Womb
The womb lining (Endometrium) changes thickness during menstrual cycle.
During menstrual cycle the thickness of the womb lining (Endometrium) increases several folds (2-16mm). This was discovered recently. However 1400 years ago the Quran said that Allah knows every decrease and increase to the womb.
[Quran 13.8] Allah knows what every female bears, and every decrease and increase to the wombs. With Him, everything is by measure.
The thickness of the womb lining (Endometrium) depends on the stage of the cycle but 1400 years ago it was impossible to detect.
Human Embryo
Attaches to mother to feed.
The embryo attaches itself to the mother to feed, just like a leech attaches itself to a host to feed. The embryo also looks like a leech.
The embryo looks like a leech but these pictures are magnified by microscope; nobody knew this 1400 years ago. However this was portrayed in the Quran.
[Quran 23.14] Then We developed the semen into a leech. Then We developed the leech into a lump. Then We developed the lump into bones. Then We clothed the bones with flesh. Then We produced it into another creature. Most Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators.
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"Alaqa عَلَقَةً" means leech. It turned-out that the embryo looks like a leach. Then later it develops into a "Mudgha مُضْغَةً" meaning something chewed. It turned-out that at week 6 the vertebra of the embryo looks likes something chewed.
Human Embryo In Quran - Miracles of Quran
Bones
Bones form before muscles.
The vertebra is the first part of the skeleton to form however it is still made of cartilage. The first cartilage that turns into actual bone is the mandible (jaw bone). This Meckel's cartilage turns into bone 3 days before its respective muscles form:
"The sequential development of the Meckel's cartilage started as early as stage 13 (32 days) with the appearance of condensation of mesenchymal cells within the mandibular prominence. During stage 17 (41 days), the primary ossification center of the mandible appeared on the inferior margin of the Meckel's cartilage. The muscular attachments to the Meckel's cartilage in embryos were observed at stage 18 (44 days)."
Wyganowska-Świątkowska M, Przystańska A. The Meckel's cartilage in human embryonic and early fetal periods. Anat Sci Int. 2011 Jun;86(2):98-107. doi:10.1007/s12565-010-0093-3. Epub 2010 Aug 27. PubMed PMID: 20799009.
The first formation of actual bones happens at the jaw bone at day 41. Three days later the associated muscles form.
This was only known recently. However this was portrayed in the Quran 1400 years before it was discovered.
[Quran 23.14] Then We developed the semen into a leech. Then We developed the leech into a lump. Then We developed the lump into bones. Then We clothed the bones with flesh. Then We produced it into another creature. Most Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators.
Bones in Quran - Miracles of Quran
Breastfeeding
Social bonding.
Breast feeding is recommentded up to 2 years.
Breast milk is the natural first food for babies, it provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child's nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one-third during the second year of life.
World Health Organization, Breastfeeding, 2
As the baby grows heavier, the mother's milk becomes insufficient. At year 2 the mother can only provide one third what the baby needs of nutrients, so then it is better to provide other foods.
[Quran 2.233] Mothers may nurse their infants for two whole years, for those who desire to complete the nursing-period...
Breastfeeding is limited to two years in the Quran.
Another less known benefit of breastfeeding is the bond between the mother and the baby.
The secret to mother-baby bonding might be breast milk, according to new research that determines that breast-feeding mothers are more likely than formula-feeding moms to bond with their infants in the months after they’re born. They also demonstrate stronger brain responses when they hear their baby cry, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry...
While participants lay in a scanner and listened to clips of their own baby and an unknown child crying, researchers tracked what areas of their brains lit up. All mothers’ brains were more active when listening to their own baby’s cry, but the changes in the breast-feeding mothers’ relevant brain regions were far more significant.
Time, Is Breast Milk the Key to Mother-Baby Bonding?, 2011
Breastfeeding is key to mother-baby bonding; a very powerful social bond. This was known recently, however this was portrayed in the Quran 1400 years before it was discovered. On the final Hour this very powerful social bond breaks.
[Quran 22:2] When you will see it [final Hour] every nursing mother will discard her infant, and every pregnant woman will miscarry, and you will see the people drunk, even though they are not drunk. but the punishment of Allah is severe.
On the final Hour this social bond breaks.
23:12 NOW, INDEED, We create man out of the essence/extract of clay/mud,4 (23:13) and then We cause him to remain as a drop/small quantity”(ovum,sperm,zygote) in [the womb's) firm keeping, (23:14) and then We create out of the drop a clinging form/hanging (embryo),( clinging substance/clinging leech), and then We create out of the clinging form an embryonic lump / bite-size (fetus), (chewed morsel), and then We create within the embryonic lump bones, and then We clothe the bones with flesh(soft tissues) - and then We bring [all) this into being as a new creation:5 hallowed, therefore, is God, the best of artisans!6
4 The frequent Qur'anic references to man's being "created out of clay" or "out of dust" or (as in this instance) "out of the essence (sulalah) of clay" point to the fact that his body is composed of various organic and inorganic substances existing on or in the earth, as well as to the continuous transmutation of those substances, through the intake of earth-grown food, into reproductive cells (Razi) - thus stressing man's humble origin, and hence the debt of gratitude which he owes to God for having endowed him with a conscious soul. The past tense in verses 12-14 (lit., "We have created", "We have caused him to remain", etc.) emphasizes the fact that all this has been ordained by God and has been happening again and again ever since man was brought into being by Him; in the above context, this recurrence is brought out best by the use of the present tense. 5 Lit., "as another creature", i.e., existing independently of the mother's body. 6 Lit., "the best of creators". As Tabari points out, the Arabs apply the designation "creator" to every artisan (sani') - a usage also current in European languages with reference to the "creation" of works of art and imagination. Since God is the only Creator in the real, primary sense of this word, the phrase ahsan al-khaliqin must be understood in this secondary sense of the term khaliq (cf. Taj al-'Arus, art. khalaqa). by muhammad assad
statements about dust (turabin تُرَابٍ), mud (hamain حَمَإٍ), clay (teenin طِينٍ), or sounding clay (salsalin صَلْصَٰلٍ) in the Quranic embryology verses another verse (Quran 55:14) adds that Allah created man "from clay like [that of] pottery" (min ṣalṣālin kal-fakhāri مِن صَلْصَٰلٍ كَٱلْفَخَّارِ).
24 There are many references in the Qur'an to man's having been "created out of clay (tin)" or "out of dust (turab)", both these terms signifying man's lowly biological origins as well as the fact that his body is composed of various organic and inorganic substances existing - in other combinations or in their elementary forms - on or in the earth. The term salsal, occurring in three verses of this surah as well as in 55:14, adds a further dimension to this concept. According to most of the philological authorities, it denotes "dried clay that emits a sound" (i.e., when it is struck); and since it is used in the Qur'an exclusively with reference to the creation of man, it seems to contain an allusion to the power of articulate speech which distinguishes man from all other animal species, as well as to the brittleness of his existence (cf. the expression "like pottery" in 55:14). As the construction of the sentence shows, this salsal is stated to have evolved (Razi) out of hama' - which, according to some authorities, is the plural of ham'ah, signifying "dark, fetid mud" or "dark slime" - while the participial adjective masnun which qualifies this noun denotes, as Razi points out, both "altered" (i.e., in its composition) and "brought into shape": hence my rendering of this expression as "transmuted", which to some extent combines both of the above meanings. To my mind, we have here a description of the primeval biological environment out of which the "sounding clay" - the matrix, as it were - of man's physical body has evolved in acccordance with God's plan of creation.by muhammad assad
1.There is no borrowing of Greek Concepts in Islamic Embryology:
Wrong Concept about the development of Genitals in 30 days:Hippocrates was totally wrong regarding the development of genitals.It is NOT 30 days but 42 days,i.e 6 weeks. If the concepts of Hippocrates were really borrowed,then such types of wrong concepts had to be present in Quran..!!
No sperms of females:
Aristole mentions that the sperms are produced even from females.
Menstrual Blood is not involved in fertilization,rather the menstruation occurs when the fertilization has not taken place.
Hippocrates and greeks had also assumed wrongly that the menstrual blood is involved from the female side,while there is no such wrong concept in QuranAristotle believed that humans originated from the action of male semen upon female menstrual blood
Galen says “The substance from which the fetus is formed is not merely menstrual blood, as Aristotle maintained, but menstrual blood plus the two semens.”
Stages of Gallen:
Gallen has mentioned 4 stages,up to the formation of a new creation,but Quran has mentioned 5 stages
Wrong Sequence by Samuel Yehudi:
- golem (formless, rolled-up thing);
- shefir meruqqam (embroidered foetus – shefir means amniotic sac);
- ‘ubbar (something carried);
- v’alad (child);
- v’alad shel qayama (noble or viable child) and
- ben she-kallu chadashav (child whose months have been completed).
Wrong Idea about the contribution of parents:
Aristotle actually favored the theory of epigenesis, which assumes that the embryo begins as an undifferentiated mass and that new parts are added during development. Aristotle thought that the female parent contributed only unorganized matter to the embryo. He argued that semen from the male parent provided the “form,” or soul, that guided development and that the first part of the new organism to be formed was the heart.
Totally wrong Idea about the sperm formation; it is not formed in females and not from the whole body:
Hippocrates states that sperm comes from whole of the body of parents.Another wrong concept which is not mentioned in Quran.
Literally a set of very confidant misconceptions ; totally wrong stories about the contribution for physical appearance of the baby
Aristotle actually favored the theory of epigenesis, which assumes that the embryo begins as an undifferentiated mass and that new parts are added during development. Aristotle thought that the female parent contributed only unorganized matter to the embryo. He argued that semen from the male parent provided the “form,” or soul, that guided development and that the first part of the new organism to be formed was the heart.
Totally wrong Idea about the sperm formation; it is not formed in females and not from the whole body:
Hippocrates states that sperm comes from whole of the body of parents.Another wrong concept which is not mentioned in Quran.
Literally a set of very confidant misconceptions ; totally wrong stories about the contribution for physical appearance of the baby
Talmud scholars believed that the bones and tendons, the nails, the marrow in the head, and the white of the eye,were derived from the father, “who sows the white,” but the skin, flesh, blood, hair from the mother, “who sows the red.” These views were according to the teachings of both Aristotle and Galen (Needham,
1959)..
Actually,The pair of chromosomes has the contribution of both mother and fathers chromosomes.So its absolutely wrong to say that these organs are derived from father and these are derived from mother.
No such misconception in Quran or authentic ahadees.
If really the greek and other ancient concepts of embryology were borrowed,then
1.Females were mentioned to be contributing for unorganized matter of the fetus but no such concept of Aristole in Quran or Hadees .
2.Father was mentioned to be contributing for the soul.Nothing like that in Quran.
3.Menstrual blood was considered to be contributing for fertilization,but no such misconception in Quran.
4.There would be the concept of 2 sperms of a man.
5.There would be the missing step or the sequence would be wrong as that of Gallen.
6.The popular concept of some parts derived from mother and some organs derived from father must be present in Quran or any authentic Hadees.
