What does the Quran say about the stages of a baby in the womb?
The short answer
The Quran describes the human being created from a drop (nutfah), then a clinging clot (alaqah), then a lump of flesh (mudghah), then bones clothed with flesh, then "another creation", within three darknesses. The Prophet ﷺ said an angel is sent to the embryo to write its provision, lifespan, deeds and destiny, and the soul is then breathed into it.
Allah describes our beginning in a series of stages. Man was created from an extract of clay, then placed "as a
sperm-drop in a firm lodging". Then "We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump
[of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into
another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators" 1. Al-Mukhtasar explains "another creation" as
the soul being breathed in and the child brought out into life 8.
Surah al-Hajj gives the same stages as an argument for the resurrection: you were created from dust, then a
drop, a clinging clot, and a lump "formed and unformed - that We may show you", then settled in the womb for a
term and brought out as a child 2. Allah creates us "in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation,
within three darknesses" 3; Al-Mukhtasar explains these as the darkness of the belly, the womb and the placenta
4.
The Prophet ﷺ described the timing. A human being is gathered in his mother's womb for forty days, then becomes a
clot for a similar period, then a lump of flesh for a similar period; then an angel is sent to write four things:
his deeds, his provision, his lifespan, and whether he will be wretched or blessed; then the soul is breathed into
him 5. Another narration mentions the angel coming after forty-two nights to shape the embryo and its hearing,
sight, skin, flesh and bones 6. An angel is appointed over every womb 7.
The words are vivid Arabic images: alaqah is something that clings or hangs (it can also mean a leech or a
clot), and mudghah is a chewed lump. Some modern readers see a parallel with how the early embryo attaches
and looks. That is a reflection, not a proof: classical scholars read alaqah as a clot of blood 8, and the
texts are not a biology lesson, so this site does not present them as a scientific miracle.
These texts are first of all about faith: the same Lord who shaped you in darkness has written your provision and
your end. That is a reason for trust, not anxiety.
The evidence
1
Quran Al-Muminoon · 23:12–14
From clay, a drop in a firm lodging, a clinging clot, a lump, bones clothed with flesh, then another creation.
12 And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay 13 Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging 14 Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators
2
Quran Al-Hajj · 22:5
The stages of creation as proof of the resurrection, then birth and growth.
O People, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed - that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind
3
Quran Az-Zumar · 39:6
Allah creates us in the wombs, creation after creation, within three darknesses.
He created you from one soul. Then He made from it its mate, and He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight mates. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three darknesses. That is Allah, your Lord; to Him belongs dominion. There is no deity except Him, so how are you averted
4
TafsirAl-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir al-Quran · 39:6
O people, your Lord created you from one soul which is Adam, then He created from Adam his wife Eve. And He created for you eight kinds of animal for your benefit; from camels, cows, sheep and goats, from each type the male and the female. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, stage after stage, in the darkness of the stomach, womb and placenta. He who creates all of that is Allah your Lord. To Him alone belongs the kingdom. There is no true god besides Him, so how do you turn from His worship to worshipping those who create nothing but are created?
5
HadithSahih al-Bukhari 3208
SahihBukhari
Forty days each stage; an angel writes deeds, provision, lifespan and destiny; then the soul is breathed in.
Narrated `Abdullah bin Mas'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. So, a man amongst you may do (good deeds till there is only a cubit between him and Paradise and then what has been written for him decides his behavior and he starts doing (evil) deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire. And similarly a man amongst you may do (evil) deeds till there is only a cubit between him and the (Hell) Fire, and then what has been written for him decides his behavior, and he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise
After forty-two nights an angel shapes the embryo and its senses, and records its decree.
Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported:Evil one is he who is evil in the womb of his mother and the good one is he who takes a lesson from the (fate of) others. The narrator came to a person from amongst the Companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who was called Hudhaifa b. Usaid Ghifari and said: How can a person be an evil one without (committing an evil) deed? Thereupon the person said to him: You are surprised at this, whereas I have heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: When forty-two nights pass after the semen gets into the womb, Allah sends the angel and gives him shape. Then he creates his sense of hearing, sense of sight, his skin, his flesh, his bones, and then says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And your Lord decides as He desires and the angel then puts down that also and then says: My Lord, what about his age? And your Lord decides as He likes it and the angel puts it down. Then he says: My Lord, what about his livelihood? And then the Lord decides as He likes and the angel writes it down, and then the angel gets out with his scroll of destiny in his hand and nothing is added to it and nothing is subtracted from it
Narrated Anas bin Malik:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "At every womb Allah appoints an angel who says, 'O Lord! A drop of semen, O Lord! A clot. O Lord! A little lump of flesh." Then if Allah wishes (to complete) its creation, the angel asks, (O Lord!) Will it be a male or female, a wretched or a blessed, and how much will his provision be? And what will his age be?' So all that is written while the child is still in the mother's womb
I then created the lodged drop of sperm into a red clot of blood, which I then created into a piece of flesh, which I then created into hard bones. I then covered those bones with flesh and then developed it into a completely different creation, by blowing a soul into it and bringing it out into life. Praised is Allah, the best of creators!
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24