The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 235
234 Ā'ĪNA-E-KAMĀLĀT-E-ISLĀM―DĀFI‘UL-WASĀWIS being created nor did they see their bundle, but the reference here is to the heaven and earth of spirit, the bundle of which was opened to the view of all of Arab disbelievers and the bounties of heaven were made to spread upon the earth. Reverting to the earlier subject, I wish to state that the mingling of the sperm and ovum is the first stage of development, and then, this composite having the requisite powers of binding and being bound, assumes a redness under the influence of an excitement. In other words, the semen which was a product of the blood returns to its original col- our [of the blood]. This is the second stage. Then that clot of blood, which is called at [‘alaqah—clot], turns into a ä[muḍghah—piece of flesh], which bears a faint resemblance to the shape of a human form. This is the third stage. Close examination of the aborted foetus in this stage reveals some traces of the transformation of the foetus into the human form. Many an abortion takes place in this stage. Women who have suffered this abortion or work as midwives are very familiar with this matter. The fourth stage is that in which bones are formed from the s [muḍghah-piece of flesh] as is pointed out in the verse: فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَمًا The definite article al on [al-muḍghah] is for the purpose of particularization, the object of which is to point out that the whole of the flesh does not turn into bones, but the flesh of those regions where bones are needed hardens and turns partly into bones by the command of God Almighty and partly remains as a soft piece of flesh as before. In this stage, the human form becomes manifestly apparent, to detect which one does not require any microscope. The true human form takes its shape in this stage, but it is still devoid of laḥm [flesh]— that heavy, graceful, and sparkling clothing which brings to view all the 1. Surah al-Mu'minun, 23:15 [Publisher]