The fact is simply that the theories of the popular embryologists had many flaws while the information revealed by Allah is 100% correct,without any single error,clearly denying any chance of borrowing
1959)..
Actually,The pair of chromosomes has the contribution of both mother and fathers chromosomes.So its absolutely wrong to say that these organs are derived from father and these are derived from mother.
No such misconception in Quran or authentic ahadees.
If really the greek and other ancient concepts of embryology were borrowed,then
1.Females were mentioned to be contributing for unorganized matter of the fetus but no such concept of Aristole in Quran or Hadees .
2.Father was mentioned to be contributing for the soul.Nothing like that in Quran.
3.Menstrual blood was considered to be contributing for fertilization,but no such misconception in Quran.
4.There would be the concept of 2 sperms of a man.
5.There would be the missing step or the sequence would be wrong as that of Gallen.
6.The popular concept of some parts derived from mother and some organs derived from father must be present in Quran or any authentic Hadees.
The fact is simply that the theories of the popular embryologists had many flaws while the information revealed by Allah is 100% correct,without any single error,clearly denying any chance of borrowing
SOURCE :
The Embryological Terms Used In the Holy Quran and Hadith
The embryological terms as presented in the Holy Quran substantiated by the Prophet Mohammad's (peace be upon him) sayings will be explained here.
It is quite revealing that we find that the Holy Quran has clearly explained the stages of formation of the human embryo, in a way that was never known before the 19th and 20th centuries.
The stages of human development in the "Womb" as expressed in the Holy Quran fall into the following:
1. NUTFAH -- Literally meaning "a drop of fluid". In the Quran it is used in three different but interwoven connotations, viz:
I. Male Nutfah
II. The female Nutfah (clearly explained in the Hadith)
III. The mingled Nutfah from both male and female Nutfahs intermingled and completely mixed in each other...expressed in the Quran as "Nutfatul Amshaq".
2. THE ALAKAH -- Literally meaning "Something that clings and adheres" to the womb, viz: clearly describing the implantation stage.
3. THE MODGHA -- Literally meaning "a piece of flesh that has been chewed". The Quran depicts this stage as if it was a piece of flesh or food that has been chewed and the indentation marks of the teeth are clearly seen on this "Modgha".
This "Modgha" fits well in the "Somite stage" in the science of Embryology. The Modgha is further divided in the Holy Quran into:
I. Modgha Mokhalaga
II. Modgha non-Mokhalaga
II. Modgha non-Mokhalaga
The exegesis of Mokhalaga and non-Mokhalaga point to the
a.) Formation of organs at this stage (Mokhalaga)
b.) Abortions occurring at this stage (non-Mokhalaga)
c.) Differentiations which starts in non-Mokhalaga and continues through the whole life.
In Embryology this is the stage of "Organogenesis" and the zenith of differentiation of the cells.
The timing of this stage is prophesied by the "Hadith" of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) which is stated at 40-45 days after fertilization.4. FORMATION OF BONE AND FLESH FROM "MODGHA"
The Quran clearly states that the "Modgha" is transformed into bone and the bones are covered by flesh (muscles). This concept is clearly found in embryology of today where the somite differentiates into:
a.) Sclerotome from which the skeletal system is formed.
b.) Myotome from which the muscular system is formed.
The skeletal system precedes the muscular system in appearance. The "bone" once formed is enwrapped by flesh (muscle).
5. THE CONCEPT OF THE HUMAN EMBRYO IN STAGES
The human embryo in stages from the simple to the more complex is a completely new development in human knowledge, which was first put down by Wolff in 1839.
The Holy Quran, the Hadith and the exegesis of those who made Tafsir since the time of Ibn Abbas, the Prophet's cousin, all outline this concept--13 centuries before the subject was scientifically investigated.
Reproduction
All living creatures have a limited life span. The mechanism, by which God had endowed these creatures to remain on earth, is by reproduction, in which new generations of the same species are produced.
The presence of the two sexes may be occult or manifest; they may be separate in two individuals or combined in one.
In most multicellular organisms, the sexes are separate in two distinct individuals, the male and the female.
The sex cells are called gametes; the male sex cells are the Spermatozoa; the female sex cell is the ovum (egg). The organs which produce the gametes are called the gonads. The male gonads are the testes; the female gonads are the ovaries. The unified cell resulting from the union of the male Spermatozoon and the female ovum is called the zygote. The process of union is called fertilization. The zygote contains half its content from the mother i.e. the ovum, and the other half from the father i.e. the Spermatozoon (sperm). Thus the new individual inherits many of its characteristics from both its parents and their ancestors.
There is an interplay between the hereditary factors and the environmental factors, which complicates the matter further. In itself the hereditary factors are not simple. Some of the characteristics are dominant and some are recessive. In dominant characteristics only one gene either from the father or mother, if present, is sufficient to show in the new born; while in recessive characteristics, only when genes from both the mother and father are donated to the offspring that it may appear or become expressed.These laws of heredity were first described by Mendel (1), an Austrian monk, in 1866 in his article "Experiments with Plant Hybrids".
They were completely ignored until Morgan (2) in 1912 discovered the chromosomes and their role in heredity (28 years after the death of Mendel).
The basic laws of Mendel were the corner-stone on which the science of Genetics was later on built.
Things were found much more complicated than the simple laws of Mendel predicted. However they remain the basic laws to understand genetics.
It is quite astonishing to find the Quran and sayings (Hadith) of the Prophet Mohammad have discussed the subject of reproduction and Genetics.
We will try to correlate many of the Quranic verses and sayings of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) with what we know in the light of modern science and medicine of the twentieth century.
Here we will mention a few of the verses that mention parity and reproduction.
"And of everything We have created pairs, that you consider thoughtfully." (Quran 51:49)
"Of every kind of plant He created two sexes." (Quran 13:3)
"God has made for you mates (and companions) of your own nature." (Quran 16:72)
"And He out of that semen made both sexes the male and the female." (Quran 75:39)
"And He created both male and female from a drop of liquid that has been ejaculated." (Quran 53:45)
"Glory to God Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, and in human kind. And other things of which they have no knowledge." (Quran 36:36)
"He created pairs in all things." (Quran 43:12)
"And among His signs, He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquility with them. And He put love and mercy between your hearts. Verify in that are signs for those who reflect." (Quran 30:21)
The above mentioned verses of the Quran speak of the astonishing fact in which everything is found in pairs down from the atom, where the negative electron is complemented by the positive proton, involving every living and non-living things. The male lives with the female and gonads are in pairs. The chromosomes themselves are found in pairs. The spermatozoa are two types.
meanings of the word alaqah
The word “Alaq” literally means “that which clings”)(If a clot of blood is called “alaq” is because it clings or sticks (e.g. blood sticks together) by amin
The Qur'an says that one of the stages of development in the mother's womb is "Alak". Alak means leech and blood clot in Arabic. Embryology also states that a 5-9-day embryo (blastocyst) comes to the uterus and clings to it like a leech, begins to suck the vessels like a leech, and this Alak will only be seen as a blood clot in the uterus due to the bleeding it creates. It was impossible for a word to be chosen so carefully to describe a scientific fact under the conditions of that time.by bilim ve yaratılış
That Allāh did not mention “cartilage” but mentioned “bone” may be, as stated, Allāh does not give every detail on a subject. (What is to borne in mind is that the Qur’an is not a treatise on any subject; it only highlights certain truths; and does not list every detail).
There is more than one verse on this topic. Verses dealing with the same topic do not give every detail in every instance. For other verses on this topic see Qur’an 40:67; 75:36-39; 82:7-8.
Qur’an 22:5 reads: “We created you from dust, then from a small life-germ, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh, complete in make and incomplete…”
”( via no god but allah.org )
Many CARTILAGE bones r formed before muscles r wraped. These r called "Long Bones" or "Endochondral Bones". Like Femur(Thigh Bone), Tibia & Fibula(Shin Bones), Humerous(Arm Bone), Radius & Ulna(Bones in Forearm), Hip-bones.
Cartilage-Bones look exactly like bones, only material they r made of does NOT have calcium yet.
Then these cartilage bone models r CALCIFIED & calcium compound called Hydroxy Appetite deposits in them so final calcified-bones r formed.
While there r some bones that r formed at same time muscles r formed & NOT after muscles. These r called "flat bones" or "Membranous Bones". Like Vertebrae, scapula.
So if u believe that only calcified bones deserve to be called as "BONES" & cartilage bones don't deserve it. So that'd be taking sides unjustly ( via islamicboard )
1. Lane's Lexicon page 2376
2. Steingass page 769
3. Dictionary and Glossary of Holy Quran by Penrice page 106
Thus lexicographically, a meaning of this part of verse is "Then We developed that mass into a lump,looking chewed with teeth.Out of this hewed lump We built a structure of bones Which we clothed with muscles." This conjunction here does not convey the meaning of delay.Rather, just conjuncts the two things.The verse says that the Muscles and the bones are developed adjacently and as soon as bones are formed they are clothed with flesh ( by imtiaz bashir )
a) Those carrying the Y or male chromosome.
b) Those carrying the X or female chromosome.
The human being is formed by the union of both male gamete (sperm) and female gamete (ovum), forming a union-cell called zygote. The zygote is the Quranic "Nutfatulamshaq" which forms from the mingling and mixing of the male Nutfah and female Nutfah. This will be explained fully in the chapter on Nutfah. The Prophet Mohammad tells a Jew that man is created from both the male Nutfah (sperm) and the female Nutfah (ovum).
He also speaks of the genetic factors and tells an Arab that once the Nutfah is inside the womb (Uterus) God brings forth its genetic relation with its ancestors up to Adam. He tells another Bedouin Arab who complained that his wife delivered a black boy while neither of the parents were black, that the boy could have inherited this color from his ancestors.( via islamic bulletin )
Creation of human ( an ebm of what written 1431 year ago in quran
Literally, muḍgha means a chewed substance, chewed lump, something which has been chewed, specifically a piece of meat, or something that has the appearance of having been chewed.26-7 The experts of embryology have confirmed that “toward the end of the fourth week, the human embryo looks somewhat like a chewed lump of flesh.”2 The chewed appearance results from the somites, which give the appearance of teeth marks.The somites represent the beginnings or primordiaof the vertebrae
Creation of human ( an ebm of what written 1431 year ago in quran
Literally, muḍgha means a chewed substance, chewed lump, something which has been chewed, specifically a piece of meat, or something that has the appearance of having been chewed.26-7 The experts of embryology have confirmed that “toward the end of the fourth week, the human embryo looks somewhat like a chewed lump of flesh.”2 The chewed appearance results from the somites, which give the appearance of teeth marks.The somites represent the beginnings or primordiaof the vertebrae
Islam Guide: The Quran on Human Embryonic Development
1. Hanging/suspended
2. Suckling blood
3. Leech/worm like substance
4. Blood-clot
shows the embryo connected to the cytotrophoblast via a connecting stalk, as if it were hanging or suspended.The word “Alaq” literally means “that which clings”)(If a clot of blood is called “alaq” is because it clings or sticks (e.g. blood sticks together) by amin
The Arabic word 'alaqa has a number of meanings.In the present context, according to the experts of embryology, it is best rendered as “something that clings.”1 Other translations that can also be appliedare “a leech-like structure”2, “suspended entity” etc.Any Arabic dictionary or lexicon will show that the original meaning of ‘alaqa is “anything that sticks to or hangs with something else”. Familiar words suchas ta‘alluq, ‘ilāqa, and mu‘allaq are from the same root.It has many connotations. It was used for blood or congealed blood because of the easily observable proper ty of blood being sticky as soon it starts to dryout. It was used for mud, because of its obvious property of sticking to the hands. It was used for leech because it sticks to its prey. If some previous scholars interpreted its Qur’anic usage to imply “a clot of blood”, this was not because the word has only that meaning. Thus, translating ‘alaqa as “a clot of blood” is not correct. Because the Glorious Qur’an exists in its original language, any misconception of its at any time will not affect the real meaning of itswords
The Qur'an says that one of the stages of development in the mother's womb is "Alak". Alak means leech and blood clot in Arabic. Embryology also states that a 5-9-day embryo (blastocyst) comes to the uterus and clings to it like a leech, begins to suck the vessels like a leech, and this Alak will only be seen as a blood clot in the uterus due to the bleeding it creates. It was impossible for a word to be chosen so carefully to describe a scientific fact under the conditions of that time.by bilim ve yaratılış
That Allāh did not mention “cartilage” but mentioned “bone” may be, as stated, Allāh does not give every detail on a subject. (What is to borne in mind is that the Qur’an is not a treatise on any subject; it only highlights certain truths; and does not list every detail).
