (ALLAH WAY OF THINKING) PART 2.5 SHUDUR

Assalamualaikum warohmatullahi wabarokatuh.

It's me again, Abu Musa.

Today is Thursday, January 23, 2025.

We are still on the topic of "Allah's Way of Thinking 2.5."

In the second part of this study, we discussed how Allah instructs us to use our minds to understand His verses, both the verses of the universe and the verses in the form of divine words or revelations. In the previous study, it was explained that the thinking and understanding faculty in the Quran is called qolbu, which is possessed only by jinn and humans. Then, in study 2.5, we also learned about fuad, which is possessed by all living beings, and its function refers to negative things. From this, we have identified two tools or faculties of brain function.

Now, in this study, we will understand one more faculty of brain function, called shudur. First, it's important to understand that in comprehending the Quran, there are verses that contain both a literal meaning and a figurative meaning. For example, the word Jannah literally means "lush garden," but figuratively, it can mean "something that brings peace to the soul." Similarly, Hell literally means "the fire in the afterlife where those who deny Allah and His Messenger will end up," but figuratively, it can also mean "ignorance or the state of a person who does not know God's guidance/rules." For example, in QS. 3:103, which we discussed yesterday, Allah unites the minds of the believers with a perception of divinity and His rules, so that those who were previously on the brink of a pit of fire became brothers. Here, "hell" refers to ignorance, not hell in its literal sense. This interpretation makes sense because the verse describes believers who are still alive and living on Earth.

The same applies to the word shudur. In several verses, it is interpreted with its literal meaning, which is "chest." For example:

أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ يَثۡنُونَ صُدُورَهُمۡ لِيَسۡتَخۡفُواْ مِنۡهُۚ أَلَا حِينَ يَسۡتَغۡشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعۡلِنُونَۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

"Indeed, they fold up their chests to conceal themselves from Him. Indeed, when they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He is Knower of that within the chests" (QS. Hud: 5).

وَرَبُّكَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تُكِنُّ صُدُورُهُمۡ وَمَا يُعۡلِنُونَ

"And your Lord knows what their chests conceal and what they declare." (QS. Qasas: 69).

All these verses interpret the word shudur with its literal meaning, "chest." However, in the last part of QS. Hud: 5, the word shudur, which was initially translated as "chest," changes to "heart." If we read the verse carefully and use our logical reasoning, this becomes strange, because the chest has no function to conceal anything—be it lies, falsehood, or hypocrisy—nor can it declare or express anything. All these functions refer to only one place: the brain.

This is even more confusing when the meaning of "chest" is placed alongside QS. 22:46. How can qolbu, which we understand to be the brain, be inside the shudur (chest)?

أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمۡ قُلُوبٞ يَعۡقِلُونَ بِهَآ أَوۡ ءَاذَانٞ يَسۡمَعُونَ بِهَاۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعۡمَى ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ وَلَٰكِن تَعۡمَى ٱلۡقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِي فِي ٱلصُّدُورِ

"Do they not travel through the land so that their minds can understand or their ears can hear? For indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but the minds within the chests that are blind." (QS. Al-Hajj: 46).

From this, we can conclude that the word shudur is not "chest" and certainly not "heart." Therefore, to better understand this word, we can first consider its figurative meaning.

If we look at the verses mentioned earlier, we can dialectically conclude that the word shudur is "a state that arises from the function of the brain/qolbu." So, the appropriate word for shudur is "consciousness," which means a state of being awake and thinking rationally and logically, encompassing thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and memory. Consciousness can also be defined as a person's level of alertness to internal and external stimuli.

Consciousness plays a crucial role in determining human behavior. Good consciousness can help a person to filter and choose the right actions, thus avoiding regret. Some things related to consciousness include:

• Self-awareness: Recognizing one's own feelings and behaviors and understanding their impact on others.
• Learning awareness: The consciousness that motivates someone to learn and engage in learning activities.
• Conscious living: The effort to maintain awareness when receiving internal and external stimuli.
• Mindfulness practice: Focusing attention on what is being done, felt, and thought.

Therefore, it is correct to interpret the word shudur as "consciousness" or "a conscious state." Let's re-read the verses above.

QS. Hud: 5

"Indeed, they conceal their consciousness to hide from Him. Indeed, when they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He is Knower of that within human consciousness."

QS. Qasas: 69

"And your Lord knows what is concealed (within) their consciousness and what they declare."

QS. Al-Hajj: 46

"Do they not travel through the land so that their minds can understand or their ears can hear? For indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but the minds within a state of consciousness that are blind."

The word shudur has also been absorbed into Indonesian with the meaning of "Sadar" (conscious). Furthermore, if the word shudur is interpreted with its literal meaning, the appropriate word is not "chest" or "heart," but "head." The head is the place where the conscious function of the human brain resides. This meaning fits well when paired with the verses that use the word shudur. Let's re-read those verses using the translation of "head" for shudur.

QS. Hud: 5

"Indeed, they fold up their heads to conceal themselves from Him. Indeed, when they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He is Knower of that within human heads."

QS. Qasas: 69

"And your Lord knows what is concealed (within) their heads and what they declare."

QS. Al-Hajj: 46

"Do they not travel through the land so that their minds can understand or their ears can hear? For indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but the minds within the head that are blind."

Finally, from this discussion, we can conclude that the literal meaning of the word shudur is not "chest" or "heart," but the appropriate word for shudur is "head," while its figurative meaning is "consciousness."

From this, we have found the third point of brain function. Next, we will continue with Allah's Way of Thinking 2.5, point 4, which is also the last point of brain function: LUBB, which is better known as ALBAB.

I am Abu Musa, and I'll see you again in the next Islamic study.

Wsssalamualaikum Warohmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

By: ABU MUSA