In Surah Ya-Sin, Allah reports the question of a man who doubted the resurrection:
"And he presents for Us an example and forgets his [own] creation. He says, 'Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?' Say, 'He will give them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.'" (Ya-Sin 36:78-79)
This rhetorical question, posed by a skeptic, receives a profound answer: He who created man the first time is capable of recreating him. Modern science of bone biology sheds fascinating light on the nature of bone tissue.
Bone: a living tissue in perpetual renewal
Contrary to the widespread idea that bone is an inert and fixed structure, modern biology has revealed that bone tissue is a living and dynamic organ, in perpetual renewal.
Bone remodeling is a continuous process by which old bone is resorbed by osteoclasts and replaced by new bone formed by osteoblasts. This process repairs micro-damage, adapts bone structure to mechanical stresses and regulates calcium metabolism.
It is estimated that the human skeleton is entirely renewed approximately every 10 years through this remodeling process.
Bone regeneration
Bone tissue also possesses a remarkable capacity for regeneration after fracture. Unlike many other tissues, bone can repair itself completely, restoring its original structure and function.
This capacity of bone to renew and regenerate itself, progressively discovered by modern biology, illustrates the vitality of a tissue once believed to be inert.
Bone stem cells
The bone marrow, located inside the bones, contains hematopoietic stem cells capable of producing all blood cells, as well as mesenchymal stem cells capable of differentiating into bone, cartilage and fat cells.
This capacity of bones to house the most fundamental stem cells of the organism reinforces the symbolic scope of the Quranic question: bone is not a dead structure, but a deeply living and regenerative tissue.
A sign of creative power
The Quranic answer — "He will give them life who produced them the first time" — takes on particular resonance in light of modern biology. The capacity of bone to renew itself, regenerate and house the stem cells of the organism testifies to the creative power that designed this remarkable structure.