Why is sperm mentioned as a drop of water in the Quran?

- It is stated in the Quran that man was created from a drop of water. For instance, the following is stated:
“Had he not been a drop of sperm from semen emitted?” (al-Qiyamah, 37)
- It is stated in the verse that we were created from a drop of sperm in semen. Sperm is called a drop. Sperm are male germ cells produced in the testicles of men. They go to the bladder from the seminal duct and mix with seminal fluid. This mixture forms semen; about 10% of semen is sperm cells.
- Semen leaves the bladder and goes to the womb. The sperm in the semen is solid and in the form of an active creature. Why is sperm described as a drop of water?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The Quran addresses all people that will come up to the Day of Judgment.

Therefore, people in every era learn from the Quran how they need to understand their creator, what their duties are toward Allah, who created them, who will resurrect them and how they will be called to account. That is the main duty of religion.

The stages of the creation of every being and how they are created are explained within the framework of the knowledge that the people of every era have. Knowing them in detail is related to those who are engaged in that science.

What a Muslim should know about creation is that everything is created by Allah and that they will be resurrected by Him again.

In order to understand the meaning of the verses, that is, their messages to us, correctly, it is necessary to rely on the views of those who are specialized in this subject because sometimes the verses explain the issue with a simile, that is, with a metaphor. Sometimes they give slight implications. Sometimes they may express the issue directly.

It is necessary to be very careful about similes, i.e. metaphors because sometimes people think metaphors are used in literal sense. For example, the expression “a man like a lion” is used in order to express a man's strength. Man is likened to lion.

There are also figurative meanings. In other words, something other than the real meaning is meant. For example, to express that the head of the family is the father, we say “The father is the pillar of the house”. Nobody thinks that father is holding the ceiling like a pillar inside the house. Another example: "If you give ear to what is spoken, you will benefit." It means if you listen carefully.

Semen is something and sperm is something else

After this short explanation, let us go back to the verse above:

“Had he not been a drop of sperm from semen emitted?”

What is sperm likened to in the verse? A drop (of water/fluid). There is an element of rhetoric here. This expression attracts attention to the fact that the sperm looks like a drop. A compound is given the name of the overwhelming substance in it. A great majority of semen is water. That is why, it is called a drop of water.

What is the point of objection here? Very little part of sperm is water; therefore, this expression contradicts science.

It is stated in the verse that what is emitted is semen. The person who asks the question accepts that sperm is the same as semen. What is wrong is not the Quran but our understanding. That is, sperm and semen are different things. Semen is the fluid that comes out when a man ejaculates. It contains sperm but its rate is 5-10%. Therefore, sperm is likened to a drop of water/fluid since it is like a drop of water and it contains a lot of water.

There are millions of sperm in semen, which is like a drop of water. The one that will carry out the duty of insemination is a single sperm.

Such a statement is appropriate and it can be understood by everyone.  

There are many verses about the creation of man in the Quran. Some of them are as follows:

“It is Allah Who created you in a state of (helpless) weakness.” (ar-Rum, 54)

“It is We Who have created you: why will ye not witness the Truth? Do ye then see?- The (human Seed) that ye throw out,- Is it ye who create it, or are We the Creators? (al-Waqia, 57-59)

God Almighty attracts attention in the verses above to the fact that semen, which forms the basis of man, is created from the human body and that man is created from that semen.

What man is asked to know is not the nature of the semen but the miracle of the creation the organs like eyes, ears, hands and feet from the semen which is like a drop of water and who does it.

If the Quran had said, “Do you not look at this semen, the sperm in it, the chromosomes in the sperm and the genes that have the genetic characteristic of man?”, the people living at that age, who did not know about chromosomes and genes and who did not have the instruments to examine them, would have said, “What we see is a drop of water. This is completely imaginary and nonsensical. Can there be a religion like this?”

A person who knows that Allah created man from semen in the form of a drop of water is a believer and a candidate for Paradise. However, if a person who knows that semen in detail and who has discovered the millions of sperm, and the genes chromosomes in the sperm and who has received the Nobel prize for it does not know Allah and attributes them to chance and nature, that person is a candidate for Hell.

That is the main duty of the religion: To inform people about the creator and to make them know Him. It will be through examples that people will understand and know.

Some of the verses stating that the first man was created out of clay, that his offspring was created from semen and that he will be resurrected after death by Allah are as follows:

“Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay); Then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed; Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create! After that, at length ye will die: Again, on the Day of Judgment, will ye be raised up.” (al-Muminun, 12-16)

“He Who has made everything which He has created most good: He began the creation of man with (nothing more than) clay, And made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised: But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of His spirit. And He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (and understanding): little thanks do ye give!

“And they say: "What! when we lie, hidden and lost, in the earth, shall we indeed be in a Creation renewed? Nay, they deny the Meeting with their Lord.

Say: The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls: then shall ye be brought back to your Lord.” (as-Sajda, 7-11)

“Now let man but think from what he is created! He is created from a drop emitted-Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs: Surely (Allah) is able to bring him back (to life)!” (at-Tariq, 5-8)

“And your creation or your resurrection is in no wise but as an individual soul: for Allah is He Who hears and sees (all things).” (Luqman, 28)

In the verses above, God Almighty attracts attention to fact that man was created by Allah and that he will be created by Allah again in the hereafter.

It is indicated in the Quran that all living beings were created from water (semen) as follows:

“And Allah has created every animal from water: of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills for verily Allah has power over all things.” (an-Nur, 45)

Conclusion:

The Quran informs people about Allah and their duties toward Allah; it teaches people that they will be resurrected after death, called to account for what they do in the world and that those who believe and do good deeds will be sent to Paradise and those who do not accept Allah will be sent to Hell, where they will remain forever.

In order to inform people about those things, the facts are told to them by drawing attention to what they know and see and by giving examples related to them. The Quran was not sent down to tell people about all sciences in detail.

Besides, is the purpose man’s being sent to the world not to know Allah and worship Him? Dealing with science and philosophy is left to people's own preferences. It is stated by the Quran that he who does not know science and philosophy but knows Allah and worships Him will go to Paradise and that he who knows science and philosophy very well but who does not know Allah will go to Hell.

If man looks at his own creation beginning from the zygote, which is a cell, he will understand that it is done by Allah. In fact, everything, from the circulation of blood in his body to the renewal of the cells every moment so that he will continue living, takes place outside the power and will of man. Who does all those things?

The Prophet states the following in a hadith: "He who knows his soul knows Allah." (see Ajluni, 2/262). Thus, man can find Allah and understand His power and strength by looking at his own creation and the continuation of his life all the time.

This world is the world testing. If man wishes, he can believe and make his world good and his afterlife nice; or, he can deny Allah, ruining both his world and his afterlife. A small sign is enough for those who understand and believe but all evidence is meaningless and insufficient for those who do not understand and whose hearts and souls are completely distorted. The following is stated in a proverb:

A word to the wise is enough.

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