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Embryology in the Quran: Difference between revisions
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The apologetic interpretations of these verses began in earnest when books were published by non-Muslim medical experts Dr. [[Bucailleism|Maurice Bucaille]]<ref>Bucaille, M., ''La Bible, le Coran et la Science : Les Écritures Saintes examinées à la lumière des connaissances modernes'', Paris:Seghers, 1976, (ISBN 978-2221501535)</ref> and later by Dr. [[Dr. Keith Moore|Keith Moore]]<ref>Keith L. Moore and Abdul-Majeed A. Zindani, ''The Developing Human With Islamic Additions'', 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders with Jeddah:Dar al-Qiblah for Islamic Literature, 1983</ref><ref>Later, Dr. Moore wrote a similarly popularised article for an Islamic journal: <br>Dr. Moore, K., ''A Scientist's Interpretation of References to Embryology in the Qur'an'', Journal of the Islamic Medical Association, 1986, vol.18(Jan-June):15-17</ref> (in a special edition of his book that was subtitled, "[[Dr. Keith Moore|With Islamic Additions]]", alongside his co-author Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, a [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] cleric). However, some critics believe Moore was only paying lip service to his hosts and investors, as he worked with the Embryology Committee of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.<ref>Keith L. Moore and Abdul-Majeed A. Zindani, ''The Developing Human With Islamic Additions'', 3rd ed., Philadelphia: Saunders with Jeddah:Dar al-Qiblah for Islamic Literature, 1983, page viii insert c.</ref> Moore's praise of Islamic claims have been repeated in talks by Dr. [[Zakir Naik]], [[Harun Yahya]], and other apologists. Critics, like Dr. P.Z. Myers, believe the Quranic verses that mention embryology are incomparable and unacceptable to scientific standards.<ref>Dr. P.Z. Myers ''[https://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/11/23/islamic-embryology-overblown-b Islamic embryology: overblown balderdash]'', Pharyngula blog - Scienceblogs.com, 2011, accessed 4 Jan 2019</ref> | The apologetic interpretations of these verses began in earnest when books were published by non-Muslim medical experts Dr. [[Bucailleism|Maurice Bucaille]]<ref>Bucaille, M., ''La Bible, le Coran et la Science : Les Écritures Saintes examinées à la lumière des connaissances modernes'', Paris:Seghers, 1976, (ISBN 978-2221501535)</ref> and later by Dr. [[Dr. Keith Moore|Keith Moore]]<ref>Keith L. Moore and Abdul-Majeed A. Zindani, ''The Developing Human With Islamic Additions'', 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders with Jeddah:Dar al-Qiblah for Islamic Literature, 1983</ref><ref>Later, Dr. Moore wrote a similarly popularised article for an Islamic journal: <br>Dr. Moore, K., ''A Scientist's Interpretation of References to Embryology in the Qur'an'', Journal of the Islamic Medical Association, 1986, vol.18(Jan-June):15-17</ref> (in a special edition of his book that was subtitled, "[[Dr. Keith Moore|With Islamic Additions]]", alongside his co-author Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, a [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] cleric). However, some critics believe Moore was only paying lip service to his hosts and investors, as he worked with the Embryology Committee of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.<ref>Keith L. Moore and Abdul-Majeed A. Zindani, ''The Developing Human With Islamic Additions'', 3rd ed., Philadelphia: Saunders with Jeddah:Dar al-Qiblah for Islamic Literature, 1983, page viii insert c.</ref> Moore's praise of Islamic claims have been repeated in talks by Dr. [[Zakir Naik]], [[Harun Yahya]], and other apologists. Critics, like Dr. P.Z. Myers, believe the Quranic verses that mention embryology are incomparable and unacceptable to scientific standards.<ref>Dr. P.Z. Myers ''[https://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/11/23/islamic-embryology-overblown-b Islamic embryology: overblown balderdash]'', Pharyngula blog - Scienceblogs.com, 2011, accessed 4 Jan 2019</ref> | ||
Many have written about the remarkable similarities between Quranic embryology and that taught by [[w:Galen|Galen of Pergamon]]. Galen was a highly influential Greek physician (b. 130 CE), whose works were studied in Syria and Egypt during Muhammad's time<ref>Marshall Clagett, “Greek Science in Antiquity”, pp.180-181, New York: Abelard-Schuman, 1955; Dover, 2001</ref>. Some of the most obvious links with Galen (and also with the Talmud) are in statements about the nutfah (نُطْفَةً) stage of embryology in the Quran, and even more so in the hadith. | Many have written about the remarkable similarities between Quranic embryology and that taught by [[w:Galen|Galen of Pergamon]]. Galen was a highly influential Greek physician (b. 130 CE), whose works were studied in Syria and Egypt during Muhammad's time<ref>Marshall Clagett, “Greek Science in Antiquity”, pp.180-181, New York: Abelard-Schuman, 1955; Dover, 2001</ref>. Some of the most obvious links with Galen (and also with the Talmud) are in statements about the nutfah (نُطْفَةً) stage of embryology in the Quran, and even more so in the hadith. Striking similarities exist between the other Quranic embryo stages and Galen too. The article [[Sources of Islamic Theories of Reproduction]] discusses these things further. However, while interesting and very probable, these influences cannot be proven for the Quran, and it is in any case unnecessary when examining the accuracy of the Quranic descriptions. This article focuses solely on apologetic claims made by Islamic [[Dawah|du'aah]] regarding the accuracy of Qur'anic embryology vis-a-vis modern embryology, and on criticisms concerning the validity of these claims. | ||
==Quranic terminology== | ==Quranic terminology== | ||
