EMBRYOLOGY IN THE LIGHT OF HOLY QURAN

Almighty Allah has revealed many scriptures and Books via his messengers
throughout different ages until he sent down His most comprehensive and
complete guidance to the mankind in the form of Holy Quran. Quran is a
complete guidance for people belonging to any religion, faith, or profession.
Although the Glorious Quran mostly deals with everyday life issues but it
explores the field of science in such an authentic way that not even a single
scientist can prove it wrong. One such field of science which is described
perfectly by Quran is Embryology about 1400 years ago when the concept of
this field was close to zero.

Embryology is a science which is about the development of an embryo from the fertilization of
the ovum to the fetus stage. The Quran contains at least 60 verses which deal explicitly with
Human reproduction and development. These verses are scattered throughout the Quran in
different chapters. Before we go on to the Quranic verses describing several phenomenon of
embryological development, let us briefly look back at the history of embryology as a separate
subject.

History:

At the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), people believed that a human being was created
from the menstrual blood. Aristotle was the main philosopher behind this idea. Until 18th
Century, the development of Human being rested upon on the basis of two theories. First one
stated that full dwarf embryo existed in man’s semen and the second one was that full dwarf
embryo was created out of women’s menstrual blood coagulation.

In 1783, Van Beneden, also known as the Father of Embryology, confirmed that man’s semen
and woman’s ovum participated in creation of embryo, thus discarding the idea of dwarf embryo.

Embryology in The Quran:

What Van Beneden discovered in 1783 was already mentioned in the Holy Quran about more
than a century ago.

It is mentioned in the Quran:

“Verily we created man from a drop of a mingled fluid-drop (nutfah amshaj), in order to try
him….” (76:2)

In this verse, word Nutfah means ‘very little water’ and ‘Amshaj’ means ‘mingling man’s water
mingles with that of woman’ This exactly is the process of creation of embryo which was
described by Van Beneden centuries later after the revelation of Quran.
 Modern embryology shows us that the development of human being takes place in various
stages. This is also confirmed by the Holy Quran in the following verse:

“What is the matter with you, that ye are not conscious of Allah’s majesty, - seeing that it is he
that has created you in diverse stages” (71: 13-14)

We shall now briefly take a look at different stages of development of Human being

Clinging of embryo in Uterus:

Clinging of Embryo in uterus starts on 15th day and ends on 23rd/24th day. In this stage, embyo
appears like a leech on the uterus. Embryo gets its nourishment from the uterus by uterine
blood vessels after projecting into the uterine walls and gives an image of a clotted blood. This
process is similar to a parasite which feeds on a host such as a leech. The Quran describes this
stage in the following words:

“Then of that fluid-drop (nutfah), we created a leech-like clot (alaqa)….” (23:14)

‘Alaqa’ has a literal meaning of leech living in ponds and sucks the blood of other creatures or a
thing attached or clings to something else.

Embryo is transformed from ‘alaqa’ stage to mudgha stage on 24th to 26th day.

‘’….Then we changed the alaqa into mudgha (chewed-like lump)” (23:14)

Stage of bones and Muscles:

Embryologists assumed that the muscles and bones develop at the same time. Advanced
microscopic research has revealed that first cartilage tissue is ossified then muscle cells that are
selected from among the tissue around the bones come together and wrap around the bones.

Cartilagenous skeleton starts to spread in the body. Transformation from mudgha form to the
beginning of skeleton occurs in a short period of time at the end of 6th week and beginning of 7th
week.

Muscle stage starts at the end of 7th week and ends at the end of 8th week.

Between 9th and 12th week, the embryo starts to transform into another creature, as the sizes of
head, body and limbs start to be balance and regular.

By 16th week it becomes a fetus.

These stages are described in the Quran in the following verse:

“And clothed the bones with flesh, then we developed out of it another creature so blessed be
Allah, the best to create”. (23:14)

Sense of Hearing and Sight:

The sense of hearing develops after 24 weeks. The fetus can respond to sound from both inside
and outside the uterus.

The sense of sight develops later after 26 weeks; the eyes of the embryo become partially open
and can perceive light.

Appreciate the sequence of mentioning the both senses in the following verse of the Quran:

“…so we gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight”. (76:2)

Three Veils of darkness:

“He creates you in the wombs of your mother in stages, one after another, in three veils of
darkness’’. (39:6)

The three ‘veils of darkness’ are the three coverings which surrounds the embryo. These are; 1)
Membranes (Amnion, Chorion and Decidua membranes), 2) Uterus Wall 3) Abdomen Wall.

Labour and Delivery:

Labour and delivery are divided into four different stages and each stage play a vital role in
minimizing the several difficulties which occur during this process.

As confirmed by Almighty Allah:

‘’Then he makes his path smooth for him” (80:20)

These were just a few examples out of so many which represents the supremacy of Almighty
Allah over all the kinds of knowledge.

Keith L. Moore, a famous Anatomist, had to say the following after reading the Glorious Quran:

‘‘It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad (PBUH) from God,
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’’

Conclusion:

• This proves the miraculous nature of the Quran, which cannot be revealed except from
the Almighty Allah.

• Quran is the book of guidance

• Quran exhorts us to think and contemplate

• Quran should be studied, learnt, memorized, recited, taught and practiced.

Kamran Mehmood – 2nd year MBBS