Salam,
Thank you for your question. I believe the verse you are referring to is from Chapter 86:6-7:
{He is created from a water gushing forth; Proceeding from between the back-bone and the ribs.}
There is much debate around these verses, and there are many interpretations of what the Arabic words “sulb” and “tara’ib” are referring to. Some say that the “sulb” is part of the man’s anatomy and the “tara’ib” are part of the woman’s anatomy. Some translate “sulb” to mean “backbone” and “tara’ib” to mean the breast bones of the woman.
The Qur’an does not specify the term “sperm”, as microscopic things were not understood at the time of the book’s revelation to Muhammad, but rather it accurately identifies semen as what emanates from a man’s body during intercourse in another way:
{Verily, We have created man from a drop of mixed fluid in order to try him, so We made him hear and see.} (Qur’an 76:2)
Sperm is produced in the male’s testes then passes through ejaculatory ducts and along the way mixes with fluids from the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland, and the bulbourethral glands to form semen. It is important to remember that the Qur’an, while revealed to Muhammad between 610 CE and 633 CE, before the age of the scientific discovery it inspired, had to make some sort of sense to people at that time while making sense to humanity throughout the time frame between Muhammad’s life and the Day of Judgement.
Some vague language is to be expected in this case. It is also, important to remember that much of what we know to be scientifically established facts today, can soon become misunderstandings in the future when matters are more clearly understood. At one time people believed that the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun revolved around the earth. So while it doesn’t make sense to us today, the proper interpretation of “sulb” and “tara’ib” may make sense to us sometime in the near future.
I hope this has been helpful. Please keep in touch.
Salam.
Thursday, Jan. 01, 1970 | 00:00 - 00:00 GMT
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