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Embryology in the Quran is often criticised from a modern scientific perspective. More details including references are given throughout this article, but the main criticisms are as follows: | Embryology in the Quran is often criticised from a modern scientific perspective. More details including references are given throughout this article, but the main criticisms are as follows: | ||
#A number of verses<ref>{{Quran|23|13}}, {{Quran-range|77|20|22}}, {{Quran-range|80|18|19}} See discussion in the Nutfah Stage section.</ref> demonstrate a belief that man is created from semen itself, as a fluid which is placed in the womb for a known term, and undergoes various further stages of development (as also taught by Galen and in the Jewish Talmud). See [[ | #A number of verses<ref>{{Quran|23|13}}, {{Quran-range|77|20|22}}, {{Quran-range|80|18|19}} See discussion in the Nutfah Stage section.</ref> demonstrate a belief that man is created from semen itself, as a fluid which is placed in the womb for a known term, and undergoes various further stages of development (as also taught by Galen and in the Jewish Talmud). See [[Sources of Islamic Theories of Reproduction|this article]] for the most comprehensive explanation and evidence. Furthermore, there is no sign that the author of the Quran was aware of the female egg (ovum).<p>In reality, a single sperm cell penetrates and fuses with the female ovum. This fertilised egg, called a zygote, is then pushed down the fallopian tube for a few days. On the way, cell division begins, and this multi-celled cluster, now called a blastocyst, implants in the uterus (womb).<ref>{{cite web| url=https://crh.ucsf.edu/fertility/conception | title=Conception: How it Works | publisher=University of California San Francisco - Center for Reproductive Health | accessdate=27 January 2019}}</ref></p> | ||
#The embryo is then said to be congealed blood. <ref>{{Quran|23|14}}, {{Quran|22|5}}, {{Quran|40|67}} See discussion in the 'Alaqah Stage section.</ref> All the classical [[Tafsir|tafsirs]] (exegetical commentaries) understood the meaning of 'alaqah to be blood or congealed blood, and clotted blood is a definition of the word in classical Arabic dictionaries. Regardless of alternative meanings for this Arabic word, it does not make sense to use a word whose main definitions include an explicit biological meaning (clotted blood) in a description of a biological process (embryology) if that is not the intended meaning; certainly, from the point of divine authorship of the Qur'an, such imprecise meaning would throw into doubt the Qur'an's claim to be "clear." The choice of word now causes a well justified suspicion of inaccuracy, and for centuries misled people into thinking that the embryo is at one stage congealed blood (in reality an embryo is at no point blood nor a clot of blood<ref>{{cite web| url=https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Timeline_human_development | title=Timeline human development | publisher=University of New South Wales | author=Dr Mark Hill| accessdate=27 January 2019}}</ref>). Similarly, for the same reason it would not make sense to use this word while intending blood clot as a mere visual analogy. | #The embryo is then said to be congealed blood. <ref>{{Quran|23|14}}, {{Quran|22|5}}, {{Quran|40|67}} See discussion in the 'Alaqah Stage section.</ref> All the classical [[Tafsir|tafsirs]] (exegetical commentaries) understood the meaning of 'alaqah to be blood or congealed blood, and clotted blood is a definition of the word in classical Arabic dictionaries. Regardless of alternative meanings for this Arabic word, it does not make sense to use a word whose main definitions include an explicit biological meaning (clotted blood) in a description of a biological process (embryology) if that is not the intended meaning; certainly, from the point of divine authorship of the Qur'an, such imprecise meaning would throw into doubt the Qur'an's claim to be "clear." The choice of word now causes a well justified suspicion of inaccuracy, and for centuries misled people into thinking that the embryo is at one stage congealed blood (in reality an embryo is at no point blood nor a clot of blood<ref>{{cite web| url=https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Timeline_human_development | title=Timeline human development | publisher=University of New South Wales | author=Dr Mark Hill| accessdate=27 January 2019}}</ref>). Similarly, for the same reason it would not make sense to use this word while intending blood clot as a mere visual analogy. | ||
#The Quran claims that bones are formed before being clothed with flesh.<ref>{{Quran|23|14}} See discussion in the Bones and Clothing with Flesh Stages section.</ref> In fact cartilage models of the bones start to form at the same time as and in parallel with surrounding muscles, and this cartilage is literally replaced with bone.<ref>See discussion and scientific references in the sub-sections to the Bones and Clothing with Flesh Stages section.</ref> | #The Quran claims that bones are formed before being clothed with flesh.<ref>{{Quran|23|14}} See discussion in the Bones and Clothing with Flesh Stages section.</ref> In fact cartilage models of the bones start to form at the same time as and in parallel with surrounding muscles, and this cartilage is literally replaced with bone.<ref>See discussion and scientific references in the sub-sections to the Bones and Clothing with Flesh Stages section.</ref> | ||
The author of the Quran described a sequence of stages, which when examined without the false definitions and arbitrary assumptions made by apologists, | The author of the Quran described a sequence of stages, which when examined without the false definitions and arbitrary assumptions made by apologists, has no resemblance to the actual development process of a child in the womb, according to critics. Someone with a modern, scientific knowledge of embryology can instead marvel at the exquisite complexity that results from a process of co-ordinated cell differentiation and signaling, encoded in the human genetic instruction set by millions of years of evolution. | ||
