The universe as a whole is a grand book of God,
Try any of its letters; the meaning of each reveal nothing but Him
Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem

Experts of mystical journey profess that to be able to attain true faith, one must have an encompassing sight. Only with such a sight will the essence of unity felt deep within resonate in the conscience, and constant signs indicating God will be observed on every thing and every face. When one reaches the horizon of “There is nothing more manifest than God the Truth / He is only concealed to those lacking eyes,” they will flutter over the colorful flowers in the garden of the universe with the enthusiasm of wondering, “Isn’t there more?” and will form the honeycombs of Divine Knowledge.

It is difficult to attain such a result for one who steps into the gardens of existence without gaining an encompassing sight. For example, while contemplating the multitude of flowers, the sight will be distracted, and the meanings collected somehow will not be distilled into divine knowledge because they will not receive affirmation in the heart. Hence, the sight must first be turned to the human, who is an infinitesimal model of the universe, and after reading this reference point, a telescopic view must be obtained to read the Book of the Universe. “Because the accurate reading of the outer dimensions depends on the correct reading of the inner dimensions” [1].

Intending for the sweetest honey

In this journey, the mind, like other organs, becomes a subject of the heart and follows its guidance. To bear witness to this journey, the residents in the realms of earthly and heavenly Dominion convene in the conscience – the human conscience that can be as expansive as to contain all that is there. As they do so, the primordial testimony we gave before we were born into this world echoes therein.

The heart draws nigh to the mind, dusts off its clothing and gifts its friend a pair of wings made of pure light and emerald, for it to soar into the heavens. The mind, like a honeybee leaving its hive to collect pollen, intends for the sweetest honey and takes flight. With the eyes of its friend, the heart, it observes the human, the infinitesimal model of the universe.

The journey begins from the womb of a mother.

Enthusiasm and the gift of life

As it opens its eyes with curiosity and turns its sight upon its body, the mind first catches the glimpse of an inclusive and perfect order and an encompassing and delicate balance [2]. Intending to see the Governor who created this marvelous order and delicate balance, the mind embarks on its journey from the point where the indicators of the divine name The Infinite Last transforms into the manifestations of the divine name The Very First. At this point, the sperm and egg cells, which become nuclei, quit on being themselves to grow into a new being, and they become annihilated in each other. For this meeting, the sperm covers demanding distances with great enthusiasm, and the egg, despite its apparent inertia, attracts the sperm towards itself by diverse mechanisms. Enthusiasm, manifested in the sperm as a palpable activity, manifests itself in the egg as active patience. Both take such a pleasure in obeying the law of creation and adhering to the Divine Commandment that they perish themselves with great enthusiasm to become a single cell honored with the gift of life. Thus, enthusiasm becomes the bearer of the gift called life—that is, the enthusiasm becomes a means to receive the gift of life. The human body, which will become the bearer of the gift called the soul, will develop from this single cell called the “zygote.”

Order

The mind witnesses the first steps in the creation of a marvelous order in this new cell which has been worthy of the manifestations from the divine name al-Batin (the All-Inward, the Hidden) thanks to its inherent potential. 12-24 hours after the creation of the zygote, mitotic divisions begin with a divine command, and with each division, two identical cells are formed from one cell. Rapid divisions and the hardening of the covering surrounding the zygote do not allow new cells to grow. Hence, although the number of cells reaches 32 by the 96th hour of fertilization, the size of this cell clump remains the same as that of the zygote. At this point, while the cells continue to divide and multiply, they also begin to differentiate.

As the cells in the outer part assume the key task of adhering the embryo to the mother’s womb, the cells in the inner part are clustered adjacent to one side. This mass of cells to be deployed in creating the embryo is called the “embryoblast.” Around the sixth day, the hard shell surrounding the cells thins and disappears, and the embryo, whose first differentiation is complete, adheres to the uterine wall. Like the germination of seeds buried in the soil, the embryo will be well embedded in the uterine wall in the coming days, where it will develop and transform into a radiance of the divine name al-Dhahir (the All-Outward, the Manifest) [3].

