Does The Holy Quran Says That Embryo Is Initially Formed From Semen?

Reply To The Article,"Embryo Initially Formed Of Semen"

The author of wikiislam.net says:

The author of the Qur'an describes the initial formation of a human embryo out of fluid emanating from the man (and possibly also of the woman), which is stored in the womb. This reflects the contemporary, but incorrect, view that the material for the embryo is initially formed out of semen, as taught by Hippocrates, Galen, and the Jewish Talmud. In fact, semen is the vehicle for the sperm cells, one of which fuses with a woman's ovum in her fallopian tube, and the resulting cell divides and travels back into the womb for implantation.

While English translations mention a "drop of seed", or "drop of sperm", the Arabic word in question is nutfah, which literally means a small amount of liquid, a euphemism for semen.

Did We not create you from a liquid disdained? And We placed it in a firm lodging For a known extent.

Qur'an 77:20-22

Then placed him as a drop (of seed) [nutfah] in a safe lodging;

Qur'an 23:13

From what thing doth He create him? From a drop of seed [nutfah]. He createth him and proportioneth him

Qur'an 80:18-19

Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture [nutfatin amshajin] that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.

Qur'an 76:2

Reply:

The Holy Quran says in Surah Al Qiyamah Chapter #75 verse 37:

أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةً مِّن مَّنِىٍّ يُمْنَىٰ

"Has not it be a sperm from the liquid gushed forth?"

The Holy Quran has explicitly described that there is only a single sperm from the semen of man involved in fertilization.Not the whole semen is involved.We read in a hadith:

"Not the whole of the semen makes embryo but only a sperm from it."

The author of wikiislam.net has quoted four verses from the Holy Quran but unfortunately no one proves his claim.


The first verse is Surah Musrsilat Chapter 77 verse 20:

أَلَمْ نَخْلُقْكُمْ مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ

"Has not we created you from (a part of) of fluid disdained?"

Here we have put the words "(a part of)" in the translation for two reasons:
1.The Arabic word min is Hurf e Baz which is used to refer some portion of a thing.
2.The parallel verse of this verse is Surah As Sajda Chapter 32 verse 8:

ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ

"Then we automated the creation of his progeny by a SPERM from a despicable fluid."

The word سُلَالَة also means SPERM.See: Steingess Arabic -English Dictionary page 502

The Arabic word 'sulalah' also means quintessence or the best part of a whole. We have come to know now that only one single spermatozoan that penetrates the ovum is required for fertilization, out of the several millions produced by man. That one spermatozoan out of several millions, is referred to in the QUR'AN as 'sulalah'.

So the claim using the Chapter 77 verse 20 is totally false because the parallel verse of this verse explains the verse.And it is not a contradiction.Because one verse describes that man is created from semen and second one describes which part of the semen.

The second verse is Surah Muminun Chapter 23 verse 13:

ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً فِي قَرَارٍ مَكِينٍ

"Then Placed it as a Nutfah in a firm lodging."

This verse also does not convey that man is created from semen.Because it says man is created from Nutfah which means sperm or egg not semen.

The third verse is Surah Abasa Chapter 80 verse 19:

مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ خَلَقَهُ فَقَدَّرَهُ

"From sperm and then determined his nature."

The verse also says man is created from nutfah which means sperm or egg not semen.

The fourth verse is Surah Dahr Chapter 76 verse 2:

إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا

"Verily we created man out of sperm intermingled so that we might try him and we made him seeing and hearing."

Let us make it clear that the word Nutfah refers to both egg(sperm of woman) and sperm(of man).See: Dic. of Quran by M.G. Farid page 781 and Al-Munjid page 821.

The phrase نُطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ means sperm of man intermingled with egg of woman.We read in Tafsir Al-Qummi vol 2 page 398:

"And in report Abu AL-Jaroud ,
 Au Jafar(AS) regarding the words of High "Surely We created man from small life-germ uniting(76:2)" he(AS) said:"The mixing of water of man and water of woman."

The words water of man and water of man refers to the seminal fluids of male and female containing sperm and egg.
The author of wikiislam.net laid great stress on the word NUTFAH. Here we give refernece that it means"sperm" especially and not semen(which the author has taken from nutfah's meaning drop).

1.Hans Wehr 4th edition. page 1142
2.Dic. and Glos of Quran by penrice page 148
3.Dic. of Holy Quran bu M.G.farid page 781
4.Al Munjid page 821
5.Dictionary of the Holy Quran page 567

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