Al-Muminoon (The Believers)

12. “And certainly We created man from an extract of clay, ”

13. “Then We placed him (as a drop of) sperm in a safe lodging;”

The Arabic word /sulalah/ means an extract of something. The Qur’anic word /alaqah/ means clotted thick blood. The word /mudqah/ means a piece pf boneless meat.

After mentioning the characteristics of real believers and the vast and unique rewards in store for them through former verses, the faithful reader is motivated to join their ranks, but how is this possible?

These revelations and a part of the following holy verses illustrate one of the main ways of achieving faith and gnosis. First man is encouraged to discover and contemplate the wonders of the human body and its genesis.

Through some verses, which will be recited later, the Qur’an attracts the man’s attention to outside secrets of the wonderful beings of the world of existence, the exterior world of the macrocosm. He must try to see the wonders of creation in the microcosm of his being, too. It says:

“And certainly We created man from an extract of clay, ”

Thus, the first step is to meditate upon how man, the best and chosen of all creatures with all his greatness, talents and excellent characteristics had been created from the humble earth. The existence of man himself is a testimony to Allah’s awesome power for He created such a complex and amazing creature from such a simple substance.

The next verse, adds:

“Then We placed him (as a drop of) sperm in a safe lodging;”

In fact, verse 12 speaks about the origin of all mankind as the offspring of Adam. Everyone has been created from wet earth and everyone returns to it in the end. This verse, however, speaks about the continuation of the human species through the process of insemination, which is the combination of the male and female seeds, and fetal development in the womb.

This subject is mentioned in other parts of the Qur’an, for example, in verses 7 and¹ of Sura As-Sajdah the Qur’an says:

“...He began the creation of man with clay, then made his progeny from a draught of despised fluid.”

The verse under discussion describes the womb as /qararin makin/ (meaning a safe and a secure residence) and refers to the particular position of the womb in the human body.Indeed, the womb is located in one of the most secure places of the body.

It is fully protected on all sides with the spine and ribcage at the back and the pelvic bone embracing the front and two sides. In addition to this, layers of abdominal muscles, and hands as well, provide additional protection. Thus the womb provides a safe and nurturing place for the conception and development of a child.

However, mother has different kinds of movements, but her womb is a secure place for the child, yet all the stages of creation, of course, are under His control.