In these first steps towards order, the mind watching the Divine Command which determines the position and function of each cell, will also witness the embryoblast cells progress towards their own vaults of perfection. Because each of these cells, called the “pluripotent stem cell,” bears the potential to transform into all cell types in a developed human body.

In the second week of fertilization, a third layer is created from the embryoblast cells that separate into two layers. The ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm layers that emerge at this stage—which is called “gastrulation”—are internally and externally different from one another. The ectoderm, at the top of these layers, is the predecessor of the cells that will eventually form the skin, nails, hair, teeth, brain, and the nervous system. The mesoderm underneath forms the muscles, sex organs, bones and cartilage, heart, blood vessels and connective tissue. Lastly, the pancreas, liver, intestines, stomach, and lungs originate from the endoderm, the bottom layer.

These cells, once in one piece before transforming into features like the shattered pieces of a mirror, become mirrors to different divine names according to the organs where they will be placed for training and “as trillions of mirrors, always express the same meaning and concept with features such as unity, solidarity, harmony, concordance, cooperation and solidarity among themselves and with different voices, tunes, and characters” [4].

Quest for the straight path and regular flow

Built in a stunning order and form befitting their duties, these organs depend on precise measurements to function as a whole. Life continues with the preservation of this balance in the sphere of causes and ends when it deteriorates without repair. Numerous variables such as body temperature, pH balance, and blood pressure are kept constant within a set value range notwithstanding internal and external factors. Excess or deficiency in the system gives way to various diseases. This quest for attaining “The Straight Path” in the human body is called “homeostasis.” At this point, the mind heeds more to read the order in the body, for order, according to Nursi, is another tongue that speaks on behalf of Divine Unity. In this attentive observation, the mind notices that the body and its surroundings are in constant change, and yet the delicate balance is refreshed and maintained regularly [5] like clockwork and in harmony [6]. The fact that powerless and unconscious cells—and the tissues and organs formed from them—undertake massive duties as if they are conscious and act like soldiers as if they know the general order in the body bears witness to the Unity of the One (Great is His Majesty) Who does everything with wisdom, and Who has absolute power and knowledge [7]. The loud voice of “He is God, there is no god but He” resonating from trillions of cells to bear witness to His Unity makes the mind hear this truth without borrowing the ears of its companion, the heart.

Tasting the Sweetest Honey of Love

At the end of this journey, the mind returns to the heart having traveled between the Divine names and witnessed the order, harmony, and balance that run like clockwork in human body. Now, it feels the Divine unity deep down in the conscience, tasting the sweetest honey of love formed in the honeycombs of the heart. The heart now invites its subjects to reunion with the Divine “like gleeful children and filled with the pleasures of having attained contentment” yet with caution and composure [8]. The subjects convene in the conscience and sherbets are prepared from the sweetest honey. When lips meet the sherbet of reunion, the talks only mention the One. As the Divine Unity is captured by the mind, Love is sensed in the heart. At times, the heart’s “cupbearers of speech” offer these sherbets to other hearts as well. Hearts which taste the sweetest honey even just once always overflow with the same melodies:

“Take heed of this slave’s condition
How attached he’s been to a lock of Your hair
I kept on tasting the honey of Your love
I am parched; give me a sip of water!”
(Gadai)

References

1. M. Fethullah Gülen, Sohbet-i Cânan (Kırık Testi-2), İstanbul: Nil Yayınları, 2011, pp. 165.
2. Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Mektubat, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, pp. 261–262.
3. www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/cells/embryology/a/human-embryogenesis
4. M. Fethullah Gülen, Kalbin Zümrüt Tepeleri, İstanbul: Nil Yayınları, 2008, pp. 565–566.
5. Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Mektubat, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, pp. 262.
6. M. Fethullah Gülen, Kırık Mızrap, İstanbul: Nil Yayınları, 2006, pp. 31.
7. Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Sözler, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, pp. 602.
8. 8. Fethullah Gülen, Kalbin Zümrüt Tepeleri, İstanbul: Nil Yayınları, 2008, pp. 194.