==Modern revisionary perspectives== | ==Modern revisionary perspectives== | ||
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As can be seen in the above quotes, verses 77:20-21 closely parallel 23:13. Both say "We placed it (jaAAalnahu) in a firm lodging (qararin makeen)", and one uses the word nutfah while the other uses the words maa' maheenin ('water distained'). Maa' was another common euphemism for semen. The 'hu' ending to jaAAalnahu in both verses can mean him or it, and probably means the former in 23:13 ('We placed him'). However, in 77:21 it must mean the latter ('We placed it') in reference to the liquid because the previous verse uses the 2nd person "you" and then mentions the liquid. | As can be seen in the above quotes, verses 77:20-21 closely parallel 23:13. Both say "We placed it (jaAAalnahu) in a firm lodging (qararin makeen)", and one uses the word nutfah while the other uses the words maa' maheenin ('water distained'). Maa' was another common euphemism for semen. The 'hu' ending to jaAAalnahu in both verses can mean him or it, and probably means the former in 23:13 ('We placed him'). However, in 77:21 it must mean the latter ('We placed it') in reference to the liquid because the previous verse uses the 2nd person "you" and then mentions the liquid. | ||
It is sometimes claimed that firm lodging (qararin makeen) in 23:13 refers to the female ovum rather than the womb. | It is sometimes claimed that firm lodging (qararin makeen) in 23:13 refers to the female ovum rather than the womb. Critics note that this interpretation ignores that the same phrase occurs in 77:22 (quoted above), with the additional words "For a known extent". In any case, the ovum is penetrated by a single sperm cell, not the "fluid" (maa'). | ||
Indeed, a common criticism is that the Quran makes no mention of the female egg (ovum). In response it is sometimes claimed that 'nutfatun amshajin' (amshajin means mixed<ref>أَمْشَاج Amshajan - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000245.pdf] Volume 7 Page 2717</ref>) in {{Quran|76|2}} includes the female gamete (ovum).<ref>Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture [nutfatin amshajin نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ] that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.<br>{{Quran|76|2}}</ref> Critics counter that this is merely an apologetic assumption and that in any case the sperm cell is no longer swimming in male semen at the time when it reaches the ovum (see the [[Embryology_in_the_Quran#Mingled_male_and_female_fluids|Mingled male and female fluids]] section below for the scientific details). | Indeed, a common criticism is that the Quran makes no mention of the female egg (ovum). In response it is sometimes claimed that 'nutfatun amshajin' (amshajin means mixed<ref>أَمْشَاج Amshajan - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000245.pdf] Volume 7 Page 2717</ref>) in {{Quran|76|2}} includes the female gamete (ovum).<ref>Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture [nutfatin amshajin نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ] that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.<br>{{Quran|76|2}}</ref> Critics counter that this is merely an apologetic assumption and that in any case the sperm cell is no longer swimming in male semen at the time when it reaches the ovum (see the [[Embryology_in_the_Quran#Mingled_male_and_female_fluids|Mingled male and female fluids]] section below for the scientific details). | ||
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The term ‘nutfatun amshaajin’ in verse 76:2 could alternatively refer to the sperm-menstrual blood union of Aristotle and the ancient Indian embryologists, but more likely the two semens hypothesis of Hippocrates and Galen ([[Sources_of_Islamic_Theories_of_Reproduction|also evident in various hadiths]]), which in turn was derived from the readily observed mingling of semen and vaginal discharge during sexual intercourse. | The term ‘nutfatun amshaajin’ in verse 76:2 could alternatively refer to the sperm-menstrual blood union of Aristotle and the ancient Indian embryologists, but more likely the two semens hypothesis of Hippocrates and Galen ([[Sources_of_Islamic_Theories_of_Reproduction|also evident in various hadiths]]), which in turn was derived from the readily observed mingling of semen and vaginal discharge during sexual intercourse. | ||
Some critics argue that in fact, the Quran displays an understanding that is contrary to the role of the ovum in procreation, for verse 2:223 states that wives are tilth. This suggests | Some critics argue that in fact, the Quran displays an understanding that is contrary to the role of the ovum in procreation, for verse 2:223 states that wives are tilth. This, they argue, suggests women are like the earth, which simply provides nutrients and receives the seed from the male.<ref>Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) go to your tilth as ye will, and send (good deeds) before you for your souls, and fear Allah, and know that ye will (one day) meet Him. Give glad tidings to believers, (O Muhammad).<br>{{Quran|2|223}}</ref> | ||
===The 'Alaqah Stage=== | ===The 'Alaqah Stage=== | ||
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====Clinging Thing==== | ====Clinging Thing==== | ||
One claim is that 'alaqah is used in the sense of a clinging thing in the Quran. | One claim is that 'alaqah is used in the sense of a clinging thing in the Quran. Critics respond that the embryo does not cease to be attached to the uterine wall when the musculo-skeletal system begins to develop around the 5<sup>th</sup> week. The Quranic stages on the other hand appear to describe a transition between a succession of states. It would in any case be self-evident from aborted fetuses that at some stage the embryo becomes attached to something. | ||
