Decoding Meaning of Quranic Words That Describe Creation of Man
Two verses in the Noble Quran point to the formation of sperm and according to researchers, they show some miraculous aspects of the Quran. Studying the meaning of the words in these two verses bears great importance. Hojat-ol-Islam Rajabi and Fatemeh Zahra Roustaei, two Iranian researchers, give a brief explanation of the two main words related to this issue:
“Let people then consider what they were created from! ˹They were˺ created from a spurting fluid, stemming from between the backbone and the ribcage.” (Surah At-Tariq, verses 5-7)
One should use various sciences related to the human body as well as Arab literature and Quran interpretations so as to gain an understanding of what God has revealed here. In verse 6, there is a reference to “a spurting fluid” which apparently points to a man’s sperm.
In verse 7, it is said that this fluid stems from “alssulbi wa altarayib” [backbone and the ribcage]. Based on medical texts and Arab literature, it can be deduced that this fluid is produced by blood. The word “between” refers to bone marrow while “backbone and the ribcage” points to bones that are tasked with producing blood in adults.
At-Tariq is a Makki Surah that focuses on proving the hereafter and the value of the Quran.
The phrase “stemming from between the backbone and the ribcage” has been widely discussed and some of the related interpretations are not valid. If we attribute the third person pronoun of the verb “yakhrojo” to “al-Insan” in the fifth verse, the meaning of the words will be different as “alssulbi wa altarayib” can be interpreted as the release of sperms from man’s testicles and coming out of embryo from woman’s womb. So a permanent release of sperm is what the verse refers to.
Verses 6 and 7 of Surah At-Tariq point to the production of sperm from blood as the ingredients of sperm are produced by glands that are fed with blood vessels. And the blood is made by stem cells in the bone marrow.
Taking these meanings and aspects into account, one can arrive at interesting and amazing points.