“They will say: ‘Our Lord! You have made us die twice, and given us life twice, so we acknowledge our sins. Is there, then, any way to get out?” (al-Mu’min 11)

The verse refers to dying twice. This entails that one has to be alive before each death. Before fertilization, both sperm and ovum are alive, and with fertilization, they complete their functions and die. The duty of the sperm and ovum are to add 23 chromosomes each to make 46. In the zygote phase (nutfah in the Qur’anic description), the sperm and ovum die, only to acquire a new nature [1].

Of approximately 400 million sperms, each having 23 chromosomes, only one can enter one ovum, having the same number of chromosomes. Thus, the lover meets the beloved, but their fusion results in both of their deaths: as the sperm enters the ovum, the process by which two cells die starts. The membrane at the head of the sperm disintegrates upon collision with the ovum, and the sperm uses an enzyme that is secreted upon this collision to pierce through the membrane of the ovum and enter inside. During this short-lived “welcome” ceremony held for only one cell, all border crossings are closed with an electrical activity inside the ovum. There is no room for another lover in the heart of the beloved as it has found its lover.

Multiple pregnancies occur either when several ova are fertilized by a sperm each (dizygotic multiple pregnancies) or when the fertilized ovum or zygote splits into two at an early stage (enzygotic multiple pregnancies).

In the process of this first death, the tail and membrane of the sperm disintegrate. 23 chromosomes, which the sperm is required to deliver to the ovum, are located at its head, which is 4,000th of a millimeter wide. When these chromosomes fuse with the other 23 chromosomes at the center of the ovum, i.e., when the mission is accomplished, the process of death commences.

Sperm cells are produced in a male’s testes, and their journey begins there; they travel a long way to meet the ovum of the mother. The distance an average size sperm travels is proportionately equivalent to almost 2.4 million km for a human with an average height, which means traversing the world’s 40,000-km circumference 60 times. A sperm has a length of 25-350 micrometers [2].

In this voyage, the sperm attains a speed of 40 km per hour. If we compare it with the running speed of a human being, this is like a person running at a speed of 600,000 km per hour—i.e., approximately 500 times the speed of sound [3].

Although some 400,000 ova are produced, only 400 of them are delivered to the womb via tubes from the ovaries.

This voyage culminates in the formation of a zygote. As such, both the sperm and the ovum have performed their duties, i.e., bringing together 23 chromosomes from each, before dying. Meanwhile, some 400 million sperms competing with each other to reach the ovum first secrete certain enzymes to help the winner of the race. In a sense, they die a sacrificial death.

This process, starting with the formation of a zygote, is described in the Qur’an as follows:

“We created humankind (in the very beginning) from a specially sifted extract of clay. Then We made it into a fertilized ovum in a safe lodging. Then We created of the fertilized ovum a clot clinging (to the womb wall), and (afterwards in sequence). We created of the clinging clot a (chew of) lump, and We created of (a chew of) lump bones, and We clothed the bones in flesh. Then We caused it to grow into another creation. So Blessed and Supreme is God, the Creator Who creates everything in the best and most appropriate form, and has the ultimate rank of creativity” (al-Mu’minun, 23:12-14).

We can say that human beings are created in the womb in seven phases:

1. sifted extract of clay (organic and inorganic elements, protein soup)
2. zygote (nutfah)
3. clot
4. chew of lump
5. creation of bones
6. clothing bones with flesh
7. causing it to grow into another creation (blowing of the soul).

Death is not the end; on the contrary, it is the beginning of a new life. The first death, mentioned in the verse, is the death of sperm and ovum after fusing with each other and their clinging as a “clot” to the inner layer of the womb, which can be considered a grave where they can start a new life. This first death is a means for being born to this world. The death at the end of the life in this world is the “second death,” referenced in the verse, and as a result of this death, one will be resurrected for a second time in the eternal world. God knows best.

In Sura an-Najm, there is another subtle coincidence related to human being’s being born twice and dying twice: “And He it is Who (by His Will, Power, and creation) enables to laugh and to weep. And He it is Who causes to die and gives life” (an-Najm, 53:43-44).

