Paper: Embryology in the Qur’an: A description of the ‘Alaqah stage

Embryology in the Qur’an, Qur’an, Science

Paper: Embryology in the Qur’an: A description of the ‘Alaqah stage

Published by

The Islam Papers

February 9, 2012

Paper: Embryology in the Qur’an: A description of the ‘Alaqah stage

Last Updated 29 March 2014.

Photograph of a human embryo during the fourth week with visible body segmentation. (The Human Body. The Incredible Journey from Birth to Death, © BBC Worldwide Ltd, 1998) . — Photograph of a human embryo during the fourth week with visible body segmentation. (The Human Body. The Incredible Journey from Birth to Death, © BBC Worldwide Ltd, 1998).

The Qur’an mentions the term ‘alaqah علقة as the second stage of human prenatal development. The word ‘alaqah according to many linguistic Arabic dictionaries has several meanings: “leech”, “coagulated blood”, “blood clot”, or “the early stage of the embryo”. In this illustrated paper, the term ‘alaqah is defined and described in detail. The general shape of the embryo is described, internal events such as the formation of blood and closed vessels are mentioned as well as the attachment of the embryo to the placenta. Until recently these details were not fully appreciated, since they referred to details in human development which were scientifically unknown in earlier times.

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9 responses to “Paper: Embryology in the Qur’an: A description of the ‘Alaqah stage”

Anonymous

February 13, 2012

[…] […]

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William Fitzpatrick

February 24, 2012

The famous atheist Carl Sagan seems to agree with your descriptions of the early embryo:

“It [the embryo] sucks blood from capillaries. It bathes itself in maternal blood, from which it extracts oxygen and nutrients. It establishes itself as a kind of parasite on the walls of the uterus…

“By the third week, around the time of the first missed menstrual period, the forming embryo is about 2 millimeters long and is developing various body parts. Only at this stage does it begin to be dependent on a rudimentary placenta. It looks a little like a segmented worm.”

From Parade magazine, April 22, 1990. And the book Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan (Ballantine Books, New York, 1998).

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1. [defenderben]
  
  June 3, 2012
  
  Thank you for the info my friend . . . 😀
  
  Reply
Abdullah Saleem

February 10, 2013

Can we expect the publication of papers for the remaining stages (nutfah and mudghah) as well? This would indeed be helpful, as I have noted that there are certain erroneous interpretations of the aforementioned terms existing on the Internet. And it is these errors that are commonly attacked and ruthlessly criticised by the anti-Islamic writers.

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EMBRYO = LEECH | AMAZING QURAN MIRACLE | #MINDBLOW | NO HATERS

September 17, 2013

[…] For further reading please visit: Embryology in the Qur’an: The ‘Alaqah Stage […]

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Amazing Qur’an Miracle – Embryology | The Deen Show

December 11, 2015

[…] For further reading please visit:http://www.onereason.org/wp-content/u…http://islampapers.com/2012/02/09/ala… […]

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James Hsn

May 24, 2016

oo great…really this is miracle in quran…..but we should not forget the best scholar who firstly told and wrote a correct meaning of ‘alaqa’ in translation of quran in Urdu and in English in the world…And Dr.keith L moore also met with that scholar and discuss about the embryo which is written in Quran and at that time that scholar clarified that the translation of ‘Alaqa’ in quran has been taken uncorrect..and that scholar told him the right meaning of ‘alaqa’ according to science and that meaning was ‘leech’..after argument Dr.Keith L moore clarified that the Quran is only the book which tells everything correctly…..And the name of that geat scholar is…”Prof.Dr.Tahir ul qadri”..He is a man who translated the Holy Quran First time in the History perfectly according to science….And translation is available in English..Urdu..And many other languages….The name of this translated Holy Quran by ( Revival of this century..Shaykh-ul-Islam..Dr.Prof.Allama..Moulana..Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri ) a great scholar and philosopher is “Irfan ul Quran”..The best translation of Holy Quran…

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قرآن اورثابت شدہ سائنسی حقائق | الحاد جدید کا علمی محاکمہ

December 20, 2016

[…] اندرونی ساخت سے اسکی مشابہت کی طرف بھی اشارہ کرتا ہے۔(تفصیل) جنین کا یہ تصور پندرہویں صدی عیسوی سے پہلے دریافت نہیں […]

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Entwicklungsstadien des menschlichen Embryos – Die Wissenschaftlichen Wunder des Quran

January 24, 2017

[…] gefestigten Aufenthaltsort. Dann machten WIR das Tröpfchen zu etwas, das sich anklammert (arab. Alaqa). Dann machten WIR das sich Anklammernde zu etwas wie Gekautes (arab. Mudgha). Dann machten WIR das […]

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