Page 326 - General Knowledge from the Qur'an

324 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE FROM THE QUR'AN

phasis in this statement announces a fact only discovered by modern
science is evidence that the statement is divine in origin.
The Mixture in the Semen
The fluid called semen, which contains the sperms, does not consist
of sperms alone. On the contrary, it is made up of a mixture of different
fluids. These fluids have different functions, such as containing the
sugar necessary for providing energy for the sperms, neutralising the
acids at the entrance of the uterus, and creating a slippery environ-
ment for the easy movement of the sperms.
Interestingly enough, when semen is mentioned in the Qur'an, this
fact, which was discovered by modern science, is also referred to, and
semen is defined as a mixed fluid:
We created man from a mingled drop to test him, and We made
him hearing and seeing.„ (Surat al-Insan, 2)
In another verse, semen is again referred to as a mixture, and it is
stressed that man is created from the "extract" of this mixture:
He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He com-
menced the creation of man from clay; then He made his prog-
eny from an extract of discarded fluid. (Surat as-Sajda, 7-8)
The Arabic word "sulala", translated as "extract", means the essential
or best part of something. By either implication, it means "part of a
whole". This shows that the Qur'an is the word of a Will that knows the
creation of man down to its slightest detail. This Will is Allah, the Cre-
ator of man.
The Sex of the Baby
Until fairly recently, it was thought that a baby's sex was determined
by the mother's cells. Or at least, it was believed that the sex was de-
termined by the male and female cells together. But we are given dif-
ferent information in the Qur'an, where it is stated that masculinity or
femininity is created out of "a drop of sperm which has been ejected".
He has created both sexes, male and female from a drop of
semen which has been ejected. (Surat an-Najm, 45-46)
The developing disciplines of genetics and molecular biology have
scientifically validated the accuracy of this information given by the
Qur'an. It is now understood that sex is determined by the sperm cells