In the 43rd verse, laughing is mentioned before weeping, while in the 44th verse, death comes before life; in other words, laughing is linked to death while weeping is associated with life. When the sperm and the ovum, in a sense, die when it clings as a clot to the womb, this sends a signal to the mother, telling her that her pregnancy has started. The embryo being buried in the grave of the womb is the first death. This news brings happiness to the parents, making them laugh. Nine months later, the child is born, crying.

The sperm and the ovum perform the function of bringing together the sound chromosomes. When they fuse, they die a sacrificial death in order to be resurrected. Just as sound chromosomes brought by the sperm and the ovum are means for the birth of a sound body, the righteous deeds we brought to the Hereafter may be means for us to earn God’s mercy and right to enter the Paradise. Our duty is to be diligent about faith and righteous deeds, safeguard them carefully, and take them safely to the eternal abode. The road is a long and arduous one, with many predicaments, but the destination is very beautiful and worth everything. In all of these processes, God knows every lodging and disposition.

“No living creature is there moving on the earth but its provision depends on God, and He knows its every lodging and disposition (every stage of its life), and the duration of its stay, and the moment of its transition therefrom. All is in a Manifest Book” (Hud, 11: 6). [4]

Ziya Pasha:

“I glorify God, Whose art amazes the minds
and incapacitates the elites of science, art, and virtue.”

Footnotes

1. Nutfah is the water-like liquid reproductive substance. In the Holy Qur’an, nutfah means the single cell that results from the fertilization of the ovum with a sperm. In embryology, this cell is called a “zygote.” In the late 18th century, it was understood that human beings are created from zygotes. Yet, the Qur’an clearly states this fact in this and many other verses. (See Suat Yıldırım, Kur’an-ı Hakim’in Açıklamalı Meali̇ (Annotated Translation of the Holy Qur’an), Istanbul: Define Yayınları, 2007, p. 348).
2. R. Baker and M. Bellis, “Number of Sperm in Human Ejaculates Varies in Accordance with Sperm Competition Theory”, Sperm Competition in Humans, Ed. T. K. Shackelford and N. Pound, Boston: Springer, 2006, pp. 131–134.
3. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe reached a velocity of 532.000 km per hour.
4. Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini Kuran Dili, Istanbul: Eser Neşriyat ve Dağıtım, 1979, Vol. 4, p. 2757.

The 300 to 500 sperms which strive to enter into egg meet with the cell layer (corona radiata) which is being serially positioned around the zona radiata. A liquid is secreted from this zona radiata which punctures the euchromosome¹ placed on tip of sperm. Each of various enzymes set free following the puncture of euchromosome is assigned to overcome a separate obstacle before the sperm. Duty of the hyaluronidase enzyme, for instance, is to puncture the outer cell layer (corona radiata) which is assigned to protect the egg. Resultantly, the sperm passes through this cell layer and sticks onto the zona radiata (zona pellucida). The quasi-trypsin dissolutive (proteolytic) enzymes are employed for overcoming the zona radiata. Only one or rarely two of the few sperms which stuck onto this zona radiata manages to penetrate into the egg. It has been estimated that plurality of sperms around the egg, contrary to their rarity, facilitates their entry into the egg.

The sperm penetrates into the egg with its tail but tail membrane stays outside. The protective membrane of the ovum (zona pellucida) starts diffusing calcium within the very first minutes of sperm’s penetration and resultantly, granules are released, receptors are exterminated and the egg becomes structurally transformed. Consequently, a thick layer is formed over the protective membrane (zona pellucida) for prevention of penetration of another sperm.

Following the sperm’s penetration into egg (cytoplasm), the “fusion” process starts. Fusion is the unification process of sperm and egg cells (pronuclei) each of which are separately containing 23 chromosomes. Thus, construction of a genetical library which is containing 46 chromosomes and being prerequisite of formation (creation) of a new human baby is completed. Afterwards, the first mitotic division gives way to a double-celled zygote and the embryo starts forming while settling into the secure base of the uterus. As the outcoming child is going to be a mixture, i.e., a genuine and particular blend of the genetic codes available in the inherited gene pool, he/she will have resemblance to his/her parents and thus to their reciprocal kins (paternal and maternal grandparents, uncles and aunts and etc.).