There is more than one verse on this topic. Verses dealing with the same topic do not give every detail in every instance. For other verses on this topic see Qur’an 40:67; 75:36-39; 82:7-8.
Qur’an 22:5 reads: “We created you from dust, then from a small life-germ, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh, complete in make and incomplete…”
”( via no god but allah.org )
Embryology in the Qur'an: Fetus acquires a skeleton | The Islam Papers
Does Quran 23:14 Get Embryology Wrong? Arabic Analysis - Flesh
Bones In Quran.
The Quran didn't specify when the bone is formed but specify when the bone is clothed by flesh
The flesh may be formed at the same time ,ealier or later but when the bone is formed , it's closed by flesh.
ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ ۚ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ (14)
سورة المؤمنون آيه (14)
“وما ينطق عن الهوا إن هو إلا وحى يوحى علمه شديد القوى”
Plz don't miss understand the meaning (by abdallah ghalab )
the word in question translates to English as ‘meat' or ‘flesh'. Now the vast majority of definitions for the words 'flesh' and ‘meat' describe it as a generic, umbrella term for all of the body's non-bone, 'soft tissue'
n anatomy, soft tissue includes the tissues that connect, support, or surround other structures and organs of the body, not being hard tissue such as bone. Soft tissue includes tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, fibrous tissues, fat, and synovial membranes (which are connective tissue), and muscles, nerves and blood vessels (which are not connective tissue).[1]
It is sometimes defined by what it is not. Soft tissue has been defined as "nonepithelial, extraskeletal mesenchyme exclusive of the reticuloendothelial system and glia".[2]( via wikipedia )
Many CARTILAGE bones r formed before muscles r wraped. These r called "Long Bones" or "Endochondral Bones". Like Femur(Thigh Bone), Tibia & Fibula(Shin Bones), Humerous(Arm Bone), Radius & Ulna(Bones in Forearm), Hip-bones.
Cartilage-Bones look exactly like bones, only material they r made of does NOT have calcium yet.
Then these cartilage bone models r CALCIFIED & calcium compound called Hydroxy Appetite deposits in them so final calcified-bones r formed.
While there r some bones that r formed at same time muscles r formed & NOT after muscles. These r called "flat bones" or "Membranous Bones". Like Vertebrae, scapula.
So if u believe that only calcified bones deserve to be called as "BONES" & cartilage bones don't deserve it. So that'd be taking sides unjustly ( via islamicboard )
| "Then We made that zygote a hanging mass (clinging to the uterus like a leech). Then We developed that hanging mass into a lump, looking chewed with teeth. Out of this chewed lump, We built a structure of bones which We clothed with flesh (and muscles). Then (changing him) into another form, We developed him (gradually) into a new creation. Then Allah, the Best of creators, brought (him up into a strong body)." |
Translation from Irfan Ul Quran by Dr. Tahir Ul Qadri
The verse says فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا and uses the CONJUNCTION فَ which is used for عطف and we read in Arabic dictionaries that is used :
"(in the sense of)and, (this conjunction has less conjunctive power than) و ''1. Lane's Lexicon page 2376
2. Steingass page 769
3. Dictionary and Glossary of Holy Quran by Penrice page 106
Thus lexicographically, a meaning of this part of verse is "Then We developed that mass into a lump,looking chewed with teeth.Out of this hewed lump We built a structure of bones Which we clothed with muscles." This conjunction here does not convey the meaning of delay.Rather, just conjuncts the two things.The verse says that the Muscles and the bones are developed adjacently and as soon as bones are formed they are clothed with flesh ( by imtiaz bashir )
Muscle cells originate from somites called paraxial mesoderm. The precursors of the muscle cells produced in the somites leave here and migrate and settle on the bones in the body. Here they undergo changes and turn into myoblasts, which are muscle cells. As the bones grow, new muscle cells come in and continue to coat the bone by bilim ve yaratılış
Allāh reveals in Qur’an 7:89: “He it is Who created you from a single soul, and of the same did He make his mate, that he might find comfort in her. So when he covers her she bears a light burden, then moves about with it. Then when it grows heavy…” Man can emit his seed any place he fancies outside the womb it will never cause any thing to bear a “burden” light or heavy. For it to cause the woman to bear a “burden” she has to contribute some thing
llāh reveals in Qur’an 76:2: “Verily We created man from a drop of mingled sperm” [or from “sperm mixed (with ovum)” as Muhammad Ali translated]. “Mingle” means “to bring or combine together or with something else.” So what is the sperm “mingled” with if not with the woman’s body -“genetic” material?
Allāh tells us in Qur’an 49:13: “O mankind, surely We have created you from a male AND a female.” Since we are created from a male and female then reason alone would dictate that the female also has to contribute something.
Allāh reveals in Qur’an 7:89: “He it is Who created you from a single soul, and of the same did He make his mate, that he might find comfort in her. So when he covers her she bears a light burden, then moves about with it. Then when it grows heavy…” Man can emit his seed any place he fancies outside the womb it will never cause any thing to bear a “burden” light or heavy. For it to cause the woman to bear a “burden” she has to contribute some thing
llāh reveals in Qur’an 76:2: “Verily We created man from a drop of mingled sperm” [or from “sperm mixed (with ovum)” as Muhammad Ali translated]. “Mingle” means “to bring or combine together or with something else.” So what is the sperm “mingled” with if not with the woman’s body -“genetic” material?
Allāh tells us that after He gave Mary the news of the birth of Jesus “she conceived him”–(Qur’an 19:22). And “conceive” means “to become pregnant (with young);” and “conception: is the “act of becoming pregnant,” and the state of being “pregnant” is the state of “containing unborn young in the body,” and the state of “pregnancy” requires the union of sperm and ovum. So what did the sperm unite with if not a contribution from the woman?
Again, Allāh says: “O people, keep your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same (kind), and spread from THESE TWO many men and women” –(Qur’an 4:1). How then the woman did not contribute genetic material?
Clearly, as we are created from a “mixture” of sperm and ovum reason would tell us that both parents provide genetic material to the child. As stated the Qur’an is not a treatise on any subject. That Allāh did not actually name the female “gamete” does not mean the female parent did not contribute genetic material. ( via no god but allah.org )
Again, Allāh says: “O people, keep your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same (kind), and spread from THESE TWO many men and women” –(Qur’an 4:1). How then the woman did not contribute genetic material?
Clearly, as we are created from a “mixture” of sperm and ovum reason would tell us that both parents provide genetic material to the child. As stated the Qur’an is not a treatise on any subject. That Allāh did not actually name the female “gamete” does not mean the female parent did not contribute genetic material. ( via no god but allah.org )
The Arabic word “nut’fat” (drop) is both male’s and female’s secretion. Some translations of the Qur’an are correct calling it “fertilized ovum/egg” or “male and female gamete” or “zygote” (sperm and ovum fused), or “drop”. But other translations are wrong interpreting it as “sperm” or “semen”)(So, the Qur’an doesn’t say that the embryo was initially formed in semen)***(The drop/zygote (sperm and ovum fused) is placed in a firm resting place (uterus or womb), the drop/zygote becomes a clinging substance (blastocyst), the clinging substance is implanted/embedded in the uterine wall, and it develops into an embryonic lump)(Allah knows best)(imtiaz bashir )
meaning from an Arab – English Lexicon.
Nutfah means the sperm of a man and of a woman[1].
Creation of man from Nutfah - Dr. Zaghloul El-Naggar
Nuṭfaa((drop))While drawing the human’s attention towards their gradual development and evolution in the mother’s womb, the Qur’an commonly uses a word nuṭfa. This has a number of meanings. Linguistically,according to the experts, it is used to describe “that small quantity” of a liquid that remains behind at the bottom of a bucket that has been emptied out.1,13,14 therefore indicates a very small quantity of a liquid.(The word nuṭfa actually comes from a verb signifying“to dribble”, “to trickle”). Keeping this in view, it canbe loosely translated as “a drop” or “a small quantityof a liquid” (mā’ qalīl). Evidently it is a comprehensive term and includes male and female gametes and part of their natural environments of fluid. It also includesthe zygote, the morula and the blastocyst untilimplantation in the uterus
Scientists are wondering what makes a Nutfah(sperm)with 23 chromosome to meet with an ovum( other Nutfah ) with 23 chromosome forming an embryo with cells each of it contains 46chromosome? Indeed the doer is Allah Almighty the creator of everything Who says about that: (And that He (Allah) creates the pairs, male and female* From Nutfah when it is emitted){ Sûrat An-Najm -The Star -verse45-46
The amazing thing is not only that the Nutfah(sperm) meets the ovum( other Nutfah ), but also in the miraculous arrangement of verses of the Qur’an as the verse which talks about meeting of 23 chromosome with another 23 chromosome to form 46 chromosome is in the verse number 46 of Sûrat An-Najm( by kaheel7.com )
The word سُلَالَة also means SPERM.See: Steingess Arabic -English Dictionary page 502
The Arabic word 'sulalah' also means quintessence or the best part of a whole. We have come to know now that only one single spermatozoan that penetrates the ovum is required for fertilization, out of the several millions produced by man. That one spermatozoan out of several millions, is referred to in the QUR'AN as 'sulalah'.
Muminun 12: “Verily, we created man from a lineage of clay.”
