Ma`rifat

Employing a descriptive-comparative approach, this study examines the similarities and distinctions between the Quranic perspective and the empirical findings of embryologists -particularly Keith L. Moore - regarding the stages of human embryogenesis. Furthermore, it implicitly addresses potential discrepancies between these two viewpoints. This study elucidates that the Quranic narrative of human development in uterus comprises five distinct ontogenic stages: nutfah (zygote), ‘alaqah (clinging substance), mudghah (chewed-like tissue), skeletal and muscular differentiation, and, ultimately, ensoulment. Contemporary embryologists categorize human development into three distinct phases: the germinal stage (from fertilization through the third week), the embryonic stage (from the fourth through the eighth week), and the fetal stage (from the ninth week until birth), each characterized by specific developmental milestones. While significant structural congruence exists between the Quranic account and modern embryological findings regarding the progression of human development, methodological divergences persist. These are most prominent in the taxonomical classification of developmental phases and, notably, the ontological status of ensoulment. Furthermore, specific Quranic locutions, such as nutfah amshaj (intermingled fluids) and mudghah mukhallaqah/ghayr mukhallaqah (differentiated/ undifferentiated tissue), have elicited scholarly discourse regarding their correspondence with contemporary embryological paradigms. Such purported discrepancies, however, remain essentially speculative and are confined to peripheral morphological nuances of ontogeny; consequently, they do not compromise the miraculous scientific nature of the Quran.