“We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an Alaqah* (leech, suspended thing, blood clot), then We made the Alaqah into a Mudghah** (chewed, lump)” The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 23,Verse 12-14
"In comparing a leech to the embryo at the transitory stage (alaqah) we find similarity between the two."
The developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., Page:8
"Also, the embryo at this stage obtains nourishment from the blood of the mother, similar to the leech which feeds on the blood of others."
Human Development as described in the Quran and Sunnah, Moore and others, Page:36
The second meaning of the word alaqah is “suspended thing”... The suspension of the embryo, during the alaqah stage, in the womb of the mother.
A brief guide to understanding Islam with colorful illustrations, I. A. Ibrahim,
“We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an Alaqah* (leech, suspended thing, blood clot), then We made the Alaqah into a Mudghah** (chewed, lump)” The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 23,Verse 12-14
"We find that the external appearance of the embryo and its sacs during the transitory stage (alaqah) is similar to that of a blood clot. This is due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo during this stage."
Human Development as described in the Quran and Sunnah, Moore and others, Page:37-38
"The blood in the embryo does not circulate until the end of the third week." Thus the embryo is like a clot of blood at this stage!
The embryo at the mudghah stage acquires the appearance of a chewed-like substance because of the somites at the back of the embryo that “somewhat resemble teethmarks in a chewed substance.”
The developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed.
* Alaqah : Bloodsucker (Pg.92), Suspended (Pg.745), Clot (Pg.146). Elias Modern Dictionary, E-A, 1992
** Mugdah : Chewed (Pg.137) Elias Modern Disctionary, E.A, 1992