====Hanging / Suspended==== | ====Hanging / Suspended==== | ||
Also | Also disputed is a related claim, that 'alaqah is used here in its meaning of a suspended, or hanging thing, because the early embryo is floating in amniotic fluid, and is attached via a connecting stalk to the uterine wall in which it is buried. The issue is that not all embryos hang downwards below their connecting stalk. Rather it depends where in the uterus implantation occurs. The uterus lies fairly horizontal at this time, so depending on the side of the uterus implantation occurs, the early embryo can also be above its stalk, as this diagram<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-twins-images-4-weeks|2=2013-06-01}} Fraternal twins in the womb -- 4 weeks] - BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board, June 1, 2013</ref> of twins at 4 weeks demonstrates : | ||
[[File:Fraternal_twins_in_womb-4_weeks.jpg|right]] | [[File:Fraternal_twins_in_womb-4_weeks.jpg|right]] | ||
Various studies of placentas and ultrasound scans have found that between 26% and 53% of implantations occur on the anterior (frontal) wall of the uterus (like the lower twin in the diagram).<ref>Benirschke, K. & Kaufmann, B. 2000. Pathology of the Human Placenta. 4th Edition. Springer-Verlag, New York. Page 399 - 400</ref> | Various studies of placentas and ultrasound scans have found that between 26% and 53% of implantations occur on the anterior (frontal) wall of the uterus (like the lower twin in the diagram).<ref>Benirschke, K. & Kaufmann, B. 2000. Pathology of the Human Placenta. 4th Edition. Springer-Verlag, New York. Page 399 - 400</ref> Critics argue that apologists should expect better of the Quran's author than to say that as early embryos, humans are "hanging things" when such a description is untrue for a significant percentage of the population, not even a general rule. | ||
Besides this scientific inaccuracy, further doubts are raised by critics concerning the suitability of the word 'alaqah even to describe embryos that are on the posterior wall, and thus below their connecting stalks. They question the claim that 'alaqah in the sense of “hanging” would be a good way to describe the embryo in relation to the connecting stalk. Lane’s lexicon strongly indicates that 'alaq is not just the thing which is hung, but the entire apparatus or vertical rope by which means it is suspended, or even just the rope itself, giving the example of a suspended bucket in a well.<ref>علق 'alaq - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000419.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Volume 5, page 2134</ref> The stalk evidently has a certain amount of stiffness and does not hang vertically under gravity like a bucket in a well. | |||
====Leech==== | ====Leech==== | ||
Many apologists claim that 'alaqah in the Quran means a leech (in a metaphorical sense), and that this is similar to an embryo. | Many apologists claim that 'alaqah in the Quran means a leech (in a metaphorical sense), and that this is similar to an embryo. Critics respond that unlike a leech, which simply sucks blood from its host, the embryo circulates and exchanges gases, nutrients and waste products with its mother. Most significantly, the placental membrane or barrier ensures that the embryo does not take from or exchange blood with its mother, who may have a different blood type.<ref>Barry Mitchell & Ram Sharma 2009. Embryology: An Illustrated Colour Text. Second Edition. Churchill Livingstone ElSevier. Page 10-12</ref> Furthermore, a leech attaches itself directly to the surface of its host. In contrast, the [[w:Blastocyst|blastocyst]] stage embryo implants into the uterine wall ([[w:Endometrium|endometrium]]) by means of an outer cell layer surrounding it, called the [[w:Syncytiotrophoblast|syncytiotrophoblast]]. It is the syncytiotrophoblast which invades the endometrium, burying the entire embryo within the wall (unlike a leech), establishes a circulatory connection, and will later form the outer layer of the [[w:Placenta#Development|placenta]]. | ||
A leech has many characteristics such as size, behaviour, shape, color, appearance. | A leech has many characteristics such as size, behaviour, shape, color, appearance. Critics argue that it makes no sense for the author to have used 'alaqah in a metaphorical sense when his listeners could not be expected to know in what respect the analogy applies. They see it as a case of the Texan Sharpshooter fallacy<ref>"The Texas sharpshooter fallacy is an informal fallacy in which pieces of information that have no relationship to one another are called out for their similarities, and that similarity is used for claiming the existence of a pattern. This fallacy is the philosophical/rhetorical application of the multiple comparisons problem (in statistics) and apophenia (in cognitive psychology). It is related to the clustering illusion, which refers to the tendency in human cognition to interpret patterns where none actually exist. The name comes from a joke about a Texan who fires some shots at the side of a barn, then paints a target centered on the biggest cluster of hits and claims to be a sharpshooter."<br>[[w:Texas sharpshooter fallacy|Texas sharpshooter fallacy]]</ref>, typical of Islamic miracle claims, to choose one characteristic - shape - which to a very and arbitrarily limited degree has similarity with that of an embryo (in their eyes) and to then draw any conclusions. This is particularly so given that the early embryo passes through a wide range of shapes and that both a leech and human embryo are biological organisms. Moreover, when depicting the embryo such apologetics have to conveniently ignore the embryo's yolk sac, which gradually becomes incorporated into its developing gut. | ||
