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The Prophet [[Muhammad]], who had been a well-traveled merchant, had extensive interactions with Jews in Arabia, and almost certainly with Nestorian Christians, who had large communities in Najran in the south and Hira to the north of the Arabian Peninsula.<ref>J. Stewart, "Nestorian Missionary Enterprise", p.70-74, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1928</ref><ref>Cyril Glasse, “The New Encyclopedia of Islam”, p.342-343, CA, USA: Altamira, 2001.</ref> Guillaume says of the Nestorians, “Such men were a familiar sight on all the caravan routes of Arabia”.<ref>Alfred Guillaume, “Islam”, p.15, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1990 (Reprinted)</ref> The Nestorians were based in [[Syria]], where they already possessed and studied the works of Galen, the hugely influential 2<sup>nd</sup> century Greek physician.<ref>Allen O. Whipple, “[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1965836/pdf/bullnyacadmed00860-0027.pdf|2=2012-07-23}} Role of the Nestorians as the connecting link between Greek and Arab medicine]”, Annals of Medical History 8 (1936) 313-323</ref> While this does not necessitate that the creators of the Qur’an and hadith directly copied from these works, it seems likely that they were, at the very least, indirectly influenced by these widespread ideas.
The Prophet [[Muhammad]], who had been a well-traveled merchant, had extensive interactions with Jews in Arabia, and almost certainly with Nestorian Christians, who had large communities in Najran in the south and Hira to the north of the Arabian Peninsula.<ref>J. Stewart, "Nestorian Missionary Enterprise", p.70-74, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1928</ref><ref>Cyril Glasse, “The New Encyclopedia of Islam”, p.342-343, CA, USA: Altamira, 2001.</ref> Guillaume says of the Nestorians, “Such men were a familiar sight on all the caravan routes of Arabia”.<ref>Alfred Guillaume, “Islam”, p.15, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1990 (Reprinted)</ref> The Nestorians were based in [[Syria]], where they already possessed and studied the works of Galen, the hugely influential 2<sup>nd</sup> century Greek physician.<ref>Allen O. Whipple, “[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1965836/pdf/bullnyacadmed00860-0027.pdf|2=2012-07-23}} Role of the Nestorians as the connecting link between Greek and Arab medicine]”, Annals of Medical History 8 (1936) 313-323</ref> While this does not necessitate that the creators of the Qur’an and hadith directly copied from these works, it seems likely that they were, at the very least, indirectly influenced by these widespread ideas.


==A few definitions==
The following 3 words are used in the Qur’an and hadith in connection with semen:
===Nu<U>t</U>fah نطفة===
The word nu<U>t</U>fah is used 12 times in the Qur’an in the following verses, in each case saying much the same thing, that man is [[Creation|created]] from a nu<U>t</U>fah: {{Quran|16|4}}, {{Quran|18|37}}, {{Quran|22|5}}, {{Quran|23|13}}, {{Quran|23|14}}, {{Quran|35|11}}, {{Quran|36|77}}, {{Quran|40|67}}, {{Quran|53|46}}, {{Quran|75|37}}, {{Quran|76|2}}, {{Quran|80|19}}.
A nu<U>t</U>fah is a small quantity of liquid. It was also used in reference to semen that was believed to form the embryo. Lane’s Lexicon of classical [[Arabic]] defines nu<U>t</U>fah as:
{{Quote||Sperma of a man (S, Msb, K) and of a woman. (Msb)<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000288.pdf|2=2012-07-23}} Lane’s Lexicon Vol. 8 p.3034]</ref>}}
(Sperma is a Late Latin word meaning seed, semen).
The Lisan al Arab dictionary of classical Arabic gives these definitions (translated from the Arabic):
{{Quote||A little water; a little water remaining in a waterskin; a little water remaining in a bucket; pure water, a little or a lot; the water of the man; semen is called nutfah for its small amount<ref>http://www.baheth.info/all.jsp?term=%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%81</ref>}}
A nice example of nutfah usage can be found in a pre-Islamic poem where it is used to mean “the small quantity of wine that remained in a wineskin”.<ref>Irfan Shahid, “Byzantium and the Arabs in the sixth century. Volume 2, Part 2”, p.145, Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 2009</ref>
===M<U>a</U>a ماء===
Water. Sometimes used for semen (male or female). Used in this way in verses {{Quran|32|8}} and {{Quran|77|20}}, and {{Quran|86|6}}.
===Maniyy مني===
Male or female semen. It is frequently used in hadith about ritual purity, especially narrations saying that [[Aisha]] used to clean semen off Muhammad’s clothes. It is used once in the Qur’an, verse {{Quran|75|37}}.