The word sulale here is referred to as "essence" in tafsir. So an essence from mud. But in our opinion it is not such a simple statement. sulale has the meaning of "essence", but its real meaning is generation, lineage. It also has a phonetic relationship with the word silsile, giving it the meaning of chain. In other words, your sulale means your grandparents or grandchildren that go on as a chain. In short, we created from a lineage means that we created from a chain, and we know that man was created from a DNA chain. So the word lineage here must be pointing to DNA. Ribose, deoxyribose, phosphate and bases, which are the building blocks that make up DNA, are organic substances whose raw material is mud, that is, they come from the combination of water and soil. In other words, we created man from DNA extracted from mud.
if alak is held in the womb, the "firm lodging.safe lodging; (Q 23:13)where the nut stays must be a place where it was previously. This is the place that comes to mind as the ovary must be. This is the first point where the human being, created from DNA, begins his journey of creation in the mother's womb. The egg (ovum), which is created in a water bubble above the ovary, really lives its most protected time. The walls of the water bubble are firm and serve as a cushion, the ovum is not affected by any impact. Unless there is a blow that will completely crush the ovary and remove the pulp, nothing can harm the egg. It is in a much more reliable position than the uterus.The word Mekin has two meanings, one is solid, sheltered, and the other is full of eggs(Q37:49). We have mentioned before that the ovary containing the nutfen is also full of eggs and one is thrown out every month. This is such an inaccessible Qur'an. Humanity is only just reaching the levels reached by the Qur'an.by kurtuluş berzan
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Sulalah in Arabic also means "long fish," which perfectly fits the description of the male-sperm!
ovum look like a pearl ***
The first example which has been quoted from Lisan al-Arab states the followin
Man is created from a speeding and struggling sperm!**
Allāh creating man from dust/clay refers to Him creating the first man/Adam from dust/clay, and then from Adam we, Adam’s progeny, were/are created from sperm and clot
Allāh says He created from “dust” then “life-germ” and “clot” and did not list the other stages before He brought us forth as a “child” does not mean that the Qur’an ‘contradicts’ itself. Allāh also does not detail giving us veins, blood, nails and hair; it would be juvenile to say these stages are missing in the Qur’an. As already noted the Qur’an/Allāh does not give every detail in every verse of the same topic.
“the 8-week dividing line is still arbitrary, and since a firm scientific basis for the transition to the fetal stage is lacking” how do know that Muslims/Qur’an is wrong?
However, Allāh develpoing the fetus into another creature does not mean that man was a creature other than human (say for instance a rabbit) then was made into human. Apart from the fact that in its early stage(s) the fetus does not look human, the human cell is human regardless of what stage of development it is in.
Allāh’s statement of developing the fetus into “another creature” simply means that whereas initially man was a tadpole-like creature (with a tail) this tailed creature was now transformed into a human form.( via no got but allah )
77:20 Did We not create you from a despicable water? 77:21 Then We placed it in a safe (makinin) abode (qararin) 77:22 For a known period. … 77:25 Have We not made the earth a receptacle 77:26 For the living and the dead,
(Verses 77:21 is similar to verse 23:13, because both verses use the same words “qararin makinin” (safe abode), but verse 23:13 uses the word “drop”, while verse 77:20 uses the word “water / liquid”, so, it implicitly says that “water / liquid” refers to male’s and female’s secretion, not to “sperm”)(The sperm and ovum fused are cells. Cells are liquids that behave like solids. So, the use of the word “liquid” is appropriate)(“It” in verse 77:21 refers to “water / liquid” because both are masculine words in Arabic) by amin
53:45 And that He created the pairs, the male and the female 53:46From a drop (nut’fatin) when it is emitted (tum’na).
(“Drop” (nut’fatin) in Arabic is “male’s and female’s secretion” (e.g. “drop” could be translated as “fertilized ovum/egg” or “male and female gamete” or “zygote” (sperm and ovum fused))(Verse 53:46 says “when” the two secretions are emitted (male’s and female’s). The word “tum’na” (emitted) is used because its root is “M-N-Y”, and it means “to destine/to write a destiny”; so, the gender of a baby is not known until a sperm carrying an X or Y chromosome fertilizes the egg (If the sperm carrying an x chromosome fertilizes the egg, a girl will be conceived. If the sperm carrying a Y chromosome fertilizes the egg, a boy will be conceived); so, when the drop (male’s and female’s secretions) is emitted/destined, then it will be boy or girl. In other words, the gender is not known until the precise moment in which the male’s and female’s secretions mix, so “a drop when it is emitted” (53:46) by amin
“...He creates you in the wombs of your mothers in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness. Such is Allah, your Lord and Cherisher. To Him belongs (all) dominion. There is no God but He: Then how are ye turned away (from your true Lord)?.” (Surah 39, Ayah 6)
Drawing of a sagittal section of a female′s abdomen and pelvis showing a fetus in utero. The “three veils of darkness” are:
(1) the anterior abdominal wall;
(2) the uterine wall and
(3) the amniochorionicmembrane.
It is realistic to interpret the three veils of darkness in the above Ayah as follows:
1. The mother′s abdominal wall.
2. The uterus wall.
3. The surroundings of the fetus (placenta, embryonic membranes, amniotic fluid).
The above three anatomical layers protect the embryo from external injury.
The expression "fee thulumatin thalathin," translated into English as "a triple darkness," indicates three dark regions involved during the development of the embryo. These are: the darkness of the abdomen, the darkness of the womb, the darkness of the placenta (via usislam .org )
(The verse speaks about the wombs/uterus/insides/where a human is created. The uterus has three layers: the inner lining (endometrium), the middle muscular layer (myometrium), and the outer layer (perimetrium))(The myometrium layer assists with labor in pushing the baby out of the uterus via the cervix and vagina. The serosa layer (perimetrium) allows the uterus to move in the pelvic and abdominal areas as required, without damaging other organs or allowing the uterus to be damaged in turn. The endometrium is the layer in which the implantation of the blastocyst takes place and the placenta develops) by amin
Quran talk about darkness/ emptiness */ cavity not layers
>>>
the miracle of human creation
***نطفة (nutfah) is a single entity that is part of a bigger group of its kind:
النطف (al-nutaf): هي القرطة والواحدة من كل ذلك نطفة Nutaf are the karats, and a single one is a nutfah.
النطافه (al-nattaafah): القطاره (al-qattarah) eye drop dispenser, dropping tube
Human Beings created from "Nutfa" (minute quantity of liquid):امشاج (amshaaj) means to mingle and it refers to mingling the man's and woman's nutfahs.
مشج (mashaja): خلط (khalata) mingled or mixed.
سلالة (sulaalah): an extraction of something from its group.
Quintessence: جوهر (the pearl of something, or the best of something), خلاصة (a summary of something, or the BEST OF SOMETHING), مثال (a sample, or a leading example).
علقة (aalaqa) means a clot and a leech-like substance.علق (aalaq): نشب فيه clinged on it or stuck to it.
Leech: علقة
extracts blood using the leech. علق (aalaq): دودة العلق (doodat al-aalaq) the leech worm. علق (aalaq): to hang, to be suspended, dangle, to stick, CLING, cleave, get caught or stuck, to be attached, leech, blood clot. The fetus when he is a Aalaq علق , he is
1- Clinging inside his mother's womb.
2- He is sucking blood from the mother's womb like a leech.
3- He is a blood clot!
Aalaq علق means all of these.
مضغ (madgh): ما يمضغ كل طعام يمضغ the chewable food that is chewed.
مضغة (mudgha): اذا صارت العلقه التي خلق منها الانسان لحمه فهي مضغه when the aalaqa علقه that man is created from becomes flesh, then it is a mudgha مضغه.
Re: WikiIslam Quran Scientific Error - The blood-clot stage in human reproduction (Quran 96:2)
between the backbone and ribs?
Pregnancy Week by Week | BabyCenter
Human Embryology In Islam and Hinduism
Embryology: The Bible Plagiarises Ancient Greek Literature
Islam / the Qur'an and evolution
What was man created from?
Does the sperm originate between the backbone and ribs?
Is the embryo initially formed from semen?
No mention of female ovum in the Qur’an?
Are humans created from a clot of blood?
Is the gender of a baby decided after it becomes a clot? http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/01/is-gender-of-baby-decided-after-it.html
Are bones formed before flesh?
Are all organisms created in pairs?
Is the fetus in three layers of darkness?
http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/01/is-fetus-in-three-layers-of-darkness.html
Are Hellenic and quranic views on embryology similar? ( NO )
Below is a linguistic breakdown of the relevant key terms used in the Qur’an to describe the development of the human embryo. An understanding of these will be required to understand this section.
“We created man from an essence of clay, then We placed him as a drop of fluid (nutfah) in a safe place. Then We made that drop of fluid into a clinging form (ᶜalaqah), and then We made that form into a lump of flesh (mudghah), and We made that lump into bones, and We clothed those bones with flesh, and later We made him into other forms. Glory be to God the best of creators.”[33]
Drop of Fluid: nutfah
This word has various meanings. For instance:
1. By looking at the Arabic language, it can mean a dribble, a trickle, a drop or semen.[34] Nutfah can also mean a singular entity which is a part of a bigger group of its kind, as suggested by the classical dictionary Lisan Al-Arab, which explains “a single drop of water remaining in an emptied bucket”.[35]
2. According to Prophetic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explained the nutfah as a combination of substances “from a male nutfah and from a female nutfah”.[36]
3. The Qur’an further clarifies that that the nutfah is a single entity or a drop from a larger group of its kind by stating that the nutfah comes from semen, maniyyin in Arabic.
“Had he not been a sperm (nutfah) from a semen (maniyyin) emitted?”[37]
This perspective on nutfah highlights how the intended use of this word is not to portray the meaning of semen but rather that it is a substance from semen, which supports the view that it is a single substance from a larger group of its kind. The classical exegete Ibn Kathir comments on this verse and clarifies that the nutfah is a substance from semen, he states:
“meaning, was not man a weak drop of nutfah from a despised fluid known as semen.[38]
4. Explaining its view on the word nutfah, the Qur’an in another verse elucidates how the human being is made from an extract of a liquid disdained (semen).
“Then He made his posterity out of the extract (sulaalah) of a liquid disdained.”[39]
As previously discussed, the word sulaalah means an extract, something drawn out or the most subtle, purest and essential constituent. The above meanings and explications bring to light that the intended use of the word nutfah is a drop of a single extract, containing a specific substance like an egg or sperm, from the male semen and the female equivalent. Therefore, the word nutfah is not just another synonym for semen.
5. The companion of the Prophet Muhammad, and the quranic exegete, Ibn Abbas mentions that the nutfah is:
“from a weak drop of the water/fluid of man and woman.”[40]
Ibn Abbas’ explanation seems to elude to the fact that the nutfah is just a fluid. Therefore, some commentators assert that this illustrates the word nutfah is a synonym for the word semen. This assertion lacks a holistic understanding, in other words it fails to take into account the other quranic verses and the Prophetic traditions referring to the nutfah. In the Prophetic traditions, when describing semen in context of its appearance and form, the words mani and maniyyan are used. This is consistent throughout various Prophetic traditions that can be found in the collections of Muslim, Nisai, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud and Bukhari. For example, in the book of Taharah (purification) in the collection of Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Aisha (the wife of the Prophet ﷺ) narrates that she washed maniyyan from the Prophet’s ﷺ garments.[41] If the whole corpus of exegetical material is used to form an accurate perspective on the word nutfah, Ibn Abbas’ statement should be taken in the context of the nutfah being a specific drop of fluid from the semen and not the semen itself. This is because the Prophetic traditions use of the words mani and nutfah in different contexts, and therefore clearly differentiate between the two terms, further highlighting they are not synonyms.
