There is no doubt that science is a blessing to man, for it increases his scientific knowledge, which in turn brings healthy and unbiased minds closer to God.

And, as the Holy Qur’an is full of scientific medical and hygienic signs of which significance and truth were only revealed in the 20th century. I therefore find it my duty to identify and explain them with reference to purely scientific text books. Professor Keith L. Moore Says.

At first I was astonished by the accuracy of the statements that were recorded in the 7^th century AD, before the science of embryology was established. Although I was aware of the glorious history of Muslim scientists in the 10th century A.D, and of some of their contributions to Medicine, I knew nothing about the religious facts and beliefs contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

The Holy Qur’an deals with man from the stage of being half a cell to a grown up person. It is I may say, the most difficult part of this book, bearing in mind that I am not a scientist, but an ordinary person who tried her best to understand and simplify the most scientific facts. I am going to deal with human development step by step in the best way I can get to make this scientific subject easier for any simple person.

To know to what extent the verses of the Holy Qur’an had been and will ever be miraculous signs, we have to get a brief historical background about the development of the science of embryology.

    Aristotle had summarized the two main concepts, prevailing at his time, about embryology:

The first is that a miniature fetus already exists in man’s sperm and when it enters a woman’s womb it grows like the seed in the soil. The role of the women’s womb is only as an incubator that provides it with the nutrition it needs.

The second is that the embryo is “developed from a formless mass that resulted from the union of semen with menstrual blood “

Aristotle himself was in favour of the second theory. Dr. M.A El Bar adds that these two theories prevailed up to the 18^th century when Spella Nzani and Wolf proved through several experiments that both man and women share in the formation of the embryo.

It was not until 1859 that scientists got to know that the sperm is but a living cell and the Oocyte (the unfertilized egg) is also a living cell. In 1875 Hertwig was able to observe how the sperm fertilizes the Oocyte, and proved that both the sperm and Oocyte share in forming the Zygote (fertilized egg).

This historical survey proves that humanity did not know that the embryo is formed by a mixture of the sperm and the Oocyte, and that it passes through several stages of development except in the 19th century and scientists are only sure of these two scientific facts in the 20th century.

And, in contrast to what has preceded, we find that the Qur’an and the tradition of the prophet, more than 1400 years ago, are full of verses and sayings of Prophet Mohammed, that deal with these scientific facts in a simple and clear, yet highly scientific way.

Dr. Maurice Bucaille says:

The situation is quite different in the Qur’an. The Book mentions precise mechanisms in many places and describes clearly defined stages in reproduction, without providing a single statement marred by inaccuracy. Everything in the Qur’an is explained in simple terms, which are easily understandable to man, and in strict accordance with what was to be discovered much later on

To make this clear, let us go step by step with the formation of the embryo as science advocates in contrast with what is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and the sayings of Prophet Mohammed:

Prof. Keith L. Moore says:

Human development begins at fertilization when a sperm unites with an ovum to form a unicellular organism called a zygote.. This cell marks the beginnings of each of us as a unique individual.

The Holy Qur’an states:

هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الْإِنسَانِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئاً

مَّذْكُوراً(1) إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ

فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً"

 " الإنسان " آيه2.

Verily we created man from

Mixture of germinated drop.

Ibn Abbass (the Prophet’s cousin) and the best interpreter of the Holy Qur’an says that the “mixture of germinated drop” means the fluid of the man and that of the woman when they get mixed, the embryo goes from one stage of development to another.

All ancient interpreters of the Holy Qur’an strictly followed the same idea simply because it is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and the prophet’s sayings. It is recorded that one of the Jews asked the prophet:

" فقال يا محمد مم يخلق الإنسان، قال رسول الله

صلى الله عليه وسلم:

يا يهودى، من كل يخلق، من نطفة الرجل ومن

نطفة المرآة:

مسند الإمام مسلم"

O, Mohammed what is man created from? “ The prophet replied: “O Jew,

(he is) created from both from the

man’s Nutfah and from the woman’s Natfah”

(Nutfah: a drop or part of fluid(

Prophet Mohammed also said:

ما من كل الماء يكون الولد " صحيح مسلم.