Above and beyond all of this, "leech" is not the most common meaning of this word; clot | Above and beyond all of this, "leech" is not the most common meaning of this word; clot is the obvious reading here, and most translators including Arberry, Pickthall, and Sahih international all translate it this way. The translation of "leech", "leech-like embryo" or "embryo" only appeared in the modern age after the discoveries of embryology, and were not known in pre-modern translations. | ||
====Congealed Blood==== | ====Congealed Blood==== | ||
One of the meanings of 'alaqah is congealed blood, which was also the understanding given in | One of the meanings of 'alaqah is congealed blood, which was also the understanding given in tafsirs, as detailed above. The Arab poet al-Nabigha alja'di النابغة الجعدي (died c.670 AD) was a contemporary of Muhammad and uses the word blood (al dam الدم) in exactly the same context in a poem about Allah. | ||
{{Quote-text|{{cite web|url= http://poetsgate.com/poem_14021.html|title= الحمد لله لا شريك له|publisher= PoetsGate (Arabic)|author= |date= February 15, 2007|archiveurl= http://archive.is/6XW6e|deadurl=no}}|الخـالق البـارئ المصـور في الأرحام ماء حتى يصير دما | {{Quote-text|{{cite web|url= http://poetsgate.com/poem_14021.html|title= الحمد لله لا شريك له|publisher= PoetsGate (Arabic)|author= |date= February 15, 2007|archiveurl= http://archive.is/6XW6e|deadurl=no}}|الخـالق البـارئ المصـور في الأرحام ماء حتى يصير دما | ||
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Water (maa') is used here as a euphemism for semen, just as we sometimes find in the Quran and hadiths (see above). | Water (maa') is used here as a euphemism for semen, just as we sometimes find in the Quran and hadiths (see above). | ||
Critics argue that | Critics argue it is unlikely that the Quran would use 'alaqah in any sense other than its clear biological meaning (clotted blood) in a passage about a biological process (pregnancy). This is underlined when considering that 'alaqah was consistently understood in this way by exegetes. The usage of the word 'alaqah would otherwise be seen as a failure to "clearly" convey the actual knowledge the author is meant to have possessed if this was not the intended meaning. | ||
===='Alaqah in pre-Islamic poetry==== | ===='Alaqah in pre-Islamic poetry==== | ||
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===The Mudghah Stage=== | ===The Mudghah Stage=== | ||
The word mudghah meant a bite sized morsel of meat suitable for chewing<ref name="LLmudghah" />. Islamic websites frequently claim, without citing any evidence, that it means a piece of meat that has actually been chewed, or even that has teeth marks on it. Readers of such websites are invited to admire the supposed similarities between an image of the somites of an embryo next to a piece of chewing gum with a row or two of teeth marks from a single bite. | The word mudghah meant a bite sized morsel of meat suitable for chewing<ref name="LLmudghah" />. Islamic websites frequently claim, without citing any evidence, that it means a piece of meat that has actually been chewed, or even that has teeth marks on it. Readers of such websites are invited to admire the supposed similarities between an image of the somites of an embryo next to a piece of chewing gum with a row or two of teeth marks from a single bite. Issues commonly levelled against this argument include: | ||
#They are using a false definition of the word mudghah, as mentioned above. | #They are using a false definition of the word mudghah, as mentioned above. | ||
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#Somites (bilateral rows of blocks of cells that will migrate and develop into segments of the body) are protrusions, but teeth marks are indentations. | #Somites (bilateral rows of blocks of cells that will migrate and develop into segments of the body) are protrusions, but teeth marks are indentations. | ||
Verse 22:5<ref name="22-5">O People, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed - that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind<br>{{Quran|22|5}}</ref> mentions that the mudghah is formed and without form | Verse 22:5<ref name="22-5">O People, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed - that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind<br>{{Quran|22|5}}</ref> mentions that the mudghah is formed and without form. Such vagueness of description is typical of premodern understanding of biology and embryology in the view of critics. | ||
===The Bones and Clothing with Flesh Stages=== | ===The Bones and Clothing with Flesh Stages=== | ||
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It is apparent from the above that muscle masses have started to form around the mesenchyme condensations around the same time as they begin to chondrify into cartilage models of the limb bones, and long before they have even begun to ossify. Similarly, the process of muscle and cartilage formation begins at the same time for the axoskeleton. Muscles and cartilage, and bone that replaces it, continue their formation in parallel with each other. | It is apparent from the above that muscle masses have started to form around the mesenchyme condensations around the same time as they begin to chondrify into cartilage models of the limb bones, and long before they have even begun to ossify. Similarly, the process of muscle and cartilage formation begins at the same time for the axoskeleton. Muscles and cartilage, and bone that replaces it, continue their formation in parallel with each other. | ||
====Problems | ====Problems Identified with the Quranic Description==== | ||
