Seven Myths About Islam Part 7

7. The myth: “The Quran described the development of the Embryo”

The fact: the Quranic description of the development of the embryo is completely wrong.

Muslims usually refer to the following verses

“(Q.23: 12-14) We created man from a product of wet earth, then placed him as a drop of seed in a safe lodging, then We fashioned the drop a clot, and of the clot, We fashioned a lump, and of the lump We fashioned bones, and We clothed the bones (with) meat.”

The above description of fetal development are what we would expect from the women of the seventh century Arabia, but not as we would expect from a doctor, prophet or a god. It is usual for the Quran to repeat the prevailing scientific mistakes of its time, but in the above verses it probably has gone beyond the limits. The suggestion that the skeletal system (bones) is first created then clothed with flesh is simply a lethal mistake.

When Muslims debate this issue they refer to scientific illustrations, articles and western doctors who have no clue what the Quran actually says in Arabic. I do not see the point in subjecting the above verses to scientific scrutiny because there is no science involved at all. The verses are simply a reflection of the prevailing ignorance on the subject.

The Arabs criticized Mohammed whenever he said something that looks absurd to them but on this occasion they accepted the verses without any criticism, which indicates that the verses were in parallel with the prevailing knowledge in the 7th century Arabia (8).