Additionally, the quranic verses pertaining to the word nutfah clearly mention that the nutfah is from the semen, and not the semen itself, and that it is an extract of semen.
In light of the above, the word nutfah can mean a drop of a single extract coming from the semen (and the female equivalent), containing essential substances like a sperm or egg. The word nutfah can also mean a single sperm from a collection of millions of sperms contained in semen, or a single drop of fluid containing a female egg, or a single egg from a group of many other eggs in the Ovaries.
6. In addition to the above, the Qur’an mentions another meaning for the word nutfah by describing it as a combination of mingled (al-amshaj) substances: “We created man from a drop (nutfah) of mingled fluid.”[42]
This verse, from a grammatical perspective, portrays an image of the nutfah as an entity made up of a combination of substances coming from the mother and the father. The word al-amshaj (mingled) is a plural adjective and it is used here with the singular noun nutfah. Grammatically, this highlights the verse’s concept of nutfah as being a single entity or drop produced by a combination of substances.
A Clinging form: ᶜalaqah
This word carries various meanings including: to hang, to be suspended, to be dangled, to stick, to cling, to cleave and to adhere. It can also mean to catch, to get caught, to be affixed or subjoined.[43] Other connotations of the word ᶜalaqah include a leech-like substance, having the resemblance of a worm; or being of a ‘creeping’ disposition inclined to the sucking of blood. Finally, its meaning includes clay that clings to the hand, blood in a general sense and thick, clotted blood – because of its clinging together.[44]
A Lump of Flesh: mudghah
This term means to chew, mastication, chewing, to be chewed, and a small piece of meat.[45] [46] It also describes the embryo after it passes to another stage and becomes flesh.[47] Other meanings include something that teeth have chewed and left visible marks on; and marks that change in the process of chewing due to the repetitive act.[48] The mudghah stage is elaborated on further, elsewhere in the Qur’an:
“then from a fleshy lump (mudghah), formed and unformed.”[49]
The Arabic word used here for ‘formed’ is mukhallqah which can also mean ‘shaped’ or ‘moulded’.[50]
2. Galen and the Qur’an
To substantiate the view that the Qur’anic accounts of the developing human are similar to Hellenic embryology, commentators have attempted to compare the quranic stages of human development with Galenic views on the developing human. However, upon analysing Galen’s writings, bringing it in contrast to the various and extensive meanings of the nuftah, ᶜalaqah and mudghah stages, various differences are made distinct.
1st Stage
In his book, On Semen, Galen states:
“But let us take the account back again to the first conformation of the animal, and in order to make our account orderly and clear, let us divide the creation of the foetus overall into four periods of time. The first is that in which. as is seen both in abortions and in dissection, the form of the semen prevails. At this time, Hippocrates too, the all-marvellous, does not yet call the conformation of the animal a foetus; as we heard just now in the case of semen voided in the sixth day, he still calls it semen.”[58]
Galen clearly states that his views are as a result of dissections and abortions, and then goes on to explain that the first stage of human development is in the “form of σπέρματος”. The word σπέρματος in the Greek language means sperm[59], however this understanding of the word was only realised in the 17th century[60]. In the 2nd century, which was the period of Galen’s writings, the word σπέρματος meant semen. So from a Galenic perspective this stage is merely describing what can be seen with the naked eye, which is a semen like substance. This raises a significant contention; if the Qur’an was a summary of Galenic views on embryology then the Arabic word that should have been used to represent this understanding is mani or maniyyan. As previously discussed, the reason for this is that in the Prophetic traditions, when describing semen in context of its appearance and form, the words mani and maniyyan are used. These words are consistently used throughout the Prophetic traditions.
Further widening the gap between Galenic and quranic terminology is the use of the word maniyyan elsewhere in the Qur’an. The Qur’an mentions the word maniyyin (the genitive case of maniyyan) in the context of the physical form and appearance of an emitted substance. Also, this word is used in conjunction with the word nutfah which clearly shows how the two words are not referring to the same context, because the nutfah, according to the Qur’an, comes from the maniyyin (semen):
Had he not been a sperm (nutfah) from a semen (maniyyin) emitted?[61]
As previously explored (see Drop of fluid: nutfah), this perspective on nutfah highlights how the intended use of this word is not to portray the meaning of semen but rather that it is a drop or a substance from semen. Also, in another verse the Qur’an explains how the human being is made from an extract of a liquid disdained (semen).[62] As previously explained, the word sulaalah means an extract, something drawn out or the most subtle, purest and essential constituent. These explanations bring to light that the intended use of the word nutfah is not as a synonym for semen, rather it is a drop of a single extract coming from the semen (and the female equivalent), containing essential substances like a sperm or egg. Even if the view that nutfah is just a drop of semen, the context of the Prophet traditions and the Qur’an clearly show that nutfah is used for the process of the developing human and fertilization, and mani or maniyyan is used in the context of the physical form of the emitted substance. Nevertheless, the quranic view of the word nutfah still highlights that the nutfah is different from mani, because the Qur’an mentions that it is a drop of semen of which is an extract. This indicates that the nutfah is a pure, subtle or essential part of the semen, and not the whole semen itself.
It is worth noting that Galen adopted the view that the semen came from blood. Galen writes:
“An artery and a vein are observed to go to each of the testicles, not in a straight path, as they do all other parts, but twisting first in many shapes, like grape tendrils or ivy… And in these many twists that they make before reaching the testicles you can see the blood gradually growing white. And finally, when the vessel has now reached the testicle, the substance of the semen is clearly visible in it…but they generated it from blood, which spent a great deal of time in them; for this is the use of the twisting. And as they altered the quality of the blood they changed it to semen.”[63]
Galen also asserts that the semen from both the male and female mix with menstrual blood. In his book On Semen, he dedicates a whole section on disagreeing with Aristotle’s position that the male semen mixes with the female menstrual blood, and articulates a case for the mother contributing semen as well as the menstrual blood to form the fetus.[64] Galen concludes that the formation of the fetus arises from the mixing of the two semens, from the mother and the father, plus menstrual blood.[65]
These concepts are not mentioned in the Qur’an, which further widens the gap between Galen and the Divine book. However, some commentators assert that the nutfah and ᶜalaqah stages are a summary of Galen’s above inaccuracies. Their main point is that the Qur’an mentions fa khalaqna nutfata ᶜalaqan, which means “And then we created the drop into a clinging form”. They propose that the words fa khalaqna can mean to mix or to combine, and therefore are a representation of the Galenic idea of semen mixing with blood, since nutfah can mean semen and ᶜalaqah can mean blood in a general sense. This assertion displays a clear misunderstanding of the Arabic language. The Qur’an mentions that the nutfah and the ᶜalaqah stages are distinct, and that each stage is made into another stage. This is understood by the use of the key word: khalaqna, which means “we made it become”[66], indicating that each stage is different and separate from one another. Also, the key word khalaqna does not mean to mix or to combine, so the assertion that the Qur’an borrowed this knowledge is false because the Qur’an clearly mentions distinct stages as opposed to the Galenic understanding of the semen and blood mixing to create the next stage.
In light of the above, if chapter 23 of the Qur’an was just a summary of Galenic embryology why did it not use the Arabic word for semen (maniyyan) to refer to σπέρματος, since this Greek word was also used in the context of the physical form and appearance of the fluid? Significantly, why does the Qur’an refer to the nutfah as being a special part or extract of semen (maniyyan), which clearly indicates that they are not the same thing or referring to the same context? The use of the two words clearly shows that there are two different meanings being portrayed. The different choice of words to describe sexual emissions, fluids and cells in varying contexts further highlights that the Qur’an, and by extension the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, did not plagiarise Galenic embryology, because if they did, then maniyyan and nutfah would be referring to the same substance. Also, why did the Qur’an not mention that the nutfah came from blood, like the Galenic view? Why did the Qur’an not mention that the nutfah combined with menstrual blood to create the next stage? These questions clearly distance the Qur’an and the Prophet ﷺ from the accusation that they borrowed Galenic views on embryology. Therefore, once the original context and language of the source-texts in question are analysed, it can be concluded that they are not identical or even suspiciously similar.
2nd Stage
“But when it has been filled with blood, and heart, brain and liver are still unarticulated and unshaped yet have by now a certain solidarity and considerable size, this is the second period; the substance of the foetus has the form of flesh and no longer the form of semen. Accordingly you would find that Hippocrates too no longer calls such a form semen but, as was said, foetus…”[67]
Another significant contention concerns Galen’s second stage that refers to the embryo as being filled with blood. The key Greek words used are πληρωθη which means filled[68] and αίματος meaning blood[69]. If the Qur’an borrowed Galenic views on the developing human embryo, the words that should have been used are ملأت (mal-at) which means the manner in which something is filled[70], and دم (dam) which means blood[71]. However, the word ᶜalaqah is used in the Qur’an (see A clinging form: ᶜalaqah). This word in the context of blood can mean blood in a general sense, and a clot of blood due to its sticking together.[72] Conversely, the word ᶜalaqah alone would not represent the Galenic stage here, because its meanings do not encapsulate the word “filled” and its use to mean blood clot would be misplaced as the word for blood clot in Greek is not αίματος rather it is θρόμβος.[73] Even if commentators assert that the use of the word ᶜalaqah as a blood clot, in this context, is satisfactory, an explanation is required to reconcile the fact that it only means blood clot in the sense that it clings. This is made clear in Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon as it explains that the word ᶜalaqah is a blood clot “because of its clinging together”[74], rather than its physical appearance. Therefore, using the Arabic words ملأت and دم would have been more appropriate, because Galen specifically refers to “filled with blood” and not just blood. This whole discussion has to be understood in the context of the primary meaning for the word ᶜalaqah, which is not blood or blood clot but rather to hang or to be suspended. For that reason, the claim that the Qur’an reflects Galenic embryology is weak and unsubstantiated.
The plagiarism thesis is further dismantled if a more contextual understanding of Galenic embryology is taken into consideration. At this second stage, Galen uses the word σαρκοειδής, meaning fleshy,[75] to refer to the appearance of the embryo. This undermines the claim that the quranic stages are similar to Galen, because words that can mean fleshy in Arabic, such as mudhgah and lahm, are used to describe later stages. However, Galen mentions this stage as a fleshy substance filled with blood. The word in the Qur’an to describe this stage doesn’t encompass such a meaning, because ᶜalaqah, if we assume it to mean blood or blood clot, does not encompass a fleshy substance filled with blood. To illustrate this further, imagine someone had to summarise the following statement into Arabic: a blood filled substance that is fleshy – what words must they use to best represent the meaning of the statement? An array of words from the Arabic classical language would be used like the words mentioned above, but ᶜalaqah would not be one of them.
