Daniyal Mahmood Ahmad, Al Hakam
There once was a time when humans had a remarkable quality. In this day and age, it might be considered a superpower, or maybe even a sign of genius. This is the ability known as “memory”.
I’m not referring to the legendary gift of memorisation that the Arabs were known to possess around the time of the advent of Islam. What I’m referring to is, on the contrary, relatively recent. It’s about a time when we could, believe it or not, memorise entire phone numbers.
Somewhere along the path of technological progress, we’ve lost this capability. Ask anyone around you whether they remember anyone’s phone number aside from their own and maybe one close relative’s. This figure declined from 70% in 2015 to 60% by 2019. That’s only four years. Most people will struggle to recall any more than that, and this figure is declining even further. (Digital Amnesia Revisited, Kaspersky Lab, 2019, p. 2)
What has led to such a drastic change in a natural capability? To explore this, let’s return to the very beginning of our human civilisation’s lifecycle.
When Adamas and Eve were roaming in the Garden of Eden, God made a covenant with them (Surah Ta Ha, Ch.20: V.116). Although Adamas was a righteous and pious servant of God, he was also like us, a human. And so – like we all do from time to time – he forgot the command.
Adamas took responsibility for his sudden lapse and made amends with the Almighty. He was able to do this because Allah said that “We found in him no determination to disobey.” (Ibid.)
What we can gauge from this story is that forgetting isn’t inherently an issue, depending on the nature of the matter and the intentions involved. So, in our case, forgetting a phone number isn’t a sin or a crime against humanity.
But the issue runs deeper than what’s visible on the surface; it’s not that we are forgetting things more easily, it’s that we are struggling to even remember them in the first place.
This inability has been linked to the increase in digital devices and technology to aid us in remembering tasks, essentially outsourcing our cognitive abilities to machines. This is known as “cognitive offloading”, and the result of this is what has been coined as “digital amnesia”.
If we compare the brain to generative AI, it becomes easy to understand how the more it is utilised (by increasing the input of knowledge, information, critical thinking, etc.), the sharper our mind becomes. This applies the other way around, too; if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
The “lose it” part is a result of hippocampal inactivity when relying on external storage. This leads to what Betsy Sparrow, a neuroscientist from Columbia University, has coined “the Google Effect”, where we remember where to find information instead of remembering the information itself.
It must be noted that forgetting isn’t always a flaw; sometimes it’s a blessing in disguise. Take the story of Mosesas and Khizr as an example, when the companion of Mosesas forgets the fish. This causes them to alter their entire journey, but it also leads them to the place they were meant to reach. (Surah al-Kahf, Ch.18: V.62-66)
But at our current rate of forgetfulness, the science is alarming. Relying on devices causes the prefrontal cortex to reduce its effort. This leads to memory decay, which contributes to not only forgetfulness, but also anxiety.
Ever wondered whether you’ve closed the fridge in the middle of the night? Or if you saved a very important document before closing it? That’s the kind of anxiety at issue.
Where there is anxiety, there is naturally a lack of presence. In order to employ habits of presence, we must be present. Anxiety is the antithesis of that. So it’s no longer the meagre issue of forgetting phone numbers.
The Quran warns against the results of forgetfulness: “And be not like those who forgot Allah, and whom He has consequently caused to forget their own souls.” (Surah al-Hashr, Ch.59: V.20)
Fortunately, though, the solution lies in the problem itself; in order to remember Allah, we must do dhikr (remembrance of Allah). This leads to a step-by-step solution. Memory requires attention, attention requires presence, and presence is the essence of dhikr.
As Rumi said:
“Now listen to the Prophet of Mankind:
“‘No prayer’s complete without a present mind.’” (The Masnavi [English], Book 1, Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 27)
In this way, we can begin to cure the anxiety that’s being caused due to our lack of presence: “Aye! it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find comfort”. (Surah al-Ra’d, Ch.13: V.29)
How do we practically employ this method? An effective way to heal our neural focusing ability, according to multiple neuroscience studies, is to enter meditation-like states. In other words, salat. Spiritual benefits aside, salat acts as a cognitive intervention, essentially balancing our state of mind and cognitive abilities. This is in result of an increase in hippocampal grey matter.
Other methods to employ can include reducing screen time, as this will reactivate the brain’s natural memory-building circuits, as well as constantly challenging the brain through analytical and memorisation practices.
In all this, the crux of the matter is that attention is what matters. As the famous English writer, Dr Samuel Johnson, aptly summarises: “The true art of memory is the art of attention.” (The Idler, 1826, p. 80)
With enough presence and attention, our memory will thrive.
The fact is that forgetting a phone number may seem insignificant, but with all the science-backed research, it’s an ever-increasing danger to our cognitive functions. The solutions are also available. Perhaps – just like a phone line – we need to focus on establishing that very first and primary connection before anything else. As the Almighty says: “Remember Me, and I will remember you.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.153)