بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

1. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Quran 14th century cover

2. EMBRYOLOGYIN THEHOLY QUR’AN Prof Dr. Muhammad Shohayeb Department of Biology Faculty of Science Taif University

3. Historical background • Scientists at that time of prophet (PBUH) believed that man was created from menstrual blood • Until the 18th century there were two theories: 1- It was assumed by Aristotle that a full dwarf embryo exists in man's semen 2- full dwarf embryo created out of the woman’s menstrual blood coagulation

4. The dwarf embryo as imagined by  Leonardo da Vinci from the 15th century (on the left) • The sperm as miniature human being by Hartsoeker from the 17th century (on the right)

5. In 1775 Spallanzani suggested that man’s sperm and woman’s ovum participate in the creation of the embryo.  • In 1783, Van Beneden was able to confirm this statement, and thus the idea of the dwarf embryo had been discarded

6. The Qur’an The Qur'an is the divine guidance for mankind, and it is the final divine revelation of God. The Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad (570 - 632) by the angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years.

7. This manuscript, held by the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, is the earliest existent written version of the Quran.  It is the definitive version, known as .  (UNESCO(.

8. Embryology in the Holy Qura’n ( مَّا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا .وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا )( نوح 13-14) “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)

9. Testicles and Sperms - The testicles, begin their development near the kidney. Later they descend before birth to reach the scrotum through the inguinal canal. - Testicles form The mans fluid (semen ). - Semen contains hundred million sperms (500-600). - Sperms should gushing in order to enter through the vagina and uterine cervix - Only one sperm fertilizes the ovum of woman. - The sperm and not the ovum decides the sex of the embryo

10. Embryology in the Holy Qura’n إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَانَ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرً)) )الإنسان:2) “Verily We created man from a drop of a mingled fluid-drop (nutfa amshaj), in order to try him: so We gave him (the gifts), of hearing and sight.” (76:2). “Nutfa” in Arabic means “very little water” “Amshaj” means “mingling ” as man’s water mingles with that of the woman ”

11. (( أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى ، أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةً مِّن مَّنِيٍّ يُمْنَى ) (القيامة 36-37 Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled (without purpose)? Was he not once a fluid-drop of ejected semen? (75:37-37). ( الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الْإِنسَانِ مِن طِينٍ . ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِن سُلَالَةٍ مِّن مَّاء مَّهِينٍ ) (السجدة :7-8). “He It is Who created all things in the best way and began the creation of man from clay, and made his progeny from an extract of despised fluid (Sulalah) ” (32: 7-8) 

12. ( فَلْيَنظُرِ الْإِنسَانُ مِمَ خُلِقَ. خُلِقَ مِن مَّاء دَافِقٍ) (الطارق 5-6)“So, let man consider of what he was created . He was created of gushing water ” (86: 5-6)

14. Formation of testes and ovaries Testicles and ovaries are created from cells underneath the kidneys at the back and then go down to the lower abdomen at the last weeks of pregnancy

15. Week 5 EmbryoThe genital ridges have begun to form adjacent to the developing kidneys. The two ridges, also known as gonads, will turn into either testes or ovaries. At this time and until the seventh week, the genital ridge is similar in both males and females.

16. Week 6Primitive germ cells, which will later become either sperm or eggs cells, migrate from the embryo's yolk sac to the genital ridge. Here, they are incorporated into the primary sex cords. The primary sex cords are fingerlike projections that have formed over the previous week.

17. Formation of testes and ovaries • ( فَلْيَنظُرِ الْإِنسَانُ مِمَ خُلِقَ. خُلِقَ مِن مَّاء دَافِقٍ . ) (الطارق 5-7) “So, let man consider of what he was created . He was created of gushing water Proceeding from between the back bone and the ribs ” (86: 5-6) ( وإذ أخذ ربك من بني آدم من ظهورهم ذريتهم ) (الأعراف 172) “And remember when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their seeds…” (7: 172).

18. The sperm determines the sex of embryo • The sperm contains 23 chromosomes. One of them is the sex chromosome which is either (Y) or (X), while the chromosome in the ovum is always (X). • The sex of the embryo is determined by the sperm (the male), rather than the ovum (the female). When a sperm carries chromosome type (Y) mingles with an ovum (X), the formed zygote will be male (XY), whereas the embryo will be female (XX) if the sperm (X) mingles with an (X) ovum. 

19. Sex chromososes

20. ( وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَىِ . من نُّطْفَةٍ إِذَا تُمْنَى) ) النجم 45-46 )“That He created the pairs, male and female, from a fluid-drop sperm as it is emitted.” (53: 45-46),

21. Clinging of embryo in the uterus • This starts on the 15th day and ends on the 23rd or 24th day, the embryo looks like a leech. Blood is formed in the vessels at the shape of closed islands, having the image of clotted blood.

