The art of life is to show your hand. E.V.

Lucas

The Intelligence of the Hand

Secrets of the Hands

Hands, which are delicate and complex, are the main organs that enable the human being to physically interpret, handle, manipulate, and have a special relationship with the environment. In fact, the human being employs his hands for his ideas and works that language may loose. These ideas and works can be used for both his own sake and for others, as Audrey Hepburn stated, As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. The hands are mainly used for gross motor skills, such as grasping, and fine motor skills, such as writing. Indeed, hands are the second sign of childs normal development after the tongue, because they are not only connected to movement, but also to intelligence (The Secret of Childhood, p. 80). Hence, the following paragraphs take a closer look at this special instrument, discussing its articulation, its connection to the brain, its languages, and taking a glance of its uses in Islam.

The articulation of the humans hand comparing to the other organs is more complex due to the extra expression. Human being is the only species that is able to process the pincer grasp of the thumb and forefinger. Because of this, human being operates a wide variety of tools and devices, and achieves a wide variety of possible hand gestures. Although, the thumb is a rigid pole, it is the balanced interplay of opposing pulls and the wavelike flow of forces circling the thumb that produce its complex movement. In fact, the thumb may align itself in any of the possible permutations of pronation, flexion, extension, adduction, or abduction (The

Hand, pp. 136 - 137). In other words, the thumb is very flexible since it has more than eight muscles attached to it. Therefore, as Montessori discovered based on her intensive observations, there is a connection between the hands and the brain, specifically on the development of intelligence. Indeed, studies have shown that the brain dedicates a lot of space to both the face and hands, where most senses are. The picture on the side illustrates the parts of the brain that are most concerned with the hands and the face. A significant portion of the brain is devoted to tasks related to the hands and face. Therefore, in order for a human being, specifically a child to develop his intellectual abilities, the environment should be fully prepared that encourages hands movements and grasping. For example, the environment of 0-3 month old infants should have mobiles, which encourage them to not only concentrate, but also to develop their hand movement. However, for older kids, grasping developmental aids should be around them, and that would help both the fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Montessori stresses on the role of the hands as an education tool by saying that the Human beings hands under the guidance of his intellect transform this environment and thus enable him to fulfill his mission in the world (The Secret of Childhood, p. 81). In addition to the general relationship of the hands and the brain, the right hand specifically is directed by the left hemisphere of the brain, whereas the left hand is directed by the right hemisphere of the brain. Science has shown that the left and right brain hemispheres have different functions. In fact, the right hemisphere is associated with creativity and the left hemisphere is associated with logic abilities. Therefore, the more the child uses his hands, the more his brain and intelligence is developed (Smith, 2009). Researches have shown that between 60 to 70 percent of all meaning is derived from nonverbal communication. Thus, after the face, hands are the richest source of body language or nonverbal communications, which provide clues to the attitude or state of mind of a person. They have their own language that other sources are not capable of doing, such as holding, greeting, cutting, covering, giving, asking, rubbing, supporting, hiding, engaging, and most important touching. Although touching, which involves the kinesthetic sense, is found all over the body,

whereas other four senses (sight, hearing, smell, and taste) are located in the upper parts of the body, hands are the main source of this sense. One of the greatest examples that show the significance of the touch sense is Helen Keller, who was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Helens touch abilities, besides her sense of smell, were unbelievably sharp and sophisticated that Annie, her teacher, developed through speaking into her hand. Using a language of hand signs, which represented letters of the alphabet, a kind of fingered Morse code, Helen was able to learn the language. In fact, although she was the blind and deaf, she was able to write, read, and even talk and that are all through the sense of touch. For example, at first Helen was unable to make any connection when the word d-o-l-l was spelled into one hand as she held her doll in the other. But there soon occurred one of the most life-changing moments in the history of the human imagination, when Annie placed Helens hand under a spout of water. As Helen recorded in her autobiography: As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water, first slowly, then rapidly. I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that w-a-t-e-r meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. The living world awakened in my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! (Krznaric, R. 2011).

