[Assam] “WE WILL REMOVE THIS SITE IF PROVEN WRONG”: Series of logical articles from THE site posted here to prepare for the challenge, as some people in Assam even using loud speakers to spread their message without a challenge. Article 34: MIA &T/L Epilepsy

Tue Nov 20 00:40:25 CST 2007

  Muhammad and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE)
http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm

By Ali Sina
<file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/AJ/My%20Documents/FFI/Author/Sina.htm>

*The Physical Effects of Muhammad's Ecstatic Experiences: *

Here is how Muhammad described his mystical experiences:

"The Revelation is always brought to me by an angel: sometimes it is
delivered to me as *the beating sound of the bell*--and this is the hardest
experience for me; but sometimes the angel appears to me in the shape of a
human and speaks to me." [40 <http://muslim-canada.org/introisl.htm#40.#40.>]

"Those who saw the Prophet (pbuh) in this state relate that his condition
would change. Sometimes he would stay motionless as if some terribly heavy
load was pressed on him and, *even in the coldest day, drops of sweat would
fall from his forehead*" [41 <http://muslim-canada.org/introisl.htm#41.#41.>]
At other times he would *move his lips. *

Ibn Sa'd says, "at the moment of inspiration, *anxiety* pressed upon the
Prophet, and his *countenance was troubled"*
[1]<http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftn1>

*"He fell to the ground like one intoxicated or overcome by sleep*; and in
the coldest day his forehead would be bedewed with large drops of *
perspiration*.  Inspiration descended unexpectedly, and *without any
previous warning."*
[2]<http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftn2>

"Then Allah's Apostle returned with that experience; and* the muscles
between his neck and shoulders were trembling* till he came upon Khadija
(his wife) and said, "Cover me!" They covered him, and when the state of
fear was over" [3]<http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftn3>
*and **[4]* <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftn4>

All these are symptoms of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. The following is a partial
list of the *Temporal Lobe Seizure Symptoms & Signs *as defined in
health.allrefer.com
<http://health.allrefer.com/health/temporal-lobe-seizure-symptoms.html>

   - Hallucinations<http://health.allrefer.com/health/hallucinations-info.html>or
illusions such as hearing voices when no one has spoken, seeing
patterns,
   lights, beings or objects that aren't there
   - Rhythmic muscle
contraction<http://health.allrefer.com/health/muscle-cramps-info.html>
   Muscle cramps are involuntary and often painful contractions of the muscles
   which produce a hard, bulging muscle
   -  Abdominal pain or
discomfort<http://health.allrefer.com/health/abdominal-pain-info.html>.

   - Sudden, intense emotion such as fear.
   -  Muscle twitching<http://health.allrefer.com/health/fasciculations-of-muscle-info.html>(fasciculation)
is the result of spontaneous local muscle contractions that
   are involuntary and typically only affect individual muscle groups. This
   twitching does not cause pain.
   - Abnormal mouth behaviors
   - Abnormal head movements
   -  Sweating<http://health.allrefer.com/health/sweating-excessive-info.html>
   -  Flushed face<http://health.allrefer.com/health/skin-blushing-flushing-info.html>
   -  Rapid heart
rate/pulse<http://health.allrefer.com/health/pulse-bounding-info.html>
   - Changes in
vision<http://health.allrefer.com/health/vision-abnormalities-info.html>,
   speech, thought, awareness, personality
   - Loss of memory<http://health.allrefer.com/health/memory-loss-info.html>(
   amnesia <http://health.allrefer.com/health/memory-loss-info.html>)
   regarding events around the seizure (partial complex seizure)

All the above symptoms were present in Muhammad during the moments that he
was allegedly receiving revelations.

   - He had visions (hallucinations) of seeing an angel or a light and of
   hearing voices.
   - He experienced bodily spasms and excruciating abdominal pain and
   discomfort
   - He was overwhelmed by sudden emotions of anxiety and fear
   - He had twitching in his neck muscles
   - He had uncontrollable lip movement
   - He sweated even during cold days.
   - His face flushed. His countenance was troubled.
   - He had rapid heart palpitation
   - He had loss of memory. (There is a tradition that states Muhammad
   was bewitched and used to think that he had sexual relations with his wives
   when he actually had not.
[5]<http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftn5>

It is also interesting to note that Muhammad's hallucination was not limited
to seeing the Angel Gabriel but he also claimed seeing Jinns and even in one
occasion while praying in the mosque he started struggling with an imaginary
person and later said "Satan came in front of me and tried to interrupt my
prayer, but Allah gave me an upper hand on him and I choked him. No doubt, I
thought of tying him to one of the pillars of the mosque till you get up in
the morning and see him. Then I remembered the statement of Prophet Solomon,
'My Lord ! Bestow on me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other
after me.' Then Allah made him (Satan) return with his head down
(humiliated)." [6]<http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftn6>

Muhammad's belief in Satan was such that he seemed to think that not even he
is immune from his whisperings.
[7]<http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftn7>

One of the embarrassing events in Muhammad's life occurred when Satan put
words in his mouth.

