Does the Hadith About Embryonic Stages Contradict Modern Science? When Is the Soul Actually Breathed into the Fetus?
Question
Can you please clarify something for me? I feel confused because it seems like there is a contradiction between an authentic hadith and modern science.
The hadith says the baby goes through stages for 40 days, then another 40 days, then another 40 days, and then the angel comes to give life and the soul.
But modern science shows that the baby shows signs of life within the first 40 days.
What should we follow? Thank you.
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
1. The Shar‘i Context
The issue you mentioned is well-known among scholars.
One narration appears to say each stage (nutfah → alaqah → mudghah) is 40 days, totaling 120 days, after which the soul is breathed.
Another narration and a careful reading of the Arabic show that all three stages occur within the first 40 days, and the soul is breathed after that, well before 120 days.
Because of this, classical scholars differed about the exact interpretation.
2. How the Scholars Reconciled the Hadith
The interpretation that the stages each last 40 days is based on one reading of the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, where the Prophet said:
“…then it becomes a clot like that, then a lump of flesh like that…”
Some scholars assumed “like that” refers to another 40 days.
But other major scholars rejected that interpretation, because:
3. Sahih Muslim Clarifies the Meaning
Muslim narrates the same hadith from Ibn Mas‘ud with wording that shows all stages occur within the same 40 days:
“…ثم يكون في ذلك علقة مثل ذلك، ثم يكون في ذلك مضغة مثل ذلك…”
“…then within that same period it becomes a clot… then within that it becomes a lump…”
The phrase “في ذلك” (in that) indicates:
- The nutfah, alaqah, and mudghah all occur inside the first 40 days,
- Not three separate forty-day blocks.
This is the interpretation supported by:
- Ibn al-Zamalkani
- Many hadith and Arabic grammar specialists
- Embryology-focused Muslim scholars
They explained that “مثل ذلك” (like that) refers to the formation, not the time period.
4. The Hadith of Hudhayfah ibn Asid (Muslim) Confirms This
The Prophet said:
“When 42 nights have passed over the nutfah, Allah sends an angel to shape it, create its hearing, vision, skin, flesh, and bones, then writes its provision, lifespan, and gender.”
(Sahih Muslim)
This hadith is explicit:
- The angel arrives after 42 days,
- The embryonic shaping begins after 40–42 days,
- Not after 120 days.
This directly supports the interpretation that:
- The full formation begins around day 40,
- The soul is breathed shortly after.
5. Does This Contradict Modern Science?
No.
Modern embryology shows:
- Major organ formation begins around day 40,
- The embryo transitions from cellular to human structure around day 42,
- The nervous system and heartbeat appear early.
This aligns precisely with the Hudhayfah hadith, not the misunderstood 120-day reading.
6. So When Is the Soul Actually Breathed In?
When the authentic narrations are taken together, the result is:
- The stages (nutfah → alaqah → mudghah) occur within the first 40 days
- The angel descends shortly after 40 days
- The soul is breathed after 40–42 days
- Not 120 days
This is the position supported by many contemporary scholars who reconcile hadith with embryology.
7. Relevant Usul Principle
إذا تعارض المحتملان وجب ردّ المتشابه إلى المحكم
When two possibilities exist in the text, the unclear must be explained by the clear.
The hadith of Hudhayfah (clear and explicit) explains the meaning of the Ibn Mas‘ud narration (which has two possible interpretations).
Thus the soul is breathed around the 40-day mark, not after 120 days.
Final Ruling
There is no contradiction between the authentic hadith and modern science.
The correct interpretation supported by the clearer narrations in Sahih Muslim and confirmed by embryology is that all three embryonic stages occur within the first 40 days, and the soul is breathed shortly after that, around day 40–42.
And Allah knows best.