Key takeaway
Quran 23:12–14 describes human creation in stages: a nuṭfa (a drop) placed "in a firm lodging," which becomes an ʿalaqa (a clinging thing), then a muḍgha (a chewed-like lump). From it bones are formed, the bones are clothed with flesh, and then the embryo is developed "into another creation." Embryologists have compared these stages with the implanting embryo, the somite stage and the formation of the skeleton and muscles. The sequence is remarkable, though parts of the comparison are debated.
The verses
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍ مِّن طِينٍ ١٢ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَـٰهُ نُطْفَةً فِى قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ ١٣ ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا ٱلنُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا ٱلْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا ٱلْمُضْغَةَ عِظَـٰمًا فَكَسَوْنَا ٱلْعِظَـٰمَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَـٰهُ خَلْقًا ءَاخَرَ ۚ فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقِينَ ١٤
12 And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay. 13 Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging [i.e., the womb]. 14 Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allāh, the best of creators.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِن كُنتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍ مِّنَ ٱلْبَعْثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِن مُّضْغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِّنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ ۚ وَنُقِرُّ فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَآءُ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوٓا۟ أَشُدَّكُمْ ۖ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَرْذَلِ ٱلْعُمُرِ لِكَيْلَا يَعْلَمَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْـًٔا ۚ وَتَرَى ٱلْأَرْضَ هَامِدَةً فَإِذَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا ٱلْمَآءَ ٱهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَأَنۢبَتَتْ مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍۭ بَهِيجٍ ٥
O people, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed - that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind.
خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ ٢
Created man from a clinging substance.
Key Arabic terms
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| نُطْفَةً | nuṭfa | a drop or small quantity of fluid |
| قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ | qarārin makīn | "a firm, secure lodging" (the womb) |
| عَلَقَةً | ʿalaqa | something that clings or hangs; also a leech, and congealed blood |
| مُضْغَةً | muḍgha | a morsel that looks chewed, a lump of flesh |
| مُّخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ | mukhallaqa wa ghayr mukhallaqa | "formed and unformed" (22:5) |
The Quranic sequence
Quran 23:12–14: (1) an extract of clay; (2) a sperm-drop (nuṭfa) in a firm lodging; (3) a clinging clot (ʿalaqa); (4) a lump (muḍgha); (5) bones (ʿiẓām); (6) the bones covered with flesh (laḥm); (7) "another creation": the emergence of a distinctly human form. Quran 22:5 adds that the lump is "formed and unformed." Quran 96:2, among the very first verses revealed, says man was created from ʿalaq, a clinging substance.
Comparison with embryology
ʿAlaqa: after fertilization the embryo travels to the uterus and, around the end of the first week, implants and attaches ("clings") to the uterine wall. In weeks 3–4 the embryo is tiny, elongated and attached by a stalk. Several embryologists have noted that it resembles a leech, and it is dominated by blood in early vessels before circulation is established. All three meanings of ʿalaqa (clinging, leech-like, blood) have been linked to this stage.
Muḍgha: around days 20–30 paired blocks of tissue called somites appear along the embryo's back. They give it a segmented look that has been compared to teeth marks in a chewed piece of gum. At this stage some structures are differentiated and others are not yet formed, which some connect with "formed and unformed" in 22:5.
Bones, then flesh: in weeks 6–8 the cartilage models of the skeleton appear and begin to ossify, while muscles organize around them.
The anatomist Keith L. Moore, author of the widely used textbook The Developing Human, discussed these comparisons in the 1980s, and a special edition of his book included Islamic commentary.
Points of scholarly debate
A balanced account must note three points. (1) Ancient writers such as Aristotle and Galen also described embryonic development in stages, including blood and flesh phases. (2) Bone and muscle tissue develop close together in time, from neighboring cells, so "bones then clothed with flesh" is best understood as describing muscles forming around the skeletal framework, not a strict chronological gap. (3) The Arabic words are short and descriptive, so modern readers should not read more technical detail into them than they contain.
Balanced assessment
Moderate A reasonable, accurate correspondence; the words have other valid meanings or the fact was partly known before.
The Quranic description is concise, observational in vocabulary and consistent with the order of development as now understood. The ʿalaqa and muḍgha descriptions in particular fit early embryos that cannot be seen without magnification. Overstated claims, such as that the Quran contains a complete embryology textbook, should be avoided, and earlier Greek ideas acknowledged. The passage culminates in praise: "So blessed is Allah, the best of creators."
Frequently asked questions
What are the stages of the embryo in the Quran?
Quran 23:12–14 lists nuṭfa (drop), ʿalaqa (clinging thing), muḍgha (chewed-like lump), bones, bones clothed with flesh, and then "another creation."
What does ʿalaqa mean?
ʿAlaqa means something that clings or hangs. It also means a leech and congealed blood. All three have been compared to the implanted early embryo.
Did Keith Moore comment on the Quran?
Yes. Anatomist Keith L. Moore, author of The Developing Human, discussed Quranic embryological terms in the 1980s, and a special edition of his textbook included Islamic additions.
References
Quran
- Quran 23:12–14, Saheeh International translation (Quran.com)
- Quran 22:5, Saheeh International translation (Quran.com)
- Quran 96:2, Saheeh International translation (Quran.com)
Science & history
- Human embryonic development (Wikipedia)
- Somite (Wikipedia)
- Keith L. Moore (Wikipedia)
- Galen (Wikipedia)
Classical exegesis is summarized from the standard commentaries (e.g. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Qurṭubī). See our methodology.
Cite this page
Quran Scientific Miracles. “Stages of the Embryo.” https://quranscientificmiracles.com/topics/stages-of-embryonic-development/ (reviewed 2026-10-20).