𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐫’𝐚𝐧: 𝐀 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 ‘𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐪𝐚𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞
Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter:@NassarMohamadMR
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.
Download screen viewing PDF (version 1.90 27 March 2014): Embryology in the Qur’an: A description of the Alaqah stage (Screen)
Download PDF optimized for printing (version 1.90 27 March 2014): Embryology in the Qur’an: A description of the Alaqah stage (Print)
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