==History of Embryology==
==History of Embryology==
   
   
<center>''This [[timelines|timeline]] shows how [[Embryology in Islamic Scripture|Islamic embryology]], and even the vaguest interpretations of [[Embryology in the Quran|Qur'anic embryology]], <BR>introduced nothing new to [[Islam and Science|science]] and can easily be explained as drawing on previous, inaccurate theories''</center>
<center>''Before commencing the specific topic of this article, the following [[timelines|timeline]] summarises existing theories of embryology, which may be compared with the wider content of [[Embryology in Islamic Scripture|Islamic embryology]]. It is apparent that even the vague statements of [[Embryology in the Quran|Qur'anic embryology]] have similarities with these theories, most conspicuously those of Galen.''</center>
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="100%"
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="100%"
! width="70px" |Date
! width="70px" |Date
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It appears there is not a single statement contained within the [[Qur'an]] or [[hadith]] literature relating to modern embryology that was not well known through direct observation by the ancient Greek and Indian physicians many centuries before the Qur'an was ever revealed. Moreover, much of what the Qur'an actually does contain pertaining to embryology is scientifically inaccurate.
It appears there is not a single statement contained within the [[Qur'an]] or [[hadith]] literature relating to modern embryology that was not well known through direct observation by the ancient Greek and Indian physicians many centuries before the Qur'an was ever revealed. Moreover, much of what the Qur'an actually does contain pertaining to embryology is scientifically inaccurate.
==A few definitions==
The following 3 words are used in the Qur’an and hadith in connection with semen:
===Nu<U>t</U>fah نطفة===
The word nu<U>t</U>fah is used 12 times in the Qur’an in the following verses, in each case saying much the same thing, that man is [[Creation|created]] from a nu<U>t</U>fah: {{Quran|16|4}}, {{Quran|18|37}}, {{Quran|22|5}}, {{Quran|23|13}}, {{Quran|23|14}}, {{Quran|35|11}}, {{Quran|36|77}}, {{Quran|40|67}}, {{Quran|53|46}}, {{Quran|75|37}}, {{Quran|76|2}}, {{Quran|80|19}}.
A nu<U>t</U>fah is a small quantity of liquid. It was also used in reference to semen that was believed to form the embryo. Lane’s Lexicon of classical [[Arabic]] defines nu<U>t</U>fah as:
{{Quote||Sperma of a man (S, Msb, K) and of a woman. (Msb)<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000288.pdf|2=2012-07-23}} Lane’s Lexicon Vol. 8 p.3034]</ref>}}
(Sperma is a Late Latin word meaning seed, semen).
The Lisan al Arab dictionary of classical Arabic gives these definitions (translated from the Arabic):
{{Quote||A little water; a little water remaining in a waterskin; a little water remaining in a bucket; pure water, a little or a lot; the water of the man; semen is called nutfah for its small amount<ref>http://www.baheth.info/all.jsp?term=%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%81</ref>}}
A nice example of nutfah usage can be found in a pre-Islamic poem where it is used to mean “the small quantity of wine that remained in a wineskin”.<ref>Irfan Shahid, “Byzantium and the Arabs in the sixth century. Volume 2, Part 2”, p.145, Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 2009</ref>
===M<U>a</U>a ماء===
Water. Sometimes used for semen (male or female). Used in this way in verses {{Quran|32|8}} and {{Quran|77|20}}, and {{Quran|86|6}}.
===Maniyy مني===
Male or female semen. It is frequently used in hadith about ritual purity, especially narrations saying that [[Aisha]] used to clean semen off Muhammad’s clothes. It is used once in the Qur’an, verse {{Quran|75|37}}.


==Evidence of influence==
==Evidence of influence==
Lightyears
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