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)!" (Al-Quran, 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 pre-frontal area of the cerebrum (see figure above).
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 pre-frontal area. This is a region of association cortex...” 1
Also the book says: “In relation to its involvement inmotivation, the pre-frontal area is also thought to be the
functional center for aggression....” 2
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)!”
Scientists have only discovered these functions of the pre-frontal area in the last sixty years, according to
Professor Keith L. Moore. 3
(1) Essentials of Anatomy&Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 211. Also see The Human Nervous System,
Noback and others, pp. 410-411.
(2) Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 211.
(3) Al-E’jaz al-Elmy fee al-Naseyah (The Scientific Miracles in the Front of the Head), Moore and others, p. 41.
