A, shows a lateral view of an embryo (size 2.5-3.0mm) at days 24 to 25. (Modified from Moore & Persaud: The Developing Human 8th Edition) B, Hirudo medicinalis, medicinal leech (modified from The Human Body. The Incredible Journey from Birth to Death, © BBC Worldwide Ltd, 1998)

The Qur’an mentions the term alaqah 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 short video clip Dr. Keith L. Moore describes the ‘alaqah stage with reference to modern embryology.  This clip is from a lecture delivered by Dr. Keith Moore at the University of Illinois, Chicago, USA (8th May 1990)

Related articles

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.