The prefix fa before kasawna (we clothed) means "and then", indicating an uninterrupted sequence.<ref>فَ fa - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000105.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Volume 6, page 2322</ref> Further emphasising this, each stage is mentioned twice ("''nutfah''...''nutfah''...''alaqah'''...''alaqah''...''lump'', then we made the ''lump'' ''bones'', then we clothed the ''bones'' with flesh"). The whole verse conveys a sequential process. | The prefix fa before kasawna (we clothed) means "and then", indicating an uninterrupted sequence.<ref>فَ fa - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000105.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Volume 6, page 2322</ref> Further emphasising this, each stage is mentioned twice ("''nutfah''...''nutfah''...''alaqah'''...''alaqah''...''lump'', then we made the ''lump'' ''bones'', then we clothed the ''bones'' with flesh"). The whole verse conveys a sequential process. | ||
Critics argue that in reality the verse is not compatible with, let alone a good description of musculoskeletal development. There is no scientific basis for a two-stage process by which bones have in any sense been created before the process of muscle formation is underway. | |||
Firstly, it is clear from the above sections that actual bone formation (ossification) begins long after the process of muscle formation has begun to develop around its precursors. Since the myoblasts have already migrated and aggregated into distinct masses, nor can their subsequent fusing into myotubes and muscle fibres be described as "clothing" the bones (which in any case ossify and continue to grow in parallel with muscle development) - the masses were already there. | Firstly, it is clear from the above sections that actual bone formation (ossification) begins long after the process of muscle formation has begun to develop around its precursors. Since the myoblasts have already migrated and aggregated into distinct masses, nor can their subsequent fusing into myotubes and muscle fibres be described as "clothing" the bones (which in any case ossify and continue to grow in parallel with muscle development) - the masses were already there. | ||
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It is sometimes claimed that the Quran was only referring to precursor cartilage models of the bones and not bone itself. However, this does not explain why the author of the Quran mentioned not cartilage (ghudhroof)<ref name="LLghudtroof">غضروف ghudhroof, alternatively spelt غرضوف ghurdoof - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000032.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Volume 6, page 2248</ref>) but only bone ('itham)<ref name="LLitham"></ref>, which literally replaces the cartilage and starts to form well after muscle building blocks are in place. | It is sometimes claimed that the Quran was only referring to precursor cartilage models of the bones and not bone itself. However, this does not explain why the author of the Quran mentioned not cartilage (ghudhroof)<ref name="LLghudtroof">غضروف ghudhroof, alternatively spelt غرضوف ghurdoof - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000032.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Volume 6, page 2248</ref>) but only bone ('itham)<ref name="LLitham"></ref>, which literally replaces the cartilage and starts to form well after muscle building blocks are in place. | ||
In any case its description would still be incompatible with scientific reality. The evidence set out above shows that muscle and bone (or their precursors) develop contemporaneously, although the parallel processes start when myoblasts migrate and form distinct masses around condensations of mesenchyme that have only just begun to differentiate into cartilage, as detailed above. | In any case its description would still be incompatible with scientific reality according to critics. The evidence set out above shows that muscle and bone (or their precursors) develop contemporaneously, although the parallel processes start when myoblasts migrate and form distinct masses around condensations of mesenchyme that have only just begun to differentiate into cartilage, as detailed above. | ||
For the same reason the Quran would still be wrong even to suppose, with a further stretch, that it means only the very beginning of the formation of the cartilage (chondrification) before they are in any sense complete shapes. Going back earlier still, | For the same reason critics argue that the Quran would still be wrong even to suppose, with a further stretch, that it means only the very beginning of the formation of the cartilage models (chondrification) before they are in any sense complete shapes. Going back earlier still, the precursors of muscles (myoblasts) and precursors to the cartilage (mesenchyme) are present in the limb bud as soon as it arises. | ||
However, the natural reading of verse 23:14 is that the bones have some sort of meaningful shape, and can meaningfully be called bones. This is certainly not the case when the condensed mesenchyme has merely started to produce cartilage. | However, the natural reading of verse 23:14 is that the bones have some sort of meaningful shape, and can meaningfully be called bones. This is certainly not the case when the condensed mesenchyme has merely started to produce cartilage. The natural reading of verse 23:14 is that all the bones have some meaningful presence worthy of the label 'bones' before Allah clothes them with flesh in the next stage. As noted in the evidence above, fingers only start to even chondrify after muscle formation is already well underway in the upper part of the limbs. | ||
