MAN IS CREATED FROM ALAQ A LEECH-LIKE SUBSTANCE
A few years ago a group of Arabs
collected all information concerning embryology from the Qur’an, and
followed the instruction of the Qur’an:
“If ye realize this not, ask Of those who possess the
Message.”
[Al-Qur’an 16:43 & 21:7]
All the information from the
Qur’an so gathered, was translated into English and presented to Prof.
(Dr.) Keith Moore, who was the Professor of Embryology and Chairman of
the Department of Anatomy at the University of Toronto, in Canada. At
present he is one of the highest authorities in the field of Embryology.
He was asked to give his opinion regarding the information present in
the Qur’an concerning the field of embryology. After carefully examining
the translation of the Qur’anic verses presented to him, Dr. Moore said
that most of the information concerning embryology mentioned in the
Qur’an is in perfect conformity with modern discoveries in the field of
embryology and does not conflict with them in any way. He added that
there were however a few verses, on whose scientific accuracy he could
not comment. He could not say whether the statements were true or false,
since he himself was not aware of the information contained therein.
There was also no mention of this
information in modern writings and studies on embryology. One such verse
is:
“Proclaim! (or Read!) In the name Of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created
– Created man, out of A (mere) clot Of congealed blood.”
[Al-Qur’an 96:1-2]
The word alaq besides
meaning a congealed clot of blood also means something that clings, a
leech-like substance. Dr. Keith Moore had no knowledge whether an embryo
in the initial stages appears like a leech. To check this out he studied
the initial stage of the embryo under a very powerful microscope in his
laboratory and compared what he observed with a diagram of a leech and
he was astonished at the striking resemblance between the two!
In the same manner, he acquired
more information on embryology that was hitherto not known to him, from
the Qur’an. Dr. Keith Moore answered about eighty questions dealing with
embryological data mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith. Noting that the
information contained in the Qur’an and Hadith was in full agreement
with the latest discoveries in the field of embryology, Prof. Moore
said, “If I was asked these questions thirty years ago, I would not have
been able to answer half of them for lack of scientific information”.
Keith Moore had earlier authored the book, ‘The Developing Human’.
After acquiring new knowledge
from the Qur’an, he wrote, in 1982, the 3rd edition of the
same book, ‘The Developing Human’. The book was the recipient of an
award for the best medical book written by a single author. This book
has been translated into several major languages of the world and is
used as a textbook of embryology in the first year of medical studies.
In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia,
Dr. Moore said, “It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify
statements in the Qur’an about human development. It is clear to me that
these statements must have come to Muhammad from God or Allah, because
almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries
later.
This proves to me that Muhammad
must have been a messenger of God or Allah.” Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson,
Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston, U.S.A., proclaims: “...these Hadiths,
sayings of Muhammad (pbuh) could not have been obtained on the basis of
the scientific knowledge that was available at the time of the writer
(7th century). It follows that not only is there no conflict between
genetics and religion (Islam) but in fact religion (Islam) may guide
science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific
approaches… there exist statements in the Qur’an shown centuries later
to be valid which support knowledge in the Qur’an having been derived
from God.”
MAN CREATED FROM A DROP EMITTED FROM BETWEEN THE
BACK BONE AND THE RIBS
“Now let man but think from what he is created! He is created from A
drop emitted – Proceeding from between The back bone and the ribs.”
[Al-Qur’an 86:5-7]
In embryonic stages, the
reproductive organs of the male and female, i.e. the testicles and the
ovaries, begin their development near the kidney between the spinal
column and the eleventh and twelfth ribs. Later they descend; the female
gonads (ovaries) stop in the pelvis while the male gonads (testicles)
continue their descent before birth to reach the scrotum through the
inguinal canal. Even in the adult after the descent of the reproductive
organ, these organs receive their nerve supply and blood supply from the
Abdominal Aorta, which is in the area between the backbone (spinal
column) and the ribs. Even the lymphatic drainage and the venous return
go to the same area.
HUMAN BEINGS CREATED FROM NUTFAH (Minute Quantity
of Liquid)
The Glorious Qur’an mentions no
less than eleven times that the human being is created from nutfah,
which means a minute quantity of liquid or a trickle of liquid which
remains after emptying a cup. This is mentioned in several verses of the
Qur’an including 22:5 and 23:13.
Science has confirmed in recent
times that only one out of an average of three million sperms is
required for fertilizing the ovum. This means that only a 1/three
millionth part or 0.00003% of the quantity of sperms that are emitted is
required for fertilization.