3rd Stage
The third period follows on this, when, as was said, it is possible to see the three ruling parts clearly and a kind of outline, a silhouette, as it were, of all the other parts. You will see the conformation of the three ruling parts more clearly, that of the parts of the stomach more dimly, and much more still, that of the limbs. Later on they form ‘twigs’, as Hippocrates expressed it, indicating by the term their similarity to branches.[76]
As explored, the Qur’an mentions mudghah as a chewed-like substance and a small piece of flesh (see A lump of flesh: mudghah). In contrast, Galen discusses the “conformation” of “the three ruling parts”, “silhouettes” and “twigs”, which is most likely in reference to limb bone formation. He details these three ruling parts as being more visible than the stomach and the limbs. However, the Qur’an makes no mention of this, and its mention of limb formation comes at the next stage. It is both implausible and impractical, therefore, to suggest the Qur’an copied the works of Galen as the it does not include any of the descriptions provided by Galen at this stage. Also, the word mudghah would have been appropriately used as a summary of the ancient Greek word ἐμβρύειον[77], which means the flesh of an embryo, however Galen did not use this word. The following hypothetical scenario highlights the absurdity of asserting similarity between the quranic and Galenic descriptions of this stage: if someone had become acquainted with Galenic embryology and had to summarise his third stage, would the word mudghah accurately encompass the meaning of “the three ruling parts”, “silhouettes” and “limbs”? The answer is no. This conclusion is also supported by the fact that there is no mention of flesh, a small piece of meat or something that has been bitten in the original Greek of Galen’s writings describing this stage. A conservative approach to the above question would at least conclude that there was a serious misreading or misunderstanding of the text. Even if that were the case, it would still highlight that Galenic and quranic terms are dissimilar, and it would raise the need for evidence to establish a misreading or misunderstanding. In light of the evidence provided in this section, it is extremely unlikely that there was any common knowledge of Hellenic embryology, written or oral, in early 7th century Arabia.
Early Greek translations of the Qur’an
9th century Greek translations of the Qur’an undermine the view that Galenic and quranic embryology are similar. Early Greek translations of the Qur’an clearly show how the quranic terms used to described the development of the human embryo are not the same as Galenic terms. For instance, Niketas of Byzantium, who was one of the most influential Byzantine theologians who wrote against Islam, comments on 9th century translations of the Qur’an.[78] Concerning the word ᶜalaqah, Niketas maintains that the quranic usage of the word implies that man was created from a leech:
“He says that man was created from a leech [βδἑλλης].”[79]
The key word that Niketas refers to in the Greek translation is βδἑλλης, which means leech.[80] In view of the fact that the early Greek translation of the Qur’an does not use Galenic terminology to understand the text, and that the early Greek understanding of ᶜalaqah meant leech, strengthens the argument against the contention that Galenic and quranic views on embryology are similar. This is further supported by the fact that Niketas’ writings and commentary on the Qur’an are polemic in nature.[81] Niketas wanted to undermine Islam, and attempted to do so by refuting the quranic discourse.[82] This brings to light a question which weakens the plagiariation thesis. If quranic and Galenic views on embryology were similar, why did not Niketas expose the similarity to show that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ borrowed Hellenic views on embryology? The absence of Niketas’ attempt to link quranic views on embryology with Hellenic medicine, clearly shows how an early Greek understanding of the Qur’an was not perceived to be the result of borrowed Hellenic medical knowledge. It is also interesting to note that Niketas’ work on the Qur’an was used as a reference for anti-Islamic polemics for over 500 years,[83] which highlights that the plagiarism thesis is a relatively modern innovation in the field of anti-Islamic polemics, and brings to light the fact its allegations are based on misunderstandings of the culture of the time, including a superficial understanding of the Greek and Arabic language.
Other historical documents that can be traced back to the Byzantine period are anathemas recorded during Muslim conversions to Christianity. For example, the following ritual was used during conversions to Christianity:
“I anathematize Muhammad’s teaching about the creation of man, where he says that man was created from dust and a drop of fluid [σταγόνος] and leeches [βδἑλλων] and chewed-like substance [μασήματος].”[84]
The key words used here are σταγόνος which means a drop[85], βδἑλλων which means leech[86], and μασήματος which means something that has been chewed[87]. This clearly indicates that an early Greek understanding of the Qur’an does not correspond to Galenic views on embryology. This is due to the fact that Galen never used the Greek words mentioned above.
A key disagreement to the above argument involves commentators asserting that the 9th century Greek translation is inaccurate. Although a legitimate contention, it is incorrect. The 9th century translation seems to be a high quality translation, as the historian Christian Hogel writes:
Whoever produced the translation (and more than one person may well have been involved in the process), it should be stressed that, despite the mentioned linguistic features that may seem to point to a humble origin, it is actually of high quality. The person (or persons) completing the task knew Arabic and Greek well, and a high degree of precision and consistency was aimed at and normally achieved.[88]
This view is also supported by the academic historian Christos Simelidis, he writes:
“The ninth-century Greek translation of the Qur’an, although not without mistakes, is generally accurate, and evidently the translator consulted both lexicographical and exegetical material.”[89]
The similarities between Galenic embryology and the Qur’an
A contention to the above analysis, is the fact that there are still some similarities between Galenic embryology and the quranic narrative. These similarities include the fact that both the Qur’an and Galenic views understood that semen came from both the mother and the father. In response to this, it must be noted that in light of the above evidence, this contention is irrational. To assert that the Qur’an borrowed Galenic embryology in light of the striking differences discussed above, is tantamount to claiming that evolution and creationism are similar because they address the same field of science. Many questions are raised that belittle this contention, such as: how could have the Qur’an, and by extension the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, have known what was right, dismissed what was wrong and ensured that the whole quranic narrative on the development of the human embryo was congruent with reality?
Medieval Arabic Medical Texts and Galenic Stages
In light of the above discussion, critics argue that medieval Arabic medical texts appreciated the agreement between the Qur’an and Galen, and these texts adopted some quranic terms to describe Galenic stages. These texts include Ibn Sina’s Kitab al-Qanun fi al-Tibb and ibn Abbas’ Kamil al-Sina’a al-Tibbiyya. In response to this criticism there are a few points to consider. Firstly, Galenic medicine was perceived to be the science of the time, therefore it is obvious that a believing Scientist would want to marry scientific “truths” with Divine truths. Secondly, claiming an agreement between the Qur’an and Galen does not mean that they do agree. This is merely an opinion of a Muslim scientist or medic who is driven by the desire to reconcile the science of the day with his belief in the Qur’an. If these medics and scientists were alive today, they would have probably dissociated the Qur’an from inaccurate Galenic embryology. Thirdly, the analysis above has provided a strong case against the claim that the Qur’an’s and Galen’s views on the developing human embryo are similar. Fourthly, if quranic and Galenic embryology are in agreement then how did the Qur’an, and by extension the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, not include the inaccurate descriptions and ideas provided by Galen? How did the Prophet ﷺ know that semen being formed from blood was inaccurate? How did he know that semen does not mix with blood to form the embryo, and, why do many of the Arabic terms used in the Qur’an not capture the meaning of the Greek terms used by Galen? Answers to these questions dismiss the criticism of similarity and plagiarism based on medieval Arabic medical texts mentioning an agreement between Galen and the Qur’an.
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Are Hellenic and quranic views on embryology similar? ( NO )
by Hamza Andreas Tzortzis >>>
Key TermsBelow is a linguistic breakdown of the relevant key terms used in the Qur’an to describe the development of the human embryo. An understanding of these will be required to understand this section.
“We created man from an essence of clay, then We placed him as a drop of fluid (nutfah) in a safe place. Then We made that drop of fluid into a clinging form (ᶜalaqah), and then We made that form into a lump of flesh (mudghah), and We made that lump into bones, and We clothed those bones with flesh, and later We made him into other forms. Glory be to God the best of creators.”[33]
Drop of Fluid: nutfah
This word has various meanings. For instance:
1. By looking at the Arabic language, it can mean a dribble, a trickle, a drop or semen.[34] Nutfah can also mean a singular entity which is a part of a bigger group of its kind, as suggested by the classical dictionary Lisan Al-Arab, which explains “a single drop of water remaining in an emptied bucket”.[35]
2. According to Prophetic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explained the nutfah as a combination of substances “from a male nutfah and from a female nutfah”.[36]
3. The Qur’an further clarifies that that the nutfah is a single entity or a drop from a larger group of its kind by stating that the nutfah comes from semen, maniyyin in Arabic.
“Had he not been a sperm (nutfah) from a semen (maniyyin) emitted?”[37]
This perspective on nutfah highlights how the intended use of this word is not to portray the meaning of semen but rather that it is a substance from semen, which supports the view that it is a single substance from a larger group of its kind. The classical exegete Ibn Kathir comments on this verse and clarifies that the nutfah is a substance from semen, he states:
“meaning, was not man a weak drop of nutfah from a despised fluid known as semen.[38]
4. Explaining its view on the word nutfah, the Qur’an in another verse elucidates how the human being is made from an extract of a liquid disdained (semen).
“Then He made his posterity out of the extract (sulaalah) of a liquid disdained.”[39]
As previously discussed, the word sulaalah means an extract, something drawn out or the most subtle, purest and essential constituent. The above meanings and explications bring to light that the intended use of the word nutfah is a drop of a single extract, containing a specific substance like an egg or sperm, from the male semen and the female equivalent. Therefore, the word nutfah is not just another synonym for semen.
5. The companion of the Prophet Muhammad, and the quranic exegete, Ibn Abbas mentions that the nutfah is:
“from a weak drop of the water/fluid of man and woman.”[40]
Ibn Abbas’ explanation seems to elude to the fact that the nutfah is just a fluid. Therefore, some commentators assert that this illustrates the word nutfah is a synonym for the word semen. This assertion lacks a holistic understanding, in other words it fails to take into account the other quranic verses and the Prophetic traditions referring to the nutfah. In the Prophetic traditions, when describing semen in context of its appearance and form, the words mani and maniyyan are used. This is consistent throughout various Prophetic traditions that can be found in the collections of Muslim, Nisai, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud and Bukhari. For example, in the book of Taharah (purification) in the collection of Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Aisha (the wife of the Prophet ﷺ) narrates that she washed maniyyan from the Prophet’s ﷺ garments.[41] If the whole corpus of exegetical material is used to form an accurate perspective on the word nutfah, Ibn Abbas’ statement should be taken in the context of the nutfah being a specific drop of fluid from the semen and not the semen itself. This is because the Prophetic traditions use of the words mani and nutfah in different contexts, and therefore clearly differentiate between the two terms, further highlighting they are not synonyms.
Additionally, the quranic verses pertaining to the word nutfah clearly mention that the nutfah is from the semen, and not the semen itself, and that it is an extract of semen.
In light of the above, the word nutfah can mean a drop of a single extract coming from the semen (and the female equivalent), containing essential substances like a sperm or egg. The word nutfah can also mean a single sperm from a collection of millions of sperms contained in semen, or a single drop of fluid containing a female egg, or a single egg from a group of many other eggs in the Ovaries.
6. In addition to the above, the Qur’an mentions another meaning for the word nutfah by describing it as a combination of mingled (al-amshaj) substances: “We created man from a drop (nutfah) of mingled fluid.”[42]
This verse, from a grammatical perspective, portrays an image of the nutfah as an entity made up of a combination of substances coming from the mother and the father. The word al-amshaj (mingled) is a plural adjective and it is used here with the singular noun nutfah. Grammatically, this highlights the verse’s concept of nutfah as being a single entity or drop produced by a combination of substances.
A Clinging form: ᶜalaqah
This word carries various meanings including: to hang, to be suspended, to be dangled, to stick, to cling, to cleave and to adhere. It can also mean to catch, to get caught, to be affixed or subjoined.[43] Other connotations of the word ᶜalaqah include a leech-like substance, having the resemblance of a worm; or being of a ‘creeping’ disposition inclined to the sucking of blood. Finally, its meaning includes clay that clings to the hand, blood in a general sense and thick, clotted blood – because of its clinging together.[44]
A Lump of Flesh: mudghah
This term means to chew, mastication, chewing, to be chewed, and a small piece of meat.[45] [46] It also describes the embryo after it passes to another stage and becomes flesh.[47] Other meanings include something that teeth have chewed and left visible marks on; and marks that change in the process of chewing due to the repetitive act.[48] The mudghah stage is elaborated on further, elsewhere in the Qur’an:
“then from a fleshy lump (mudghah), formed and unformed.”[49]
The Arabic word used here for ‘formed’ is mukhallqah which can also mean ‘shaped’ or ‘moulded’.[50]
To substantiate the view that the Qur’anic accounts of the developing human are similar to Hellenic embryology, commentators have attempted to compare the quranic stages of human development with Galenic views on the developing human. However, upon analysing Galen’s writings, bringing it in contrast to the various and extensive meanings of the nuftah, ᶜalaqah and mudghah stages, various differences are made distinct.
1st Stage
In his book, On Semen, Galen states:
“But let us take the account back again to the first conformation of the animal, and in order to make our account orderly and clear, let us divide the creation of the foetus overall into four periods of time. The first is that in which. as is seen both in abortions and in dissection, the form of the semen prevails. At this time, Hippocrates too, the all-marvellous, does not yet call the conformation of the animal a foetus; as we heard just now in the case of semen voided in the sixth day, he still calls it semen.”[58]
Galen clearly states that his views are as a result of dissections and abortions, and then goes on to explain that the first stage of human development is in the “form of σπέρματος”. The word σπέρματος in the Greek language means sperm[59], however this understanding of the word was only realised in the 17th century[60]. In the 2nd century, which was the period of Galen’s writings, the word σπέρματος meant semen. So from a Galenic perspective this stage is merely describing what can be seen with the naked eye, which is a semen like substance. This raises a significant contention; if the Qur’an was a summary of Galenic views on embryology then the Arabic word that should have been used to represent this understanding is mani or maniyyan. As previously discussed, the reason for this is that in the Prophetic traditions, when describing semen in context of its appearance and form, the words mani and maniyyan are used. These words are consistently used throughout the Prophetic traditions.
Further widening the gap between Galenic and quranic terminology is the use of the word maniyyan elsewhere in the Qur’an. The Qur’an mentions the word maniyyin (the genitive case of maniyyan) in the context of the physical form and appearance of an emitted substance. Also, this word is used in conjunction with the word nutfah which clearly shows how the two words are not referring to the same context, because the nutfah, according to the Qur’an, comes from the maniyyin (semen):
Had he not been a sperm (nutfah) from a semen (maniyyin) emitted?[61]
As previously explored (see Drop of fluid: nutfah), this perspective on nutfah highlights how the intended use of this word is not to portray the meaning of semen but rather that it is a drop or a substance from semen. Also, in another verse the Qur’an explains how the human being is made from an extract of a liquid disdained (semen).[62] As previously explained, the word sulaalah means an extract, something drawn out or the most subtle, purest and essential constituent. These explanations bring to light that the intended use of the word nutfah is not as a synonym for semen, rather it is a drop of a single extract coming from the semen (and the female equivalent), containing essential substances like a sperm or egg. Even if the view that nutfah is just a drop of semen, the context of the Prophet traditions and the Qur’an clearly show that nutfah is used for the process of the developing human and fertilization, and mani or maniyyan is used in the context of the physical form of the emitted substance. Nevertheless, the quranic view of the word nutfah still highlights that the nutfah is different from mani, because the Qur’an mentions that it is a drop of semen of which is an extract. This indicates that the nutfah is a pure, subtle or essential part of the semen, and not the whole semen itself.
It is worth noting that Galen adopted the view that the semen came from blood. Galen writes:
“An artery and a vein are observed to go to each of the testicles, not in a straight path, as they do all other parts, but twisting first in many shapes, like grape tendrils or ivy… And in these many twists that they make before reaching the testicles you can see the blood gradually growing white. And finally, when the vessel has now reached the testicle, the substance of the semen is clearly visible in it…but they generated it from blood, which spent a great deal of time in them; for this is the use of the twisting. And as they altered the quality of the blood they changed it to semen.”[63]
Galen also asserts that the semen from both the male and female mix with menstrual blood. In his book On Semen, he dedicates a whole section on disagreeing with Aristotle’s position that the male semen mixes with the female menstrual blood, and articulates a case for the mother contributing semen as well as the menstrual blood to form the fetus.[64] Galen concludes that the formation of the fetus arises from the mixing of the two semens, from the mother and the father, plus menstrual blood.[65]
These concepts are not mentioned in the Qur’an, which further widens the gap between Galen and the Divine book. However, some commentators assert that the nutfah and ᶜalaqah stages are a summary of Galen’s above inaccuracies. Their main point is that the Qur’an mentions fa khalaqna nutfata ᶜalaqan, which means “And then we created the drop into a clinging form”. They propose that the words fa khalaqna can mean to mix or to combine, and therefore are a representation of the Galenic idea of semen mixing with blood, since nutfah can mean semen and ᶜalaqah can mean blood in a general sense. This assertion displays a clear misunderstanding of the Arabic language. The Qur’an mentions that the nutfah and the ᶜalaqah stages are distinct, and that each stage is made into another stage. This is understood by the use of the key word: khalaqna, which means “we made it become”[66], indicating that each stage is different and separate from one another. Also, the key word khalaqna does not mean to mix or to combine, so the assertion that the Qur’an borrowed this knowledge is false because the Qur’an clearly mentions distinct stages as opposed to the Galenic understanding of the semen and blood mixing to create the next stage.
In light of the above, if chapter 23 of the Qur’an was just a summary of Galenic embryology why did it not use the Arabic word for semen (maniyyan) to refer to σπέρματος, since this Greek word was also used in the context of the physical form and appearance of the fluid? Significantly, why does the Qur’an refer to the nutfah as being a special part or extract of semen (maniyyan), which clearly indicates that they are not the same thing or referring to the same context? The use of the two words clearly shows that there are two different meanings being portrayed. The different choice of words to describe sexual emissions, fluids and cells in varying contexts further highlights that the Qur’an, and by extension the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, did not plagiarise Galenic embryology, because if they did, then maniyyan and nutfah would be referring to the same substance. Also, why did the Qur’an not mention that the nutfah came from blood, like the Galenic view? Why did the Qur’an not mention that the nutfah combined with menstrual blood to create the next stage? These questions clearly distance the Qur’an and the Prophet ﷺ from the accusation that they borrowed Galenic views on embryology. Therefore, once the original context and language of the source-texts in question are analysed, it can be concluded that they are not identical or even suspiciously similar.
2nd Stage
“But when it has been filled with blood, and heart, brain and liver are still unarticulated and unshaped yet have by now a certain solidarity and considerable size, this is the second period; the substance of the foetus has the form of flesh and no longer the form of semen. Accordingly you would find that Hippocrates too no longer calls such a form semen but, as was said, foetus…”[67]
Another significant contention concerns Galen’s second stage that refers to the embryo as being filled with blood. The key Greek words used are πληρωθη which means filled[68] and αίματος meaning blood[69]. If the Qur’an borrowed Galenic views on the developing human embryo, the words that should have been used are ملأت (mal-at) which means the manner in which something is filled[70], and دم (dam) which means blood[71]. However, the word ᶜalaqah is used in the Qur’an (see A clinging form: ᶜalaqah). This word in the context of blood can mean blood in a general sense, and a clot of blood due to its sticking together.[72] Conversely, the word ᶜalaqah alone would not represent the Galenic stage here, because its meanings do not encapsulate the word “filled” and its use to mean blood clot would be misplaced as the word for blood clot in Greek is not αίματος rather it is θρόμβος.[73] Even if commentators assert that the use of the word ᶜalaqah as a blood clot, in this context, is satisfactory, an explanation is required to reconcile the fact that it only means blood clot in the sense that it clings. This is made clear in Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon as it explains that the word ᶜalaqah is a blood clot “because of its clinging together”[74], rather than its physical appearance. Therefore, using the Arabic words ملأت and دم would have been more appropriate, because Galen specifically refers to “filled with blood” and not just blood. This whole discussion has to be understood in the context of the primary meaning for the word ᶜalaqah, which is not blood or blood clot but rather to hang or to be suspended. For that reason, the claim that the Qur’an reflects Galenic embryology is weak and unsubstantiated.
The plagiarism thesis is further dismantled if a more contextual understanding of Galenic embryology is taken into consideration. At this second stage, Galen uses the word σαρκοειδής, meaning fleshy,[75] to refer to the appearance of the embryo. This undermines the claim that the quranic stages are similar to Galen, because words that can mean fleshy in Arabic, such as mudhgah and lahm, are used to describe later stages. However, Galen mentions this stage as a fleshy substance filled with blood. The word in the Qur’an to describe this stage doesn’t encompass such a meaning, because ᶜalaqah, if we assume it to mean blood or blood clot, does not encompass a fleshy substance filled with blood. To illustrate this further, imagine someone had to summarise the following statement into Arabic: a blood filled substance that is fleshy – what words must they use to best represent the meaning of the statement? An array of words from the Arabic classical language would be used like the words mentioned above, but ᶜalaqah would not be one of them.
3rd Stage
The third period follows on this, when, as was said, it is possible to see the three ruling parts clearly and a kind of outline, a silhouette, as it were, of all the other parts. You will see the conformation of the three ruling parts more clearly, that of the parts of the stomach more dimly, and much more still, that of the limbs. Later on they form ‘twigs’, as Hippocrates expressed it, indicating by the term their similarity to branches.[76]
As explored, the Qur’an mentions mudghah as a chewed-like substance and a small piece of flesh (see A lump of flesh: mudghah). In contrast, Galen discusses the “conformation” of “the three ruling parts”, “silhouettes” and “twigs”, which is most likely in reference to limb bone formation. He details these three ruling parts as being more visible than the stomach and the limbs. However, the Qur’an makes no mention of this, and its mention of limb formation comes at the next stage. It is both implausible and impractical, therefore, to suggest the Qur’an copied the works of Galen as the it does not include any of the descriptions provided by Galen at this stage. Also, the word mudghah would have been appropriately used as a summary of the ancient Greek word ἐμβρύειον[77], which means the flesh of an embryo, however Galen did not use this word. The following hypothetical scenario highlights the absurdity of asserting similarity between the quranic and Galenic descriptions of this stage: if someone had become acquainted with Galenic embryology and had to summarise his third stage, would the word mudghah accurately encompass the meaning of “the three ruling parts”, “silhouettes” and “limbs”? The answer is no. This conclusion is also supported by the fact that there is no mention of flesh, a small piece of meat or something that has been bitten in the original Greek of Galen’s writings describing this stage. A conservative approach to the above question would at least conclude that there was a serious misreading or misunderstanding of the text. Even if that were the case, it would still highlight that Galenic and quranic terms are dissimilar, and it would raise the need for evidence to establish a misreading or misunderstanding. In light of the evidence provided in this section, it is extremely unlikely that there was any common knowledge of Hellenic embryology, written or oral, in early 7th century Arabia.
