In Surah Az-Zumar (The Groups), Allah describes the creation of man in his mother's womb:
"He created you from one soul. Then He made from it its mate. And He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight animals. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three veils of darkness. That is Allah, your Lord; to Him belongs dominion. There is no deity except Him, so how are you averted?" (Az-Zumar 39:6)
The expression "three veils of darkness" (zulumatin thalath) has long intrigued commentators. Modern embryology has shed remarkable light on this expression.
The three darknesses: three protective layers
Modern embryology has identified three membranes or layers that surround and protect the fetus during pregnancy:
- The maternal abdominal wall: the outermost layer, consisting of the skin, muscles and tissues of the mother's abdomen.
- The uterine wall: the muscular wall of the uterus (myometrium) that contains and protects the embryo.
- The amnio-chorionic membrane: the assembly formed by the chorion and amnion, the fetal membranes that directly surround the fetus and amniotic fluid.
These three successive layers effectively constitute "darkness" in the sense that light cannot penetrate them, protecting the developing embryo.
A complementary interpretation: the three stages
Some researchers have proposed a complementary interpretation: the "three darknesses" could also designate the three successive stages of prenatal development — the germinal stage (nutfah), the embryonic stage (alaqah) and the fetal stage (mudghah) — each unfolding in the darkness of the maternal womb.
This double reading — anatomical (three layers) and chronological (three stages) — illustrates the richness of the Quranic text and its compatibility with modern embryological knowledge.
A sign that invites meditation
The verse concludes by reminding that this meticulous creation, step by step, in the protective darkness of the womb, is the work of Allah, the Lord of the universe. For the believer, the Quranic description of the "three veils of darkness" nourishes meditation on the Creator's care, who lays layer upon layer to protect the being in formation. Modern science, by describing the fetal membranes and the stages of development, here offers a confirmation that deepens the understanding of the text, without claiming to exhaust its meaning.
Arguments of the detractors
This convergence, often cited, calls for several reservations that should be known in order to preempt criticism:
- The number "three" is ambiguous: classical commentators proposed several identifications of the "three darknesses" (the three layers, but also the darkness of the belly, that of the uterus and that of the placenta, or the three stages of development). The text does not specify which, leaving room for several readings.
- Retrospective reading: identifying the "three darknesses" with the three modern anatomical layers is a retrospective reading (eisegesis): the text does not explicitly describe membranes, and the notion of fetal membranes was unknown in the 7th century.
- 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.
- A fragile "chronological" reading: equating the three darknesses with the three stages (nutfah, alaqah, mudghah) is an additional, non-consensual interpretation that superimposes two distinct notions of the text.