Qur'an - Development of embryo

The Holy Qur'an mentions some highlights of various stages of baby's development from conception to forming body parts.  Please note that the Qur'an is not a technical manual and it is not in the form of Technical Writing style.  It only describes some scientific facts as Signs of God!

After three weeks of development, the embryo resembling a leech-like blood clot transforms into something similar to a small piece of chewed up meat. The chewed appearance results from the somites which resemble teeth marks. The somites represent the beginnings of the vertebrae (backbone). This has been shown by the renowned professor of embryology by the name of Keith L. Moore in his book entitled “The Developing Human” (3rd edition). Quran uses the Arabic word “مُّضْغَةٍ” which means a bite-size chewed up piece of meat. 

Beginning from the 3rd week when the embryo looks like a chewed-up piece of meat to the last stage when the baby is born, an extensive complex amount of development is done to complete the creation of the body!  Scientific research shows that certain type of messaging occurs among the cells to coordinate the process. Each group of cells are assigned different tasks (i.e. some are developing the brain while others are developing the bones, etc.) but the entire work is coordinated across all groups! Endoderm, Mesoderm, and Ectoderm layers of cells work on different tasks!   Quran uses the Arabic word “مُّخَلَّقَةٍ” which means “created”.  However, the root of the word indicates creation of something that involves extensive amount of work from the beginning to completion.   For our complete research paper on the development of fetus as described in the Qur'an and many more verses, please see the "Articles" section.

فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِن مُّضْغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ ...

 ... وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِّنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَنُقِرُّ فِي الْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاء إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا

“…We have created you from dust, then from a mere drop of sperm then from a clinging (leech-like) blood clot, then from a lump of flesh (similar to chewed up meat), that We may make (it) clear for you. And We cause what We will to extensively develop to completion or incomplete and to remain in the wombs for an appointed time, and afterward We bring you forth as infants…” (22:5)

Qur’an refers to the transformation of a “clinging mulberry” to a chewed-up piece of meat as a creation (changing from one thing to another thing completely different & new). 

ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ

Then We created the drop of sperm into a clinging (leech-like) blood clot; then of that clot We created a lump of flesh (similar to chewed up meat); then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it a new creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create! (23:14)