As previously indicated , the term sulalah , could be used to describe the extraction of components of creation  ( sperm and ovum) from the male and the female germinal fluids respectively . Allah , the Almighty , Said: ”Then He (God) made his (man’s) progeny from a quintessence (sulalah) of  Al-maa’al-mahin (a very little weak  fluid )”  (Surah As-Sajdah, 32: Ayah 8).

In Arabic , the term As-sulalah has several meanings ; gentle extraction of fluid ; a something of little amount or an extract of something (being the best of it). According to previous  meanings of  Sulalah it becomes clear how the Quran’ic description was accurate and miraculous , in describing the extraction of the components of creation (sperm and ovum ) from reproductive fluids in males and females . How to show this on scientific basis??

The modern science had supported this view as follows  :

1- In male, the sperm that succeeds in fertilizing  the ovum , has passed several selective processes .

The normal ejaculate is 3 – 5 ml , with each ml containing 80 – 100 million sperm . The process of selection starts by gentle extraction of the sperms from the semen  ( the male fluid).

After ejaculation , the sperms migrate from the vagina towards the uterus. The  cervical mucus , which is otherwise fairly impervious to sperm, becomes clear and gel-like (through a realignment of its molecules) during the fertile phase of the woman’s menstrual cycle. It forms another selective process as it only allows the strong sperms to pass.  Moreover, only the capacitated sperms are  able to fertilize the ovum .  (Capacitation of sperms  is due to removal of  glycoproteins from the head of the sperm , by the action of enzymes secreted by the linings of the uterus and of the uterine tubes ).   In addition ,  the  enzymes secreted by the uterine tubes loosen the follicular cells around the ovum to  expose the protective membranes to the sperm. Thus , only a tiny volume of the male sperms reaches the oocyte in the fallopian tube .

2-In female, there are also selective processes that start during early fetal life . The oogonia  , the stem cells of the ova , undergo repeated mitotic divisions to reach about 6,000,000 in each ovary by the fifth fetal month :

- Before birth , numerous oogonia degenerate leaving about 2,000,000 that differentiate into much larger cells, called primary oocytes . Each primary oocyte  is surrouded by a layer of flat follicular cells to form the  primordial or primary  ovarian follicle , all these follicles  remain dormant until puberty is reached.

- At puberty, the majority of primary oocytes become atretic leaving only about 40,000 in each ovary . Each month , a pool of growing follicles is established , but only 15-20 follicles of this pool start maturation. Only one of these follicles is selected , by an  unknown mechanism , to continue growth  into a mature follicle and the others degenerate and  finally changes into atretic follicles.

- At ovulation, rupture of the mature ovarian follicle  occurs , and  only the secondary oocyte ( now called the ovum )  surrounded by zona pellucida and corona radiata into the peritoneal cavity to continue development , whereas the remaining part of the follicle persists in the ovary , changes into the corpus luteum in about 3 days.

It was estimated that  only about 400 of 40000 primary oocytes at puberty  will be ovulated during the reproductive period of an average women .Thus , it is clear that  there is a continuous selection throughout the life of the woman.

According to modern embryology , the first sperm which touches the cell membrane of the ovum enters easily, but immediately afterwards a rapid change occurs in zona pellucida and in the cell membrane and all other sperm are locked out     . Thus , fertilization does not occur from all of the genital fluids from the male and female, but from a minute portion of them and through special selection for these components . Therefore , the term sulalah accurately describes the selection of components of creation (sperm and ova) from their respective fluids .

In addition to the description given by Qura’n to selection of components of creation “Sulalah” , we found that these  facts are in accordance with the amazing hadith of Prophet Mohammad , peace and blessings be upon him, in which  he clearly and accurately determined that creation of offspring does not occur from all the fluid : “Not from all the fluid is the offspring created” (Sahih Muslim: Kitab An-Nikah, Bab Al-Azl).

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