The Quran on the Cerebrum:

God has said in the Qur’an about one of the evil unbelievers who forbade the Prophet Muhammad from praying at the Kaaba:

" No! If he does not stop, We will take him by the naseyah (front of the head), a lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)! "(Qur’an, 96:15-16)

Why did the Qur’an describe the front of the head as being lying and sinful? Why didn’t the Qur’an 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 1). 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...” Also the book says: “In relation to its involvement inmotivation, the prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression....”

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 Qur’an has said: “...A lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)!”

Figure 1: 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.)

Scientists have only discovered these functions of the prefrontalarea in the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith L. Moore.