22. Four cell embryo Two cell embryo • Fertilized ovum

23. The zygote divides quickly without a change in size and move from the Fallopian Tube (connecting the ovary and the uterus) towards the uterus, where it is implanted.

24. Qura’nic description of this stage (ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً) (سورة المؤمنون14) “then of that  fluid-drop (nutfa) We created a  leech-like clot" (23:14) . Alaqa, in Arabic, has several meanings: 1- A leech that lives in ponds and sucks the blood of other creatures. 2-  A thing attached or clings to something else. 3- Clotted or coagulated blood.

25. Fig 1: leech like embrryo Fig 2: embryo clinging to uterus Fig 3: Islands of blood vessels

26. The leech as it appears on the uterine surface

27. Mudgha StageScientifically the embryo is transformed from the stage of alaqa to the stage of mudgha on the 24th day to the 26th day. (فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً) (المؤمنون: 14) “then We changed the Alaqa (leech-like clot) into a Mudgha (chewed-like lump) ” (23: 14).  Five weeks human embryo which looks like a piece of a chewed gum

28. Stage of bonesA cartilaginous skeleton starts to spread in the body. Transformation from the mudgha form  to the beginning of the skeleton form occurs in a very short period of time at the end of the 6th week and the beginning of the 7th week. Muscle stage This stage, which starts at the end of the 7th week and ends at the end of the 8th week

29. Until very recently, embryologists assumed that the bones and muscles in an embryo develope at the same time. Yet, advanced microscopic research has revealed that first, the cartilage tissue of the embryo ossifies. Then muscular cells that are selected from amongst the tissue around the  bones come together and wrap around the bones 

30. Embryo stage and Foetus stage Scientific facts: - By the end of the 8th week, a new stage starts.  The rate of developing accelerates compared with the previous one.  - Between the 9th and 12th week, the embryo starts to transform into another creature, as the sizes of head, body and limbs start to be balanced and regular. - By the 16th week , it becomes a Foetus.

31. (  فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًاثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ) (المؤمنون: 14) “And clothed the bones with flesh; then We developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create.” (23: 14)

32. Embryonic stageTheimage of embryo does not look like humans • Foetus stage( another creature’ ) 16th week ( 112 days)Eyebrows, eyelashes and fine hair appear. The foetus can grasp with his hands, kick, or even somersault. here the unborn baby is sucking his thumb

33. Sense of hearing and sightThe sense of hearing develops after 24 weeks . The fetus can respond to sound from both inside and outside the uterusThe sense of sight develops later after 26 weeks. :The eyes of the embryo become partially open and can perceive light. " إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا  " (الإنسان 2) “Verily We created man from a drop of a mingled fluid-drop (nutfa amshaj), in order to try him: so We gave him (the gifts), of hearing and sight “ )76:2 (

34. 24 WEEKS EMBRYO:The fetus can respond to sound from both inside and outside the uterus 26 WEEKS EMBRYO :The eyes are partially open and can perceive light.

35. Protection of the embryo and Foetus ( يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ خَلْقًا مِن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلَاثٍ) (الزمر6 ) “He creates you in the wombs of your mothers in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness.” (39:6).

36. 1-  The amnion membrane which contains a fluid encompassing the foetus. 2-  The chorion membrane. 3-  The decidua membrane.

37. The three veils of darkness may also be interpretted as: 1- membranes 2- uterus waa 3- abadomen wall

38. This is comprised of 4 stages: 1-     Stage of dilatation of cervix and contraction of uterus muscle. This stage takes about 7-12 hours 2-     Stage of delivering the foetus.  This stage takes about 30-50 minutes, and starts after enough dilatation of cervix.  As a result of consequent uterus contractions, foetus head starts to emerge first.  It is striking that the diameter of foetus head may exceed 12 cm., i.e., normally triple the diameter of vaginal canal.  3-     Stage of placenta emergence and the formation of blood clot behind the placenta.  This stage lasts about 15 minutes. 4-     Stage of uterus contraction.  This is to alleviate the bleeding after delivery process, and continues for about two hours.

40. (ثُمَّ السَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُ) (عبس: 20) “Then He makes his path smooth for him.” (80: 20).

41. Conclusion • it is evident that these Quranic verses give an accurate description of the main stages the embryo encounters during creation and formation until delivery. • It is noticed that these changes coincide with the remarks of modern embryology, and truly expresses the external phenomena of changes that result from the internal changes. • This proves the miraculous nature of the Quran, which cannot be revealed except from the Almighty Allah

42. ( سنريهم آياتنا في الآفاق و في أنفسهم حتى يتبينلهم أنه الحق ) ( فصلت 53) “Soon will We show them our signs in the furthest horizons, and in their selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth” (41: 53).

43. Thank you for your attention and may Allah guide us to what pleases Him و آخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله رب العالمين 11th Century North African Qur'an in the British Museum 9th century quran