By Naqiyah Ahmad Murad

When we first came to this world, we arrived as a baby.

Naturally born out of our mothers’ wombs.

We didn’t know anything about our Rabb, we only knew to cry. As we get older, we would then learn, and seek knowledge.

Allah SWT mercifully sent us a book of guidance, from which we would learn, and that is — Al-Quran.

Al-Quran, the book of guidance.

IN IT LIES MANY SECRETS AND KNOWLEDGE THAT ALLAH SWT SHARED WITH US, INCLUDING SOMETHING AS MYSTERIOUS AS THE BIRTH OF A CHILD. HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW OF OURSELVES?

How much do we truly know of our own creation?

When we feel an ache somewhere we say, “ouch, my body hurts.” We call it “my body”, but how can we call something “mine” when we know nothing about it?

We can’t see the cells doing its work in our bodies, we can’t see the internal organs performing its functions, and funnily enough, we don’t even know how to get it working ourselves!

And do you know why?

Because we didn’t create ourselves. We were created by our Rabb, the same Rabb that sent down His book of guidance for us to seek HIm and uncover Him.

“He creates you in the wombs of your mothers ˹in stages˺, one development after another, in three layers of darkness.”

Az-Zumar:6

He created you in secret in the three layers of darkness which is firstly, the safety of your mother’s womb, secondly, the blanket of the placenta, and thirdly, the darkness of your mother’s belly. Before scientists performed their research, Allah SWT had already informed us of our formation.

“Did We not create you from a humble fluid? Placing it in a secure place, Until an appointed time?”

Al-Mursalat:20-22

Right here, even at the very beginning of the developing process, Allah SWT already told us exactly how it’s done, that it started with a sperm-drop. How long did mankind take to find out about this? If we truly knew it ourselves, we would have known this detail immediately, but it’s a secret that only our Rabb, our Creator knows.

“Then We developed the drop into a clinging clot, then developed the clot into a lump ˹of flesh˺, then developed the lump into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, then We brought it into being as a new creation. So Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators.”

Al-Mu’minun: 14

From then, in this verse, we learn that Allah SWT shared the rest of the process to us.

The “clinging clot” refers to the alaqah stage, the embryo that was developed after fertilisation of the sperm and egg.

This clot developed into a lump of flesh, also known as chewed-like meat, which is what our embryos looked like at its early stage.

And finally, this flesh would develop bones and other little organs, becoming a full fetus.

A “new creation” which Allah SWT says will grow into a toddler, an adolescent, and an elderly, and finally back to the grave and returned to the Creator.

After all, we were not meant to be here forever, and we do not belong to ourselves.

Allah SWT sent down His book of guidance through His Messenger, our beloved Rasul, who also shared the following:

“Narrated `Abdullah bin Mus’ud:

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, the true and truly inspired said,

“(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period.

Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things.

He is ordered to write down his (i.e. the new creature’s) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion).

Then the soul is breathed into him.”

Bukhari

When the age of the unborn child reaches 120 days, it no longer remains a lifeless object, it is now a breathing, living human being.

How merciful is our Rabb at the beauty of His Creation that He designed so perfectly?

“That is Allah—your Lord! All authority belongs to Him. There is no god ˹worthy of worship except Him. How can you then be turned away?”

Az-Zumar: 6

So, my dear brothers and sisters, read. Know that your life does not belong to you, so remove your ignorance and seek your Lord who created you, whom your life belongs to.

Read and read and read, and your Lord will be more and more apparent to you.

May Allah SWT accept our efforts.

Do You Believe in One God
& Ready to [Re]start your Journey of Faith & Gratitude as a Muslim?