Tabari says: "When the messenger of God saw how his tribe turned their backs
on him and was grieved to see them shunning the message he had brought to
them from God, he longed in his soul that something would come to him from
God which would reconcile him with his tribe. With his love for his tribe
and his eagerness for their welfare it would have delighted him if some of
the difficulties which they made for him could have been smoothed out, and
he debated with himself and fervently desired such an outcome. Then God
revealed:

*"By the Star when it sets, your comrade does not err, nor is he deceived;
nor does he speak out of (his own) desire..."*

and when he came to the words:

*Have you thought upon al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat, the third, the other?*

Satan cast on his tongue, because of his inner debates and what he desired
to bring to his people, the words:

*"These are the high flying cranes; verily their intercession is accepted
with approval.*

The Quraysh left delighted by the mention of their gods. Amity was restored
and the news of that reached the followers of Muhmmad who at his behest had
migrated to Abyssina and some of them returned.  Muhammad realizing the
consequence of this is giving up on his monopoly on God and the
contradiction that it entails, claimed those verses and his Allah consoled
him saying, "*Never did We send a messenger or a prophet before thee, but,
when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire: but
Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in, and Allah will
confirm (and establish) His Signs: for Allah is full of Knowledge and
Wisdom"*: 22:52  [8]<http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftn8>

In the Quran there are several mentions of Jinns. Surah 72 narrates a
conversation between Jinns where they comment about the Quran, call it "a
wonderful Recital" and convert to Islam. Their role is described as prying
into the secrets of heaven and eavesdropping to the conversation of the
exalted assembly. Which since the apparition of Muhammad, they found it
filled with stern guards and flaming fires. "We used, indeed, to sit there
in (hidden) stations, to (steal) a hearing;" Quran quotes one Jinn saying to
others, "but any who listen now will find a flaming fire watching him in
ambush. And we understand not whether ill is intended to those on earth, or
whether their Lord (really) intends to guide them to right conduct".

It is not difficult to see that Muhammad suffered from Temporal Lobe
Epilepsy. In fact TLE was just one of his ailments. The prophet suffered
from other mental disorders and physical complications. I will speak about
them in future. The real miracle is in the fact that a billion people follow
a sick man for so long.

 ------------------------------

 <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref1>
[1] <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref1> Katib al
Waqidi p. 37.   *See also **Bukhari  1: 1:
2*<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/001.sbt.html#001.001.002>

[2] Bukhari  7, 71,
660<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/071.sbt.html#007.071.660>)

 <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref3>
[3] <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref3> *Bukhari
6, 60, 478*<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/060.sbt.html#006.060.478>

 <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref4>
[4] <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref4> *B.
9,78.111<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/087.sbt.html#009.087.111>
*

 <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref6>
[6] <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref6> *Bukhari
2, 22, 301*<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/022.sbt.html#002.022.301>

 <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref7>
[7] <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref7> *6.68,
6.116,  22.52  *

 <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref8>
[8] <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina41204.htm#_ftnref8> Tabari
volume 6, page 107

Further studies:

 http://www.emedicine.com/NEURO/topic365.htm

*Background: *Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was defined in 1985 by the
International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) as a condition characterized by
recurrent unprovoked seizures originating from the medial or lateral
temporal lobe. The seizures associated with TLE consist of simple partial
seizures without loss of awareness (with or without aura) and complex
partial seizures (ie, with loss of awareness). The individual loses
awareness during a complex partial seizure because the seizure spreads to
involve both temporal lobes, which causes impairment of memory.

TLE was first recognized in 1881 by John Hughlings Jackson, who described
"uncinate fits" and the "dreamy state." In the 1940s, Gibbs et al introduced
the term "psychomotor epilepsy." The international classification of
epileptic seizures (1981) replaced the term psychomotor seizures with
complex partial seizures. The ILAE classification of the epilepsies uses the
term temporal lobe epilepsy and divides the etiologies into cryptogenic
(presumed unidentified etiology), idiopathic (genetic), and symptomatic
(cause known, eg, tumor).

*Pathophysiology: *Hippocampal sclerosis is the most common pathologic
finding in TLE. Hippocampal sclerosis involves hippocampal cell loss in the
CA1 and CA3 regions and the dentate hilus. The CA2 region is relatively
spared.

For more information, see Pathophysiology in the article Seizures and
Epilepsy: Overview and
Classification<http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic415.htm>.