“Not from all the fluid is the offspring created”

Sheikh Azzindani adds that:

      It is also known that not all parts of the ejaculate are equally potent in the fertilization process.

It is known that every human cell consists of 46 chromosomes, but what is really amazing is that the sperm consists of half this number while the ovum consists of the second half. So when they mix they form the first cell in our creation.

God states in the Holy Qur’an the different stages of development of an embryo:

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن سُلَالَةٍ مِّن طِينٍ(12) ثُمَّ

جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً فِي قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ(13) ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ

عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَاماً

فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْماً ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقاً آخَرَ فَتَبَارَكَ

اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ(14)

سورة المؤمنون12-14

We created man of an extraction of clay,

then We set him, a drop, in a respectable secure,

then We created of the drop a clot 

then We created of the clot a tissue 

then We created the tissue bones

then We garmented the bones in flesh

thereafter we produced him as another creature.

So blessed be God, the fairest of creators!

We have already dealt with the “ germinated drop”, now we are going to move to the second point in this verse: “the respectable secure”, or the mother’s womb which is firmly secured in the mother’s body to become, we may say, an ideal cradle that allows a safe place for the formation and development of the embryo. The bony pelvis keeps safe the woman’s genital system. It also keeps safe both the woman’s and man’s bladder, the rectus, the blood and lymphatic vessels…etc.

Yet, the woman bony pelvis differs from that of man. It should be ready for the enlargement of the womb and it should also be ready to deliver the baby. The bony pelvis of the woman keeps the womb in a safe secured place from any dangers the woman may be exposed to.

It has four joints, which enable it to enlarge on pregnancy and delivery. Modern scientists say that the progesterone as part of its function facilitates the movement of the pelvis to be able to enlarge according to the development of the embryo. And at the approach of delivery date the pituitary gland produces a hormone which enables the pelvis to enlarge for a safe passage of the baby.

As for the implantation of the egg in the female genital organs Dr. Maurice Bucaille in his book “The Bible, The Qur’an and Science “says:

Once the egg has been fertilized in the Fallopian tube, it descends to lodge inside the uterus; this is called the “implantation of the egg” the Qur’an names the womb where the fertilized egg is lodged.

" ونقر في الأرحام ما نشاء إلى أجل مسمى"

الحج ايه5

We cause whom We will to rest in the womb for an appointed term”

Thus the implantation of the egg in the uterus (womb) is the result of development of villosities, veritable elongation of the egg, which, like roots in the soil, draw nourishment from the thickness of the uterus necessary to the egg’s growth. These formations make the egg literally cling to the uterus. This is a discovery of modern times.

He goes on saying that the true translation of the word “علق” is something that clings while “ blood clot”  “ is a mistake against which one should guard”,  Sheikh Azzindani says that the word “ علق” means in Arabic “ leech” Dr. Mohammed Ali El Bar agrees on the linguistic interpretation of the word “علق”. He adds that this leech-like “egg” is surrounded with clotted blood. The matter which made ancient scientists say that the embryo at this stage is a blood clot, simply because this leech –like egg or substance could not be seen by the naked eye, while it is surrounded with clotted blood which could be seen by the naked eye.

Professor Keith L. Moore in his book “The Developing Human” says:

As the zygote, a single cell, passes down the uterine tube, it undergoes mitotic cell division known as cleavage. This phase of development begins with the first mitotic division of the zygote and ends with formation of the blastocyst.

……………………………………..

By the end of the first week, the blastocyst is superficially implanted in the compact layers of the endometrium.

The following stage of development is the “مضغة” which is like a chewed flesh or substance. Its “ irregular surface showing somites, resembling teeth prints on a substance which has been chewed.” While Dr. Maurice Bucaille in his book “The Bible the Qur’an and science” says that:

"Chewed flesh," is the translation of the word “mudga”….The embryo is initially a small mass. At a certain stage in its development, it looks to the naked eye like chewed flesh.