HUMAN BEINGS CREATED FROM SULALAH (Quintessence
of liquid)
“And made his progeny From a quintessence Of the nature of A fluid
despised.”
[Al-Qur’an 32:8]
The Arabic word sulâlah
means quintessence or the best part of a whole. We have come to know now
that only one single spermatozoon that penetrates the ovum is required
for fertilization, out of the several millions produced by man. That one
spermatozoon out of several millions is referred to in the Qur’an as
sulâlah. Sulâlah also means gentle extraction from a fluid.
The fluid refers to both male and female germinal fluids containing
gametes. Both ovum and sperm are gently extracted from their
environments in the process of fertilization.
MAN CREATED FROM NUTFATUN AMSHAAJ (Mingled
liquids)
Consider the following Qur’anic
verse:
“Verily We created Man from a drop Of mingled sperm.”
[Al-Qur’an 76:2]
The Arabic word nutfatin
amshaajin means mingled liquids. According to some commentators of
the Qur’an, mingled liquids refers to the male or female agents or
liquids. After mixture of male and female gamete, the zygote still
remains nutfah. Mingled liquids can also refer to spermatic fluid
that is formed of various secretions that come from various glands.
Therefore nutfatin amsaj,
i.e. a minute quantity of mingled fluids refers to the male and female
gametes (germinal fluids or cells) and part of the surrounding fluids.
SEX DETERMINATION
The sex of a fetus is determined
by the nature of the sperm and not the ovum. The sex of the child,
whether female or male, depends on whether the 23rd pair of
chromosomes is XX or XY respectively. Primarily sex determination occurs
at fertilization and depends upon the type of sex chromosome in the
sperm that fertilizes an ovum. If it is an ‘X’ bearing sperm that
fertilizes the ovum, the fetus is a female and if it is a ‘Y’ bearing
sperm then the fetus is a male.
“That He did create In pairs – male and female, From a seed when lodged
(In its place).”
[Al-Qur’an 53:45-46]
The Arabic word nutfah
means a minute quantity of liquid and tumnâ means ejaculated or
planted. Therefore nutfah specifically refers to sperm because it
is ejaculated. The Qur’an says:
“Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (In lowly form)? “Then did he become
A clinging clot; Then did (Allah) make And fashion (him) In due
proportion. “And of him He made Two sexes, male And female.”
[Al-Qur’an 75:37-39]
Here again it is mentioned that a
small quantity (drop) of sperm (indicated by the word nutfatan min
maniyyin) which comes from the man is responsible for the sex of the
fetus.
Mothers-in-law in the Indian
subcontinent by and large prefer having male grandchildren and often
blame their daughters-in-law if the child is not of the desired sex. If
only they knew that the determining factor is the nature of the male
sperm and not the female ovum! If they were to blame anybody, they
should blame their sons and not their daughters-in-law since both the
Qur’an and science hold that it is the male fluid that is responsible
for the sex of the child!
FOETUS PROTECTED BY THREE VEILS OF DARKNESS
“He makes you, In the wombs of your mothers, In stages, one after
another, In three veils of darkness.”
[Al-Qur’an 39:6]
According to Prof. Keith Moore
these three veils of darkness in the Qur’an refer to:
(i) Anterior abdominal wall of
the mother
(ii) The uterine wall
(iii) The amino-chorionic
membrane.
EMBRYONIC STAGES
“Man We did create From a quintessence (of clay); Then We placed him As
(a drop of) sperm In a place of rest, firmly fixed; Then We made the
sperm Into a clot of congealed blood; Then of that clot We made A
(fetus) lump; then We Made out of that lump Bones and clothed the bones
With flesh; then We developed Out of it another creature. So blessed be
Allah, The Best to create!”
[Al-Qur’an 23:12-14]
In this verse Allah states that
man is created from a small quantity of liquid which is placed in a
place of rest, firmly fixed (well established or lodged) for which the
Arabic word qarârin makîn is used.
The uterus is well protected from
the posterior by the spinal column supported firmly by the back muscles.
The embryo is further protected by the amniotic sac containing the
amniotic fluid. Thus the fetus has a well protected dwelling place. This
small quantity of fluid is made into alaqah, meaning something
which clings. It also means a leech-like substance. Both descriptions
are scientifically acceptable as in the very early stages the fetus
clings to the wall and also appears to resemble the leech in shape. It
also behaves like a leech (blood sucker) and acquires its blood supply
from the mother through the placenta. The third meaning of the word
alaqah is a blood clot. During this alaqah stage, which spans
the third and fourth week of pregnancy, the blood clots within closed
vessels. Hence the embryo acquires the appearance of a blood clot in
addition to acquiring the appearance of a leech. In 1677, Hamm and
Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells
(spermatozoa) using a microscope. They thought that a sperm cell
contained a miniature human being which grew in the uterus to form a
newborn. This was known as the perforation theory.