Early Greek translations of the Qur’an
9th century Greek translations of the Qur’an undermine the view that Galenic and quranic embryology are similar. Early Greek translations of the Qur’an clearly show how the quranic terms used to described the development of the human embryo are not the same as Galenic terms. For instance, Niketas of Byzantium, who was one of the most influential Byzantine theologians who wrote against Islam, comments on 9th century translations of the Qur’an.[78] Concerning the word ᶜalaqah, Niketas maintains that the quranic usage of the word implies that man was created from a leech:
“He says that man was created from a leech [βδἑλλης].”[79]
The key word that Niketas refers to in the Greek translation is βδἑλλης, which means leech.[80] In view of the fact that the early Greek translation of the Qur’an does not use Galenic terminology to understand the text, and that the early Greek understanding of ᶜalaqah meant leech, strengthens the argument against the contention that Galenic and quranic views on embryology are similar. This is further supported by the fact that Niketas’ writings and commentary on the Qur’an are polemic in nature.[81] Niketas wanted to undermine Islam, and attempted to do so by refuting the quranic discourse.[82] This brings to light a question which weakens the plagiariation thesis. If quranic and Galenic views on embryology were similar, why did not Niketas expose the similarity to show that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ borrowed Hellenic views on embryology? The absence of Niketas’ attempt to link quranic views on embryology with Hellenic medicine, clearly shows how an early Greek understanding of the Qur’an was not perceived to be the result of borrowed Hellenic medical knowledge. It is also interesting to note that Niketas’ work on the Qur’an was used as a reference for anti-Islamic polemics for over 500 years,[83] which highlights that the plagiarism thesis is a relatively modern innovation in the field of anti-Islamic polemics, and brings to light the fact its allegations are based on misunderstandings of the culture of the time, including a superficial understanding of the Greek and Arabic language.
Other historical documents that can be traced back to the Byzantine period are anathemas recorded during Muslim conversions to Christianity. For example, the following ritual was used during conversions to Christianity:
“I anathematize Muhammad’s teaching about the creation of man, where he says that man was created from dust and a drop of fluid [σταγόνος] and leeches [βδἑλλων] and chewed-like substance [μασήματος].”[84]
The key words used here are σταγόνος which means a drop[85], βδἑλλων which means leech[86], and μασήματος which means something that has been chewed[87]. This clearly indicates that an early Greek understanding of the Qur’an does not correspond to Galenic views on embryology. This is due to the fact that Galen never used the Greek words mentioned above.
A key disagreement to the above argument involves commentators asserting that the 9th century Greek translation is inaccurate. Although a legitimate contention, it is incorrect. The 9th century translation seems to be a high quality translation, as the historian Christian Hogel writes:
Whoever produced the translation (and more than one person may well have been involved in the process), it should be stressed that, despite the mentioned linguistic features that may seem to point to a humble origin, it is actually of high quality. The person (or persons) completing the task knew Arabic and Greek well, and a high degree of precision and consistency was aimed at and normally achieved.[88]
This view is also supported by the academic historian Christos Simelidis, he writes:
“The ninth-century Greek translation of the Qur’an, although not without mistakes, is generally accurate, and evidently the translator consulted both lexicographical and exegetical material.”[89]
The similarities between Galenic embryology and the Qur’an
A contention to the above analysis, is the fact that there are still some similarities between Galenic embryology and the quranic narrative. These similarities include the fact that both the Qur’an and Galenic views understood that semen came from both the mother and the father. In response to this, it must be noted that in light of the above evidence, this contention is irrational. To assert that the Qur’an borrowed Galenic embryology in light of the striking differences discussed above, is tantamount to claiming that evolution and creationism are similar because they address the same field of science. Many questions are raised that belittle this contention, such as: how could have the Qur’an, and by extension the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, have known what was right, dismissed what was wrong and ensured that the whole quranic narrative on the development of the human embryo was congruent with reality?
Medieval Arabic Medical Texts and Galenic Stages
In light of the above discussion, critics argue that medieval Arabic medical texts appreciated the agreement between the Qur’an and Galen, and these texts adopted some quranic terms to describe Galenic stages. These texts include Ibn Sina’s Kitab al-Qanun fi al-Tibb and ibn Abbas’ Kamil al-Sina’a al-Tibbiyya. In response to this criticism there are a few points to consider. Firstly, Galenic medicine was perceived to be the science of the time, therefore it is obvious that a believing Scientist would want to marry scientific “truths” with Divine truths. Secondly, claiming an agreement between the Qur’an and Galen does not mean that they do agree. This is merely an opinion of a Muslim scientist or medic who is driven by the desire to reconcile the science of the day with his belief in the Qur’an. If these medics and scientists were alive today, they would have probably dissociated the Qur’an from inaccurate Galenic embryology. Thirdly, the analysis above has provided a strong case against the claim that the Qur’an’s and Galen’s views on the developing human embryo are similar. Fourthly, if quranic and Galenic embryology are in agreement then how did the Qur’an, and by extension the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, not include the inaccurate descriptions and ideas provided by Galen? How did the Prophet ﷺ know that semen being formed from blood was inaccurate? How did he know that semen does not mix with blood to form the embryo, and, why do many of the Arabic terms used in the Qur’an not capture the meaning of the Greek terms used by Galen? Answers to these questions dismiss the criticism of similarity and plagiarism based on medieval Arabic medical texts mentioning an agreement between Galen and the Qur’an.
by
Hamza Andreas Tzortzis
SOURCE :
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Did the Prophet Muhammad Plagiarise Ancient Greek Embryology ..***
Does the Qur'an Plagiarise Ancient Greek Embryology? A .**
A Scientist's Interpretation of References to Embryology in the Qur'an
Qur’an 23:13-14
Then We placed him as a drop in a firm lodging. Then We made the drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.
Explanation and Details
"Then We placed him as a drop in a firm lodging.” - This statement is from [Qur’an 23:13]. The drop or nutfah has been interpreted as the sperm or spermatozoon, but a more meaningful interpretation would be the zygote which divides to form a blastocyst which is implanted in the uterus ("a place of rest"). This interpretation is supported by another verse in the Qur'an which states that "a human being is created from a mixed drop." The zygote forms by the union of a mixture of the sperm and the ovum ("The mixed drop").
"Then We made the drop into a clinging clot" - This statement is from [Qur’an 23:14]. The word "alaqah" refers to a leech or bloodsucker. This is an appropriate description of the human embryo from days 7-24 when it clings to the endometrium of the uterus, in the same way that a leech clings to the skin. Just as the leech derives blood from the host, the human embryo derives blood from the decidua or pregnant endometrium. It is remarkable how much the embryo of 23-24 days resembles a leech (Fig. 2). As there were no microscopes or lenses available in the 7th century, doctors would not have known that the human embryo had this leech-like appearance. In the early part of the fourth week, the embryo is just visible to the unaided eye because it is smaller than a kernel of wheat.
“and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh]” - This statement is also from [Qur’an 23:14]. The Arabic word "mudghah" means "chewed substance or chewed lump." Toward the end of the fourth week, the human embryo looks somewhat like a chewed lump of flesh (Fig. 3). The chewed appearance results from the somites which resemble teeth marks. The somites represent the beginnings or primordia of the vertebrae.
“and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh" - This continuation of [Qur’an 23:14] indicates that out of the chewed lump stage, bones and muscles form. This is in accordance with embryological development. First the bones form as cartilage models and then the muscles (flesh) develop around them from the somatic mesoderm.
“then We developed him into another creation," - This next part of [Qur’an 23:14] implies that the bones and muscles result in the formation of another creature. This may refer to the human-like embryo that forms by the end of the eighth week. At this stage it has distinctive human characteristics
"And He gave you hearing and sight and feeling and understanding."
The interpretation of the verses in the Qur'an referring to human development would not have been possible in the 7th century A.D., or even a hundred years ago. We can interpret them now because the science of modern Embryology affords us new understanding. Undoubtedly there are other verses in the Qur'an related to human development that will be understood in the future as our knowledge increases.
Qur’an 23:13-14
Then We placed him as a drop in a firm lodging. Then We made the drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.
Explanation and Details
"Then We placed him as a drop in a firm lodging.” - This statement is from [Qur’an 23:13]. The drop or nutfah has been interpreted as the sperm or spermatozoon, but a more meaningful interpretation would be the zygote which divides to form a blastocyst which is implanted in the uterus ("a place of rest"). This interpretation is supported by another verse in the Qur'an which states that "a human being is created from a mixed drop." The zygote forms by the union of a mixture of the sperm and the ovum ("The mixed drop").
"Then We made the drop into a clinging clot" - This statement is from [Qur’an 23:14]. The word "alaqah" refers to a leech or bloodsucker. This is an appropriate description of the human embryo from days 7-24 when it clings to the endometrium of the uterus, in the same way that a leech clings to the skin. Just as the leech derives blood from the host, the human embryo derives blood from the decidua or pregnant endometrium. It is remarkable how much the embryo of 23-24 days resembles a leech (Fig. 2). As there were no microscopes or lenses available in the 7th century, doctors would not have known that the human embryo had this leech-like appearance. In the early part of the fourth week, the embryo is just visible to the unaided eye because it is smaller than a kernel of wheat.
“and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh]” - This statement is also from [Qur’an 23:14]. The Arabic word "mudghah" means "chewed substance or chewed lump." Toward the end of the fourth week, the human embryo looks somewhat like a chewed lump of flesh (Fig. 3). The chewed appearance results from the somites which resemble teeth marks. The somites represent the beginnings or primordia of the vertebrae.
“and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh" - This continuation of [Qur’an 23:14] indicates that out of the chewed lump stage, bones and muscles form. This is in accordance with embryological development. First the bones form as cartilage models and then the muscles (flesh) develop around them from the somatic mesoderm.
“then We developed him into another creation," - This next part of [Qur’an 23:14] implies that the bones and muscles result in the formation of another creature. This may refer to the human-like embryo that forms by the end of the eighth week. At this stage it has distinctive human characteristics
"And He gave you hearing and sight and feeling and understanding."
The interpretation of the verses in the Qur'an referring to human development would not have been possible in the 7th century A.D., or even a hundred years ago. We can interpret them now because the science of modern Embryology affords us new understanding. Undoubtedly there are other verses in the Qur'an related to human development that will be understood in the future as our knowledge increases.
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