There is more evidence that 23:14 refers to things already recognizable as bones then being clothed with muscles or flesh elsewhere in the Quran. Verse 2:259 uses the same Arabic words as does 23:14 for 'bones', 'clothed' and 'flesh' to describe the resurrection of a donkey which had been dead for 100 years.<ref>[...]and look at your ass; and that We may make you a sign to men, and look at the bones, how We set them together, then clothed them with flesh[...] | There is more evidence that 23:14 refers to things already recognizable as bones then being clothed with muscles or flesh elsewhere in the Quran. Verse 2:259 uses the same Arabic words as does 23:14 for 'bones', 'clothed' and 'flesh' to describe the resurrection of a donkey which had been dead for 100 years.<ref>[...]and look at your ass; and that We may make you a sign to men, and look at the bones, how We set them together, then clothed them with flesh[...] | ||
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If 35:11 and 53:45 are taken literally as indicating 'when' gender is determined, it would be inaccurate, because millions of sperm are emitted, some with an x chromosome, some with a y chromosome. Gender is determined not when the semen is emitted (as the next verse 46 indicates), but rather when the egg is fertilized by one of the sperm cells, which can take anything from half an hour to 12 hours for the first of them to reach the egg, and then more time for one of the many that arrive to successfully penetrate it. The point from 35:11 and 53:45-46 seems to be rather that Allah simply created human beings as men and women; no inference can reasonably be made about sexual development from sperm based on these verses. | If 35:11 and 53:45 are taken literally as indicating 'when' gender is determined, it would be inaccurate, because millions of sperm are emitted, some with an x chromosome, some with a y chromosome. Gender is determined not when the semen is emitted (as the next verse 46 indicates), but rather when the egg is fertilized by one of the sperm cells, which can take anything from half an hour to 12 hours for the first of them to reach the egg, and then more time for one of the many that arrive to successfully penetrate it. The point from 35:11 and 53:45-46 seems to be rather that Allah simply created human beings as men and women; no inference can reasonably be made about sexual development from sperm based on these verses. | ||
Moreover, verses 75:37-39 use the same language about gender, but after the 'alaqah stage. 75:39 uses the exact same phrase as in 53:45, "وَأَنَّهُۥ خَلَقَ ٱلزَّوْجَيْنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ" "wa innahu khalaqa alzzawjayni aldhdhakara waaluntha" ("verily he created the two spouses, the male and the female" | Moreover, verses 75:37-39 use the same language about gender, but after the 'alaqah stage. 75:39 uses the exact same phrase as in 53:45, "وَأَنَّهُۥ خَلَقَ ٱلزَّوْجَيْنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ" "wa innahu khalaqa alzzawjayni aldhdhakara waaluntha" ("verily he created the two spouses, the male and the female"), which is also similar to the word used in 35:11, azwajan (male / female pair). | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|75|37|39}}|Was he not a drop [nutfatan نُطْفَةً] of fluid [manayin مَّنِىٍّ] which gushed forth [yumna يُمْنَىٰ]? Then he became a clot [alaqatan عَلَقَةً]; then (Allah) shaped and fashioned And made of him a pair, the male and female [alzzawjayni alththakara waalontha ٱلزَّوْجَيْنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ].}} | {{Quote|{{Quran-range|75|37|39}}|Was he not a drop [nutfatan نُطْفَةً] of fluid [manayin مَّنِىٍّ] which gushed forth [yumna يُمْنَىٰ]? Then he became a clot [alaqatan عَلَقَةً]; then (Allah) shaped and fashioned And made of him a pair, the male and female [alzzawjayni alththakara waalontha ٱلزَّوْجَيْنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ].}} | ||
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It should also be remembered, as noted above, that the evidence is unanimous that nutfah means a small quantity of fluid, a euphemism for semen – there is no indication of sperm cells within the fluid. | It should also be remembered, as noted above, that the evidence is unanimous that nutfah means a small quantity of fluid, a euphemism for semen – there is no indication of sperm cells within the fluid. | ||
In an alternative approach, apologists interpret 75:39 to mean that the external genitalia and gonads are formed after the 'alaqah stage, knowing that the gender of the child has already been determined genetically at the moment of conception as stated above. | In an alternative approach, apologists interpret 75:39 to mean that the external genitalia and gonads are formed after the 'alaqah stage, knowing that the gender of the child has already been determined genetically at the moment of conception as stated above. Critics respond that this approach not only ignores the other two verses already mentioned, but there are hadith even more explicit than Quran 75:37-39 which say that gender is decided after the mudghah stage.<ref>Narrated Anas bin Malik:<br> | ||
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "At every womb Allah appoints an angel who says, 'O Lord! A drop of semen, O Lord! A clot. O Lord! A little lump of flesh." Then if Allah wishes (to complete) its creation, the angel asks, (O Lord!) Will it be a male or female, a wretched or a blessed, and how much will his provision be? And what will his age be?' So all that is written while the child is still in the mother's womb."<br>{{Bukhari|||318|darussalam}}</ref> | The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "At every womb Allah appoints an angel who says, 'O Lord! A drop of semen, O Lord! A clot. O Lord! A little lump of flesh." Then if Allah wishes (to complete) its creation, the angel asks, (O Lord!) Will it be a male or female, a wretched or a blessed, and how much will his provision be? And what will his age be?' So all that is written while the child is still in the mother's womb."<br>{{Bukhari|||318|darussalam}}</ref> | ||
=====Intersex People===== | =====Intersex People===== | ||
Not everyone is simply a male with XY sex chromosomes, or a female with XX sex chromosomes. A small minority are called [[w:intersex|intersex]] due to certain types of genetic or phenotypic sex variations, including:<ref>[https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001669.htm Medline plus - Intersex]</ref> | |||