When scientists discovered that
the ovum was bigger than the sperm, it was thought by De Graf and others
that the fetus existed in a miniature form in the ovum. Later, in the
18th century Maupertuis propagated the theory of biparental inheritance.
The alaqah is transformed into mudghah which means
‘something that is chewed (having teeth marks)’ and also something that
is tacky and small which can be put in the mouth like gum. Both these
explanations are scientifically correct. Prof. Keith Moore took a piece
of plaster seal and made it into the size and shape of the early stage
of fetus and chewed it between the teeth to make it into a ‘Mudgha’. He
compared this with the photographs of the early stage of fetus. The
teeth marks resembled the ‘somites’ which is the early formation of the
spinal column. This mudghah is transformed into bones (izâm).
The bones are clothed with intact flesh or muscles (lahm). Then
Allah makes it into another creature. Prof. Marshall Johnson is one of
the leading scientists in US, and is the head of the Department of
Anatomy and Director of the Daniel Institute at the Thomas Jefferson
University in Philadelphia in US. He was asked to comment on the verses
of the Qur’an dealing with embryology. He said that the verses of the
Qur’an describing the embryological stages cannot be a coincidence. He
said it was probable that Muhammad (pbuh) had a powerful microscope. On
being reminded that the Qur’an was revealed 1400 years ago, and
microscopes were invented centuries after the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),
Prof. Johnson laughed and admitted that the first microscope invented
could not magnify more than 10 times and could not show a clear picture.
Later he said: “I see nothing here in conflict with the concept that
Divine intervention was involved when Muhammad (pbuh) recited the
Qur’an.”
According to Dr. Keith Moore, the
modern classification of embryonic development stages which is adopted
throughout the world, is not easily comprehensible, since it identifies
stages on a numerical basis i.e. stage I, stage II, etc. The divisions
revealed in the Qur’an are based on distinct and easily identifiable
forms or shapes, which the embryo passes through. These are based on
different phases of prenatal development and provide elegant scientific
descriptions that are comprehensible and practical.
Similar embryological stages of
human development have been described in the following verses:
“Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (In lowly form)? Then did he become
a clinging clot; Then did (Allah) make and fashion (him) In due
proportion. And of him He made two sexes, male and female.”
[Al-Qur’an 75:37-39]
“Him Who created thee, fashioned thee in due proportion, And gave thee a
just bias; In whatever Form He wills, Does He put thee together.”
[Al- Qur’an 82:7-8]
EMBRYO PARTLY FORMED AND PARTLY UNFORMED
At the mugdhah stage, if
an incision is made in the embryo and the internal organ is dissected,
it will be seen that most of them are formed while the others are not
yet completely formed. According to Prof. Johnson, if we describe the
embryo as a complete creation, then we are only describing that part
which is already created. If we describe it as an incomplete creation,
then we are only describing that part which is not yet created. So, is
it a complete creation or an incomplete creation? There is no better
description of this stage of embryogenesis than the Qur’anic
description, “partly formed and partly unformed”, as in the following
verse:
“We created you Out of dust, then out of Sperm, then out of a leech-like
Clot, then out of a morsel Of flesh, partly formed And partly unformed.”
[Al-Qur’an 22:5]
Scientifically we know that at
this early stage of development there are some cells which are
differentiated and there are some cells that are undifferentiated – some
organs are formed and yet others unformed.
SENSE OF HEARING AND SIGHT
The first sense to develop in a
developing human embryo is hearing. The fetus can hear sounds after the
24th week. Subsequently, the sense of sight is developed and by the 28th
week, the retina becomes sensitive to light.
Consider the following Qur’anic
verses related to the development of the senses in the embryo:
“And He gave You (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (And
understanding).”
[Al-Qur’an 32:9]
“Verily We created Man from a drop Of mingled sperm, In order to try
him: So We gave him (the gifts), Of Hearing and Sight.”
[Al-Qur’an 76:2]
“It is He Who has created For you (the faculties of) Hearing, sight,
feeling And understanding: little thanks It is ye give!”
[Al-Qur’an 23:78]
In all these verses the sense of
hearing is mentioned before that of sight. Thus the Qur’anic description
matches with the discoveries in modern embryology.