The third meaning of the word alaqah is "blood clot". We
find that the external appearance of the embryo and its sacs during the alaqah
stage is similar to that of a blood clot. This is due to the presence of
relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo during this stage (see
figure 4). Also during this stage the blood in the embryo does not circulate
until the end of the third week. Thus the embryo at this stage is like a clot of
blood.
Figure
4:Diagram of the primitive cardiovascular system in an embryo during the alaqah
stage. The external appearance of the embryo and its sacs is similar to that of
a blood clot due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in
the embryo. (The Developing Human, Moore, 5th ed., p. 65.)
So the three meanings of the word alaqah correspond accurately to the
descriptions of the embryo at the alaqah stage.
The source of this article is www.islam-guide.com
Go back to the Main Page
|