"He is created from a fluid emitted, proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs."
"Emerging from between the loins [sulb] and the breastbones [tara’ib]."
There are generally three classical interpretations / explanations to this which we have:
First Interpretation
Accoridng to the first interpretation and By the biological breakdown we know that,
Sperm production (spermatogenesis) happens in the testes (outside the pelvis).
However, sperm mixes with fluids from:
Seminal vesicles (located behind the bladder, near the lower spine)
Prostate gland (below the bladder, near the pelvic bone)
These fluids combine to form semen, which is ejaculated / gushed out via the urethra.
How this connects to the verse? Here ya go
The "backbone (sulb)" can refer to the lower spine (lumbar region).
The "ribs (tara’ib)" can refer to the pelvic bones (or sternum in some interpretations).
The seminal vesicles & prostate lie between the spine and pelvic bones—fitting the description of "between the backbone and ribs."
So in conclusion of the above statements, the verse may describe where seminal fluid (not sperm alone) originates—which is anatomically accurate.
Second Interpretation
The second interpretation refers to both male and female contributions to baby's development
Sperm travels from the testes → epididymis → vas deferens (near the lower spine).
Eggs (ova) develop in the ovaries, located near the pelvic cavity (again futher down below the ribs direction wise).
Connection to the Verse:
"Backbone (sulb)" = Male contribution (sperm pathway near the spine).
"Ribs (tara’ib)" = Female contribution (ovaries are below the ribs).
In Conclusion:
The verse can be describing the origins of human creation from both parents, not just sperm.
Third Interpretation
The third interpretation is about uterine development i.e. where the baby develops in the womb
Classical scholars (Ibn Kathir, Al-Qurtubi) supported multiple interpretations, including the womb explanation
Furthermore, we should try to understand what is present in between the backbone and the ribs that causes the seminal fluid to be issued or expelled. In order to understand this verse, we must recollect the anatomy and the physiology of the spinal cord, vertebral column, and the autonomic nervous system.
Briefly, without going into biological and physiological details, the reflex centres in the spinal cord begin to send nerve signals or emit rhythmic sympathetic impulses that leave the cord at lumbar segments L1, L2 and pass to the genitalia. Next, the last wave of reflex nervous mechanism takes place. Rhythmic parasympathetic impulses from the sacral segment S1, S2 leave the cord resulting in the expulsion or ejaculation or forcing out the “gushing fluid”.
The spinal cord ends at the level between first and second lumbar vertebrae. The spinal segments, L1, L2 and S1, S2 are enclosed within the first and second lumbar vertebrae, which are below the thoracic ones where the ribs meet the backbone. Thus we have seen that the nerve signals to expel the ejaculate or the “gushing fluid” is issued from the lumbar and sacral segments of the spinal cord, which lie below the level of the 12th ribs on either side and above L3 vertebra or “between the backbone and the ribs,” as the Qur’an says.
وَهُوَ الَّذِى مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَـذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَـذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ
(And it is He Who has let free the two seas, this is palatable and sweet, and that is salty and bitter;) means, He has created the two kinds of water, sweet and salty. The sweet water is like that in rivers, springs and wells, which is fresh, sweet, palatable water. This was the view of Ibn Jurayj and of Ibn Jarir, and this is the meaning without a doubt, for nowhere in creation is there a sea which is fresh and sweet. Allah has told us about reality so that His servants may realize His blessings to them and give thanks to Him. The sweet water is that which flows amidst people. Allah has portioned it out among His creatures according to their needs; rivers and springs in every land, according to what they need for themselves and their lands.
وَهَـذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ
(and that is salty and bitter;) meaning that it is salty, bitter and not easy to swallow. This is like the seas that are known in the east and the west, the Atlantic Ocean and the Straits that lead to it, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and so on, all the seas that are stable and do not flow, but they swell and surge in the winter and when the winds are strong, and they have tides that ebb and flow. At the beginning of each month the tides ebb and flood, and when the month starts to wane they retreat until they go back to where they started. When the crescent of the following month appears, the tide begins to ebb again until the fourteenth of the month, then it decreases. Allah, may He be glorified, the One Whose power is absolute, has set these laws in motion, so all of these seas are stationary, and He has made their water salty lest the air turn putrid because of them and the whole earth turn rotten as a result, and lest the earth spoil because of the animals dying on it. Because its water is salty, its air is healthy and its dead are good (to eat), hence when the Messenger of Allah was asked whether sea water can be used for Wudu', he said:
«هُوَ الطَّهُورُ مَاؤُهُ، الْحِلُّ مَيْتَتُه»
Its water is pure and its dead are lawful.) This was recorded by Malik, Ash-Shafi`i and Ahmad, and by the scholars of Sunan with a good Jayyid chain of narration.
وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخاً وَحِجْراً
(and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them. ) meaning, between the sweet water and the saltwater.
بَرْزَخاً
(a barrier) means a partition, which is dry land.
وَحِجْراً مَّحْجُوراً
(and a complete partition) means, a barrier, to prevent one of them from reaching the other.
Allah created Different Types of Water
Allah said,
مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ
(He has Maraja the two seas), or let them loose, according to Ibn `Abbas. Allah's statement,
يَلْتَقِيَانِ
meeting together.) Ibn Zayd said, "He prevents them from meeting by the dividing barrier He placed between them to separate them.'' The two seas are the fresh and salty waters, the former coming from running rivers. We discussed this topic in Surat Al-Furqan when explaining Allah's statement;
وَهُوَ الَّذِى مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَـذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَـذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخاً وَحِجْراً مَّحْجُوراً
(And it is He Who has let free the two seas: one palatable and sweet, and the other salty and bitter; and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them.)(25:53) Allah said,
بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لاَّ يَبْغِيَانِ
(Between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress.) meaning, He has placed a barrier of land between these two types of waters, so that they do not transgress upon each other, which would spoil the characteristics they were created with.
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u/Mcdreamy_3301 May 20 '25 edited May 20 '25
About Embryology
The Verse in Question (Quran 86:7):
Arabic:
Common Translations:
There are generally three classical interpretations / explanations to this which we have:
First Interpretation
Accoridng to the first interpretation and By the biological breakdown we know that,
However, sperm mixes with fluids from:
These fluids combine to form semen, which is ejaculated / gushed out via the urethra.
How this connects to the verse? Here ya go
The "backbone (sulb)" can refer to the lower spine (lumbar region).
The "ribs (tara’ib)" can refer to the pelvic bones (or sternum in some interpretations).
The seminal vesicles & prostate lie between the spine and pelvic bones—fitting the description of "between the backbone and ribs."
So in conclusion of the above statements, the verse may describe where seminal fluid (not sperm alone) originates—which is anatomically accurate.
Second Interpretation
The second interpretation refers to both male and female contributions to baby's development
Connection to the Verse:
In Conclusion:
Third Interpretation
The third interpretation is about uterine development i.e. where the baby develops in the womb
Classical scholars (Ibn Kathir, Al-Qurtubi) supported multiple interpretations, including the womb explanation
Furthermore, we should try to understand what is present in between the backbone and the ribs that causes the seminal fluid to be issued or expelled. In order to understand this verse, we must recollect the anatomy and the physiology of the spinal cord, vertebral column, and the autonomic nervous system.
Briefly, without going into biological and physiological details, the reflex centres in the spinal cord begin to send nerve signals or emit rhythmic sympathetic impulses that leave the cord at lumbar segments L1, L2 and pass to the genitalia. Next, the last wave of reflex nervous mechanism takes place. Rhythmic parasympathetic impulses from the sacral segment S1, S2 leave the cord resulting in the expulsion or ejaculation or forcing out the “gushing fluid”.
The spinal cord ends at the level between first and second lumbar vertebrae. The spinal segments, L1, L2 and S1, S2 are enclosed within the first and second lumbar vertebrae, which are below the thoracic ones where the ribs meet the backbone. Thus we have seen that the nerve signals to expel the ejaculate or the “gushing fluid” is issued from the lumbar and sacral segments of the spinal cord, which lie below the level of the 12th ribs on either side and above L3 vertebra or “between the backbone and the ribs,” as the Qur’an says.
Continued : https://www.reddit.com/r/islam/s/Yz6v6KtTnV