The Meaning of Heart in the Quran

We usually think of the heart as either a physical organ of the body or the place of emotions. But the Quran uses the word for “heart” in ways that show us a more expansive range of meaning, one that in fact revolutionizes our way of thinking about who we are and how our lives, bodies, choices/ decisions and actions intertwine, with deep and important consequences. The heart is one of the most important concepts in the Quran. as both a physical living organ and symbolically, as the seat of the soul or self, the nafs. The very name of Allah contains the image of a heart and the sound of the heartbeat, as if the heart itself was created as a symbolic force expressing Allah’s presence.