| The Last Stage of Fertilisation
When the sperm enters the egg, it sheds its tail and
leaves it outside. We may compare this to a space shuttle
which detaches its fuel tank when returning to earth.
As we know, when the fuel tanks which carry the shuttle
outside the earth's atmosphere have fulfilled their
purpose, they are released into space; when the fuel
inside them is used up, the tanks are an unnecessary
weight. To facilitate leaving the earth's atmosphere,
it is necessary that these tanks be released at exactly
the right time. In the same way, the tail of the sperm,
which provides the required energy and movement capability,
is left behind as the sperm attempts to enter the egg.
It is obvious to the attentive reader that fertilisation
is a highly calculated and systematic process. Very
slowly the fluids which surround the egg dissolve the
sperm's armour as it reaches the outer membrane surrounding
the egg. The enzymes that are released at the moment
the sperm's armour is perforated allow the sperm to
pierce the egg's outer membrane and enter. The change
in the electric charge at this moment repels other sperm
and protects the newly developing organism from uninvited
guests.
When the sperm reach the
egg, only one of them succeeds in penetrating
its protective membrane. (1) When the sperm
enters the egg, certain changes occur and the
egg closes itself to other sperm. (2-3) Once
it enters the egg, the sperm's tail breaks off
and remains outside. (4) Fertilisation occurs. |
If such a highly protective and cooperative system
had not been created, the union of the sperm and the
egg would never have been achieved.
If the egg cell had not secreted the guiding fluid,
it would not have been possible for the sperm to reach
the egg, which is so distant from it relative to its
own size.
If the sperm had not had its armour, they, like other
microorganisms, would have been dissolved in the fluid
surrounding the egg.
If special dissolving enzymes had not been placed beneath
this armour, the sperm would never have been able to
enter the egg, even after having gone so far as to reach
it.
If the electric charges of the sperm and the egg had
been the same and not opposite, the egg would have repelled
the sperm and no sperm would have entered the egg.
As we can see, in the union of a single sperm with
an egg, there is an extraordinary balance and calculation.
Furthermore, this balance and calculation have occurred
not just once; they have been repeated time and again
since the beginning of the human race for every one
of the millions of individuals spread throughout the
world.
Even in one single stage there is no room for chance
in this miraculous process, which shows very plainly
that God created human beings.
Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs
to Him. All are submissive to Him. It is He Who originated
creation and then regenerates it. That is very easy
for Him. His is the most exalted designation in the
heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.
(Qur'an, 30: 26-27)
 
 
The moment the sperm
enters the egg, it sheds its tail. In the pictures
above, we see, stage by stage, the breaking off
of the tail of a sperm that has managed to enter
an egg. This occurs because the continual movement
of the tail inside the egg would soon damage it.
This breaking off of a sperm's tail can be compared
to the jettisoning of fuel tanks and engines no
longer needed by missiles and shuttles as they
leave the earth's atmosphere on their way into
space. The fact that the sperm takes account of
something like this and detaches its tail in time,
so as not to damage the egg, is a sign of a highly
conscious activity. The One Who makes this sperm
act in this conscious manner is God, the Creator
of the sperm and the egg. |
The
Protective Armour of the Sperm
 
 
The head section of the
sperm has a protective armour. (1-2) Under this
armour there is a second armour, and under it
is the cargo that the sperm carries. (3-4) This
armour will protect the valuable cargo inside
it, that is, genetic information, from the harmful
materials around it. This protective armour
is very strong, yet is designed to open easily
at the appropriate moment. (5). For example,
during fertilisation this protective armour
in the head of the sperm opens and releases
the dissolving enzymes inside it. (6) The fact
that this wonderful design has been placed in
a microscopic cell is an example of God's flawless
creation.
|
| The
Determination of the Baby's Sex |
 Until
recently, people believed that a baby's sex was
determined by the mother's cells, or, at least,
that the sex was determined by cells from both
the mother and the father. But in the Qur'an there
is a different account of this matter; it says
that maleness and femaleness are created from
sperm entering the womb:
He (God) has created both sexes,
male and female, from a drop of semen which has
been ejected. (Qur'an, 53: 45-46)
The truth of this revelation of the
Qur'an has been confirmed scientifically by developments
in genetics and microbiology. It is now understood
that sex is determined by the male sperm and that
the female egg plays no role in this determination.
What determines sex is chromosomes. Of the 46
chromosomes that determine the human structure,
two are called sex chromosomes. These two chromosomes
are labelled XY in males and XX in females, because
the respective chromosomes resemble these letters.
The Y chromosome carries male genes and the X
chromosome carries female genes. The formation
of a human being begins with the union of one
of each of these chromosomes which are present
in pairs in the male and female. During ovulation
in the female, the sex cell divides into two,
each carrying the X chromosome. In males, the
sex cell divides into two sperm, one carrying
the X chromosome and the other carrying the Y
chromosome. If the X chromosome in the female
unites with a sperm carrying the X chromosome,
the baby will be a girl; if it unites with a sperm
containing the Y chromosome, the baby will be
a boy.
That is, the sex of the baby depends
on which chromosome in the male unites with the
female egg.
Certainly, until the science of genetics
appeared, that is, until the twentieth century,
these facts were unknown. In many cultures it
was generally believed that a baby's sex was determined
by the female. Precisely for this reason, a woman
who gave birth to a girl was condemned. However,
in the Qur'an, 13 centuries before the discovery
of genes, this superstition was rejected by the
revelation that the origins of sex do not come
from the female, but from the semen of the male.
The Qur'an is the word of God, the
Lord of all the worlds. Such scientific miracles
are among the evidence of this fact.
It is a Book We have sent down
to you, full of blessing, so let people of intelligence
ponder its Signs and take heed. (Qur'an, 38: 29) |
|
The sex of a baby depends on which male chromosome
unites with the female egg. Of the 23 pairs of
chromosomes (that is, 46 individual chromosomes),
2 are called sex chromosomes. These two chromosomes
are designated as XY in the male and XX in the
female. The Y chromosome carries male genes, the
X chromosome, female genes. The formation of a
human body begins with the union of one of each
of these chromosomes, which are present in pairs
in males and females (left). If the X chromosome
in the female unites with the sperm containing
the X chromosome in the male, the baby will be
a girl; if it unites with the sperm containing
the Y chromosome in the male, the baby will be
a boy. (Gerard J. Tortora, Introduction to the
Human Body: Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology,
pp. 569-570) |
|
The
Miracle Of Human Creation
