How Do We Reconcile the Two Hadith of Embryology?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

In regards to the hadith, found in Bukhari, “A human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood (alaqa) for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh (mudga) for a similar period.”

So here we get a picture that, till 120 days have passed, it is still in a piece of flesh (mudga) stage. But ultrasound images and facts tell us that a fetus has some human shape by the 6th week.

Another hadith in Sahih Muslim tells us that when 42 nights pass, an angel shapes it in human form.

As a medical student, I know the hadith in sahih Muslim is 100 percent accurate. The question is, is there another translation for Bukhari hadith? How do we understand the hadith with medical fact? How do these two hadith go together?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

The hadith of Bukhari is explained in Muslim and others, as mentioned below.

Hadith of Bukhari on the Stages of a Fetus

Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud narrates from Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), the true and truly inspired said, “(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood (alaqa) for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh (mudga) for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then, the soul is breathed into him. So, a man amongst you may do (good deeds till there is only a cubit between him and Paradise, and then what has been written for him decides his behavior, and he starts doing (evil) deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire. And similarly, a man amongst you may do (evil) deeds till there is only a cubit between him and the (Hell) Fire, and then what has been written for him decides his behavior, and he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise.” [Bukhari]

Hadith of Muslim on the Stages of a Fetus

A new branch of medical science, embryology, which studies the embryo’s development in the mother’s womb, has advanced dramatically in the last few years. Now, it has become possible for embryologists and specialists to picture the embryo inside its mother’s womb and trace the different stages of its growth. There are pictures of embryos in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth weeks of growth. But what concerns us here is the picture of the embryo at the beginning of its sixth week of growth in its mother’s womb. What can we see?

We can see the nose fused with the mouth and eye. The hand looks like a tiny oar, and the head looks fused with the body. This is how the embryo looks at the beginning of the sixth week of growth. But as soon as the sixth week is over, the head stems off the body, features of the eyes show clearly, and so do features of the nose, mouth, arms, and legs. This is how the embryo looks at the end of the sixth week of growth. If we multiply six (the number of weeks) by seven (the number of days of each week), we get the number (42), which represents the age of the embryo in days after its sixth week of growth.

In this context, Ibn Mas’ud, the venerable Companion, quoted Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) as saying,

“When the semen (i.e., fertilized ovule) is forty-two days old, Allah sends to it an angel that gives it its (due) form, makes its hearing, sight, skin, flesh, and bones. Then, it (the angel) says, ‘O Lord! A male or a female?’ Your Lord decrees what He pleases, and the angel writes down (what the Lord decrees). Then, it (the angel) says, ‘O Lord! (What about) its age?’ Your Lord decrees what He pleases, and the angel writes down (what the Lord decrees). Then, it (the angel) says, ‘O Lord! (What about) its sustenance?’ Your Lord decrees what He pleases, and the angel writes down (what the Lord decrees). Then, the angel comes out with the Scroll in its (the angel’s) hand, adding nothing (to the Scroll) and omitting nothing (from it).”

[Muslim, Tabarani,  Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir, Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra]

Notice the obvious conformity between the above-mentioned authentic Prophetic Hadith and the modern science of embryology, particularly pictures of the embryo at the end of its sixth week of growth in its mother’s womb. In this context, Allah Most High says, “Nor does he (Muhammad) speak out of (his own) desire. It is indeed a Revelation revealed.” [Quran, 53: 3,4]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related Answers

• How Are Hadiths about Gender Determination Explained?
• When Does the Soul (Ruh) Enter the Foetus? – SeekersGuidance
• When Does the Soul (Ruh) Enter the Foetus? – SeekersGuidance

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.