*Frequency: *

*In the US: *Approximately 50% of patients with epilepsy have partial
epilepsy. Partial epilepsy is often of temporal lobe origin. However, the
true prevalence of TLE is not known, since not all cases of presumed TLE are
confirmed by video-EEG and most cases are classified by clinical history and
interictal EEG findings alone. The temporal lobe is the most epileptogenic
region of the brain. In fact, 90% of patients with temporal interictal
epileptiform abnormalities on their EEG have a history of seizures.

*History: *

   - Aura

   - Auras occur in approximately 80% of temporal lobe seizures. They are
      a common feature of simple partial seizures and usually precede complex
      partial seizures of temporal lobe origin.

   - Auras may be classified by symptom type; the types comprise
      somatosensory, special sensory, autonomic, or psychic symptoms.

   - Somatosensory and special sensory phenomena

   - Olfactory and gustatory illusions and hallucinations may occur.
      Acharya et al found that olfactory auras are associated more
commonly with
      temporal lobe tumors than with other causes of TLE.

   - Auditory hallucinations consist of a buzzing sound, a voice or
      voices, or muffling of ambient sounds. This type of aura is more
common with
      neocortical TLE than with other types of TLE.

   - Patients may report distortions of shape, size, and distance of
      objects.

   - These visual illusions are unlike the visual hallucinations
      associated with occipital lobe seizure in that no formed
elementary visual
      image is noted, such as the visual image of a face that may be seen with
      seizures arising from the fusiform or the inferior temporal gyrus.

   - Things may appear shrunken (micropsia) or larger (macropsia) than
      usual.

   - Tilting of structures has been reported. Vertigo has been described
      with seizures in the posterior superior temporal gyrus.

   - Psychic phenomena

   - Patients may have a feeling of déjà vu or jamais vu, a sense of
      familiarity or unfamiliarity, respectively.

   - Patients may experience depersonalization (ie, feeling of detachment
      from oneself) or derealization (ie, surroundings appear unreal).

   - Fear or anxiety usually is associated with seizures arising from the
      amygdala.

   - Patients may describe a sense of dissociation or autoscopy, in which
      they report seeing their own body from outside.

   - Autonomic phenomena are characterized by changes in heart rate,
   piloerection, and sweating. Patients may experience an epigastric "rising"
   sensation or nausea.

*Physical: *

   - Following the aura, a temporal lobe complex partial seizure begins
   with a wide-eyed, motionless stare, dilated pupils, and behavioral arrest.
   Oral alimentary automatisms such as lip smacking, chewing, and swallowing
   may be noted. Manual automatisms or unilateral dystonic posturing of a limb
   also may be observed.

   - Patients may continue their ongoing motor activity or react to their
   surroundings in a semipurposeful manner (ie, reactive automatisms). They can
   have repetitive stereotyped manual automatisms.

   - A complex partial seizure may evolve to a secondarily generalized
   tonic-clonic seizure.

   - Patients usually experience a postictal period of confusion, which
   distinguishes TLE from absence seizures, which are not associated with
   postictal confusion. In addition, absence seizures are not associated with
   complex automatisms. Postictal aphasia suggests onset in the
   language-dominant temporal lobe.

   - Most auras and automatisms last a very short period—seconds or 1-2
   minutes. The postictal phase may last for a longer period (several minutes).
   By definition, amnesia occurs during a complex partial seizure because of
   bilateral hemispheric involvement.

*Causes: *

   - Approximately two thirds of patients with TLE treated surgically
   have hippocampal sclerosis as the pathologic substrate.

   - The etiologies of TLE include the following:

   - Past infections, eg, herpes encephalitis or bacterial meningitis

   - Trauma producing contusion or hemorrhage that results in
      encephalomalacia or cortical scarring

   - Hamartomas

   - Gliomas

   - Vascular malformations (ie, arteriovenous malformation, cavernous
      angioma)

   - Cryptogenic: A cause is presumed but has not been identified.

   - Idiopathic (genetic): This is rare. Familial TLE was described by
      Berkovic and colleagues, and partial epilepsy with auditory features was
      described by Scheffer and colleagues.

   - Hippocampal sclerosis produces a clinical syndrome called mesial
   temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). MTLE begins in late childhood, then remits,
   but reappears in adolescence or early adulthood in a refractory form.

Febrile seizures: The association of simple febrile seizure with TLE has
been controversial. However, a subset of children with complex febrile
convulsions appear to be at risk of developing TLE in later life. Complex
febrile seizures are febrile seizures that last longer than 15 minutes, have
focal features, or recur within 24 hours.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://assamnet.org/pipermail/assam_assamnet.org/attachments/20071120/2cda975a/attachment.html 