In addition to the hands languages that are mentioned above, sign language is another unique example that shows the art of the hands. Sign language, mostly used by/with deaf people, uses visually transmitted sign patterns, whether manual communication and/or body language to convey meanings but still the core of it is in the hands. Besides deaf people, infants and toddlers can also communicate using sign language. Although they lack the ability to talk and produce words at this period, they have a desire to communicate their needs and wishes. Sometimes this desire is

obvious when listening to the child making the sound of the letter but not saying the letter itself. For example, a child could not say the letter F yet could pronounce its sound by saying fa whenever he sees the sign for it. Therefore, since handeye coordination develops sooner than acquisition of verbal skills, infants can learn simple signs for common words such as "eat," "sleep," "more," "hug," "play," "cookie," and all done before they are able to produce understandable speech. As a result, according to studies, signing decreases the frustration level and tantrums that infant and toddlers have due to the gap between the desire and the ability to communicate. As for hands in Islam, the right hand is particularly emphasized. The prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said, "None of you should eat with his left hand and drink with that (left hand), for the Satan eats with left hand and drinks with that (hand). Not only this, but also if a person offers food or gifts to someone else, it is preferable to offer them using the right hand. The reason for that is because the left side of the brain (the part that directs verbal and analytical information) could be continuously activated. So, verbal and analytical skills improve quietly. Although Islam focused on the right hand, it did not neglect the left hand. However, the usage of the left hand in Islam is not for food or hospitality, but it is for things that need to be done in the bathroom for cleaning ones self. As a result, both hands will be used regularly on a daily basis. Consequently, both sides of the brain will be activated equally, since eating and going to the bathroom are two daily acts. Additionally, the hand hygiene is very significant in Islam. It is the only part of the body where it should be washed before and after a meal. However, right after eating, a Muslim is encouraged to lick his fingers before washing them. The prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said, When you eat, do not wipe your hands till you have licked it. You do not know in what portion the Blessing (of Allah) lies". When a person licks his fingers after eating, the amylase enzyme, which could be found in the saliva, is released to help the stomach with the digestion process. Hence, licking ones fingers before washing them is highly encouraged.

In conclusion, although human beings use their hands in similar ways, such as eating, drinking, and greeting, they develop distinct skill that enables him to flourish and distinguish them from one another. For instance, a pianist develops the skill to play the piano, whereas a carpenter develops a different skill to cut the wood. In other words, there are countless of abilities and skills that signifying the importance of the hand. In fact, the science and religious aspects combined together can never give the hand function its full magnitude. As there are always secrets in science that our minds cannot comprehend and link, what has been discovered in regards of our hands is nothing comparing to what is more yet to be unfolded. For example, discussing the articulation of the hands, its connection with our brains, its languages and signs, and its religious aspect in our lives, are points scientists helped us to realize. However, we are only touching the surface of these topics in comparison to what could be known. The Quran says it all in few words, Its also in your own selves; will ye not then see. The Quranic verse implies that other fascinating things in relation to our bodies are yet to be uncovered and more importantly, deserve to be thought of. In deed, Allah

has said in the Quran, And you [i.e., mankind] have not been given of knowledge except a little.

References:

Johnston, J., Durieux-Smith, A. & Bloom, K. (2005). Teaching gestural signs to infants to advance child development. First Language, 25, 235251

Krznaric, R. (2011). Helen Keller and the seeing hand. Retrieved from http://outrospection.org/2011/02/11/721

Montessori, M. (1982). The secret of childhood. Ballantine Books.

Smith, D. (2009). Grasping the importance of our hands. Retrieved from http://www.amputee-coalition.org/inmotion/nov_dec_06/our_hands.html

Wilson, F. (1998). The Hand. Vintage; 1st Vintage Books Ed edition