In Surah Al-Insan (76:2), the Quran declares: "Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him."
The Arabic term "nutfah amshaj" (mixed drop of semen) is remarkably precise. It describes seminal fluid as a mixture of components, which modern biology has confirmed: semen is composed of spermatozoa, secretions from the seminal glands, prostate, and Cowper's glands.
Some authors have seen in the term "amshaj" (mixed) an allusion to the mixing of male and female gametes during fertilization, where the sperm fuses with the egg to form a single cell containing the genetic material of both parents. This reading, though appealing, remains one interpretation among others: most classical exegetes understand "amshaj" as referring to the mixing of the components of the seminal fluid itself.
The discovery of spermatozoa by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1677, and the understanding of fertilization in the 19th century, showed that the human being indeed comes from the meeting of a drop of semen with an egg.
The Quran also uses the term "nutfah" (drop) to describe the initial stage of embryonic development, a description consistent with the small amount of fluid involved in fertilization.
For the believer, this insistence of the text on the humble and mixed origin of the human being nourishes meditation on God's creative power, who draws man from an infinitesimal drop. Modern science, far from contradicting the text, here offers a confirmation that deepens its understanding.
Detractors' arguments
This convergence, though often cited, calls for several reservations that one should know to preempt criticism:
- Interpretation of the term "amshaj" debated: the idea that "amshaj" refers to the mixing of male and female gametes (sperm and egg) is a modern reading not shared by classical exegetes, who see in it rather the mixing of the components of semen. The science of fertilization was of course unknown in the 7th century.
- Retrospective reading: bringing a Quranic term closer to a later scientific discovery falls under a retrospective reading (eisegesis) whose scope is debated: the text does not explicitly describe the fusion of gametes.
- Science confirms the word of Allah: the verse describes a reality that modern observation reaches, and it cannot be otherwise, for the word of Allah is truth.