Author: Mufti Noor Mohammad Mohibi
The Quran; A Miracle Beyond Time-A Study of Its Miraculous Nature (Part 30)
The Role of the Brain in Attention and Habituation
Allah, the Exalted, says in the Holy Qur’an: وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ [Ibrahim: 34] Translation: “And He has given you of all that you asked of Him. And if you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to number them.”
In this verse, instead of the word ni‘am (plural), the singular form ni‘mah (blessing) is used, to indicate the greatness of even a single blessing. That is, if a person were to dedicate his entire life to counting the benefits of just one blessing, he would not be able to encompass them all. If one cannot count them, he is even less capable of giving proper thanks for them.
One of the greatest blessings of Allah is the human brain—a complex and astonishing structure that Allah, the Exalted, has placed within man. In this section, we will examine two of its important abilities: attention and habituation. Both are hidden gifts from Allah, without which life would become unbearable.
Attention: Conscious Focus on a Subject
Attention is the brain’s ability to concentrate on a specific stimulus among countless sensory inputs. This ability enables humans to think, learn, and act effectively. Scientists refer to this phenomenon as Selective Attention.
Experimental Example:
If you place a recorder near a window facing the street and have a half-hour detailed conversation with a family member, then ask them what happened in the street during that time, they might say: “I didn’t hear anything.” But when you play the recording, you will hear shouting, noise, vendors, and various other sounds.
What happened here? The sound waves reached the ear, vibrated the eardrum, and were transmitted to the brain, but the brain ignored them. This is the brain’s ability to focus on one subject while disregarding others.
Sustained Attention
Sometimes the brain maintains long-term focus on specific stimuli. For example:
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A breastfeeding mother who, amid loud noises, wakes up only at the sound of her infant’s cry.
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A driver who immediately notices an unusual sound in his car.
These examples show a more advanced form of attention, known as sustained concentration.
Habituation: Ignoring Repeated Stimuli
In contrast to attention, habituation is the brain’s ability to ignore repetitive stimuli that are not vital. Without this ability, humans could not live normally in noisy environments such as factories, airports, or busy streets.
Examples:
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A worker in a factory full of machine noise becomes accustomed to it and only notices if a machine unexpectedly stops.
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A person living near an airport ignores the sound of airplanes but reacts to specific unusual noises.
Through a process not yet fully understood by scientists, the human brain suppresses these repetitive stimuli and prevents them from reaching the center of attention. This is the property of habituation.
Coordination of Attention and Habituation
Despite their apparent contradiction, these two abilities work together to help humans function in a world full of diverse stimuli:
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Attention enables the brain to focus on what is important.
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Habituation prevents the brain from becoming exhausted by unnecessary sounds and information.
In short, without these two brain abilities, life would be nothing but confusion, inability to concentrate, and constant suffering. Both are extraordinary blessings and parts of that very blessing Allah mentions in Surah Ibrahim (peace be upon him): وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ [Ibrahim: 34] Translation: “And He has given you of all that you asked of Him. And if you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to number them.
The Cerebellum: The Center of Bodily Coordination
The cerebellum is a part of the brain that receives less attention, yet its role in human life is vital and astonishing. This small structure, weighing about 150 grams, performs functions far beyond what one might expect.
Main Function:
Through numerous experiments, scientists have found that the cerebellum is the center of coordination and integration of body movements. Unlike the cerebral cortex, which is involved in intellectual activities, the cerebellum does not engage in mental analysis. Instead, it regulates motor functions such as standing, walking, grasping objects, and maintaining balance.
Example:
When the brain commands the body to open a car door, it is the cerebellum that calculates how much force is needed. Just as an architect designs a building while a civil engineer performs the technical calculations, the cerebellum undertakes the precise calculations necessary for the execution of bodily movements.
Continues…
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References
(1) Encyclopaedia of Scientific Miracles in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Volume 1, pp. 115-118.