*Those who are 46, XY intersex. The person has the chromosomes of a man, but the external genitals are incompletely formed, ambiguous, or clearly female. | *Those who are 46, XY intersex. The person has the chromosomes of a man, but the external genitals are incompletely formed, ambiguous, or clearly female. | ||
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====Sperm within Semen==== | ====Sperm within Semen==== | ||
Others claim that verses 75:37<ref>Was he not a drop of fluid which gushed forth?<br>{{Quran|75|37}}</ref> and 32:7-8<ref>Who made all things good which He created, and He began the creation of man from clay; Then He made his seed from a draught of despised fluid;<br>{{Quran-range|32|7|8}}</ref> hint at sperm within the semen. These claims are discussed in the context of very similar verses | Others claim that verses 75:37<ref>Was he not a drop of fluid which gushed forth?<br>{{Quran|75|37}}</ref> and 32:7-8<ref>Who made all things good which He created, and He began the creation of man from clay; Then He made his seed from a draught of despised fluid;<br>{{Quran-range|32|7|8}}</ref> hint at sperm within the semen. These claims are discussed in the context of very similar verses near the end of the article [[Sources_of_Islamic_Theories_of_Reproduction#Other_apologetic_claims|Sources of Islamic Theories of Reproduction]]. | ||
====Mingled male and female fluids==== | ====Mingled male and female fluids==== | ||
{{Quran|76|2}} states that "Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm [nutfatin amshajin نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ], in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight." Some claim that this is a reference to male semen and follicular fluid. There are two problems with this claim: | {{Quran|76|2}} states that "Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm [nutfatin amshajin نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ], in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight." Some claim that this is a reference to male semen and female follicular fluid. There are two problems with this claim in the view of critics: | ||
1) By the time a sperm cell reaches a woman's fallopian tube where fertilisation occurs, it is no longer swimming in male semen, but has instead swam through cervical mucus, then binded to epithelium of the uterine tube where it undergoes capacitation and detaches again, then through a combination of muscular movements of the tube and some swimming movements makes its way up the tube.<ref>[https://clinicalgate.com/transport-of-gametes-and-fertilization/ Clinicalgate.com - Transport of gametes and fertilization]</ref>; and | 1) By the time a sperm cell reaches a woman's fallopian tube where fertilisation occurs, it is no longer swimming in male semen, but has instead swam through cervical mucus, then binded to epithelium of the uterine tube where it undergoes capacitation and detaches again, then through a combination of muscular movements of the tube and some swimming movements makes its way up the tube.<ref>[https://clinicalgate.com/transport-of-gametes-and-fertilization/ Clinicalgate.com - Transport of gametes and fertilization]</ref>; and | ||
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*[https://embryologyinthequran.blogspot.com Embryology in the Quran: Much Ado about Nothing] ''- Captain Disguise and Martin Taverille'' | *[https://embryologyinthequran.blogspot.com Embryology in the Quran: Much Ado about Nothing] ''- Captain Disguise and Martin Taverille'' | ||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4EIapJ7Ivk Greco-Roman Embryology in the Quran Part I], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaYpxz63E8Y Part II], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dUhNSFmBQM Part III] - The Urdu Free Thinker - Youtube.com (videos) | *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4EIapJ7Ivk Greco-Roman Embryology in the Quran Part I], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaYpxz63E8Y Part II], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dUhNSFmBQM Part III] - ''The Urdu Free Thinker - Youtube.com (videos)'' | ||
*[https://islamrevealed0.wordpress.com/scientific-blunders/refuting-scientific-miracles/embryology-miracle-surah-2314/ Embryology Miracle/Surah 23:14] ''- Islam Revealed blog'' (refutation with translated screenshots of tafsirs, arab dictionaries etc.) | |||
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20060214032231/http://www.geocities.com/freethoughtmecca/embryo.html Quranic Embryology (archive)] ''- Dr. Yusuf Needham and Dr. Butrus Needbeer, FreeThought Mecca'' | *[http://web.archive.org/web/20060214032231/http://www.geocities.com/freethoughtmecca/embryo.html Quranic Embryology (archive)] ''- Dr. Yusuf Needham and Dr. Butrus Needbeer, FreeThought Mecca'' | ||
*[http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Science/embryo.html Embryology in the Quran] ''- Dr. Lactantius, Answering Islam'' | *[http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Science/embryo.html Embryology in the Quran] ''- Dr. Lactantius, Answering Islam'' | ||
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121107040710/http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/11/23/islamic-embryology-overblown-b/ Islamic embryology: overblown balderdash (archive)] ''- Dr. PZ Myers' response to Hamza Andreas Tzortzis’ paper, Embryology in the Quran'' | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20121107040710/http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/11/23/islamic-embryology-overblown-b/ Islamic embryology: overblown balderdash (archive)] ''- Dr. PZ Myers' response to Hamza Andreas Tzortzis’ paper, Embryology in the Quran'' | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||