Then the Holy Qur’an superbly and accurately describes how the bones of an embryo are created and then how the bones are clothed with flesh.

Dr. Maurice Bucaille in the same book says:

The bone structure develops inside this mass in what is called the mesenchyma. The bones that are formed are covered in muscle; the word ‘lahm’ applies to them.

He goes on confessing that what is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an agrees totally with modern science. He says:

The Qur’anic descr i ption of certain stages in the development of the embryo corresponds exactly to what we today know about it, and the Qur’an does not contain a single statement that is open to criticism from modern science.

He adds that:

More than a thousand years before our time, at a period when whimsical doctrines still prevailed, men had a knowledge of the Qur’an. The statements it contains express in simple terms truths of primordial importance which man has taken centuries to discover.

Who Decides the Sex of the Embryo

Scientifically man’s sperm that decides the sex of the embryo. Dr. Keith L. Moore in his book “The Developing Human”, says:

The embryo’s sex is determined at fertilization by the kind of sperm that fertilizes the ovum. Hence it is the father rather than the mother whose gamete determines the sex of their offsprings. Fertilization by an X- bearing sperm produces an XX Zygote, which normally develops into a female, where as fertilization by a Y-sperm produces an XY Zygote, which normally develop into a male.

The Holy Qur’an miraculously states:

وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَى(45) مِن نُّطْفَةٍ إِذَا

تُمْنَى(46)

 النجم آيات 45-46

and that He  Himself created the two kinds

male and female of a sperm – drop, when it was cast forth.

Prophet Mohammed (may peace be upon him) extraordinarily accurately says:

ماء الرجل ابيض وماء المرأة أصفر فإذا إجتمعا

فعلا منى الرجل

منى المرأة فذكر بإذن الله وإذا علا منى المرأة

على منى الرجل

أنث بإذن الله ( صحيح مسلم)

The water of the man is white while the woman’s water is yellow. if these two waters mix and the man’s water overcomes the water of  the woman the embryo is a boy by God’s permission; and if the water of the woman overcomes that of the man, it is a girl, by God’s permission.

Dr. El Bar says that the water in the vagina tends to be yellowish and so the water in graffian follicle and when the egg comes out from this follicle it is called the yellow substance. He adds that this in itself is a miracle for this fact was not known at that time.

The most important stage in the development of the embryo starts in the forth week and ends in the eighth week. And at the end of the sixth week (42 days) is the peak of its development. Prophet Mohammed says:

إذا مر بالنطفة ثنتان وأربعين ليلة بعث الله إليها ملكاً فصورها

وخلق سمعها

بصرها وجلدها ولحمها وعظمها ثم قال يا رب أذكر أم أنثى؟

فيقضى ربك

ما شاء ويكتب الملك" رواه مسلم  كتاب القدر.

 “when forty two nights have passed over the “drops” Allah sends an angel to it, who shapes it and makes its ears, eyes, skin, flesh and bones. Then he says, O! Lord, is it male or female? And your lord decides and the angel records it” (Muslim: Kitab Al- Qadar)

Sheikh Azzindani in “The Developing Human” Says:

By the beginning of the seventh week of development the embryo has acquired a skeleton, mostly cartilaginous, which gives form to the body of the embryo and recognizable human characteristics. After the 42nd day, the limb buds are longer with differentiated fingers and toes The tail bud, which was previously conspicuous has regressed almost completely.

…………………………………

The anlage of the eyes and ears make their appearance before the seventh week, but they do not have a human appearance as yet…

…………………………………

The skeletal system, muscles and skin are fully developed and with recognizable human characteristics after the 42nd day… …

…………………………………

During the 4th week the anlage of the external genitalia appears and not until the 9th week   do they show any distinguishing sexual characteristics. The male fetus can be clearly distinguished from the female only by the 12th week. According to the hadith, while all other organs and systems are well formed and have acquired human characters, the morphological appearance of the external genitalia (by which sex can be identified with the naked eye) is not distinct enough to permit sexual identification.

Professor Keith L. Moore in his book “The Developing Human” says: