Study of  Doubts of Qquranic Researches

Study of Doubts of Qquranic Researches

"A Re-reading of the Interpretation of Verse 7 of Surah al-Tariq 'Yakhruju min bayni al-sulbi wa al-tara'ib' with a Response to Dr. Soha's Doubts"

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Academic staff of the University of Sciences and Education of the Holy Quran / General Director of Education and Graduate Studies of the University
10.22034/sdqr.2026.578241.1189
Abstract
Verse 7 of Surah al-Tariq, a frequently debated verse on human creation, has sparked interpretive and scientific contention due to three key ambiguities: the lexical meanings of its terms, the referent of the pronoun in the verb *yakhruju* (whether the "gushing fluid" or the human being emerges), and whether the anatomical reference pertains to the male, the female, or both. These uncertainties have led some exegetes to interpret the verse as describing seminal emission from the man's back and the woman's chest—interpretations that conflict with modern embryology and fuel skepticism among critics of the Qur'an. Employing an analytical-critical method and relying on intra-textual evidence and verse context, this study proposes a novel, coherent reading. The findings reveal that the surah's central theme is affirming resurrection through three recurrent natural phenomena: the emergence of the fetus from the womb (the verse in question), the return of rain (verse 11), and the sprouting of plants (verse 12). Contextually, the pronoun in *yakhruju* refers to "the human being" (*al-insān*), not the "gushing fluid," consistent with pronoun usage in subsequent verses. Furthermore, other Qur'anic passages—such as al-Hajj (22:5), 'Abasa (80:19–20), al-Nahl (16:78), and Ghafir (40:23; 14:23)—support the interpretation that this verse addresses childbirth and the fetus's passage through the mother's lumbar region (*ṣulb*) and ribcage (*tarā'ib*), rather than the origin of seminal fluid. This reading harmonizes with modern science, effectively demonstrates the surah's thematic coherence, and links initial creation to eschatological re-creation, thereby resolving longstanding ambiguities and countering skeptical objections.
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  • Receive Date 26 February 2026
  • Revise Date 24 July 2026
  • Accept Date 24 February 2026