Topic
The Quran describes human creation from clay and then a drop, a clinging substance, and a lump, in stages (23:12–14).
What it means
“We created man from an essence of clay; then We made him a drop in a firm resting place; then We made the drop a clinging clot, then the clot a lump, then made the lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh; then We produced him as another creation” (23:12–14; also 22:5, 75:37–39). The Prophet is reported to have said that the creation is assembled over forty days, and that an angel then breathes in the spirit (Sahih al-Bukhari).
Often misunderstood as
That the Quran gets embryology wrong, or that it predicted modern embryology.
What the sources say
Muslim scholars disagree. Some argue that the stages correspond to modern ones, and cite a modern embryologist’s endorsement. Others say that the Quran’s description, given in simple terms, matches those found among earlier writers, such as Galen, and that its purpose is to show God’s power in creation and the certainty of resurrection. Critics point to “bones, then clothed with flesh”, which does not match the order of development, and defenders read the verb kasā as “covered”, as the muscles form around cartilage.