Prophet Muhammad and Genetics

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, pointed in his various sayings and explanations to the fact that the baby in mother’s womb carries a number of genetic features (characteristics) which are being inherited from the parents:

When a Jewish person asked Him, “what is man created from?” he replied: “Man is created from a blend (mixture) of zygotes of both man and woman.” Then the Jew said: “Moses as well said the same before you.”²

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, also shed light onto the fact of resemblance or inheritance of character by way of genes:

“Is bathing a must for women?” asked Umm Sulaim to the Prophet.

“Yes, it is a must when her seminal fluid outflows and seen,” he replied.

“Do women have wet dreams?” she asked.

“May God grant you goodness! How otherwise a child resembles to his/her mother?” He replied.³

….

As seen and understood by His above hadith (saying), He who was the great teacher of mankind was the first person who said that women do also see wet dreams.

He has also been the first person who articulated the concept of “dominancy,” which was not understood before 1850s.

He said:

“The child resembles to either side of the parents whose seminal fluid comes to the fore and surpasses the other’s in mother’s womb during the intercourse. If there is an equilibrium, then, resemblance is also in equilibrium for both sides.”⁴

“If, during the intercourse, seminal fluid of the man precedes and surpasses that of the woman, then, the child resembles to the father, and if semimal fluid of the woman precedes and surpasses that of the man, then, the child resembles to the mother.”⁵

“If seminal fluid of the woman surpasses that of the man, then, the child resembles to his/her maternal uncles, and, if seminal fluid of the man surpasses that of the woman, then, the child resembles to his/her paternal uncles.”⁶

In another one of His sayings, He points out to the fact that the recessive characters (features) in the grand ancestorial gene pool would dominantly and collectively emerge after following a couple of generations:

“A man having a blackish baby boy approached and said to the Prophet:

“I am suspecting my wife.”

“Do you have camels?” the Prophet asked him.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Then, how are their colors?” The Prophet asked.

“Red.”

“Is there any one with grey color among them?”

“Yes, there is.”

“Then, where did this grey color come from?” asked the Prophet.

“Presumably from a line of its ancestors,” the man responded.

“Here you are! This child of you is also presumed to be coming from a line of your ancestors,” the Prophet told the man.⁷

Dr. Arslan Mayda is a medical doctor at Sifa Hospital in Izmir, Turkey.

Notes and References

1. An euchromosome zone enriched by lysosome enzymes is noticed on stem of a mature sperm cell. The lysosome enzymes penetrate into the egg cell and impregnate it.

2. Ahmad Bin Hanbal, Aynee, Ramouz Al Ahadeeth, Kanz Al Ummal, Jami’ul Saghir

3. Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawoud, Aynee, Ahmad Bin Hanbal.

4. Muslim, Ibn Majah.

5. Bukhari, Ahmad Bin Hanbal.

6. Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawoud.

7. Abu Dawoud, Muslim, Ahmad Bin Hanbal, Ibn Majah.

Most Christian faith groups teach that Jesus was conceived by his mother Mary while she was still a virgin. This is believed to have been accomplished without an act of sexual intercourse. This doctrine is usually called the “virgin birth,” although the term “virgin conception” would be much more accurate. Biblical references commonly cited about the virgin birth are Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23. Various polls have found that about 80% of American adults believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. This exceeds the total number of American adults who identify themselves as Christian or Muslim. The Qur’an, the direct words of God, dictated by an angel to Prophet Muhammad, has two main references to Mary’s virginal status at the conception of Jesus: 19:16 to 22 contains a birth narrative, while 21:91 confirms her virginity. Almost 100% of Muslim adults in the world believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.

The question that frequently comes up in the minds of many is the same: How did Mary conceive? There have been different ways of explaining this. For some people, the natural phenomenon of parthenogenesis provides such an explanation. Some animal species can reproduce from an unfertilized oocyte, in a process called parthenogenesis. Although this phenomenon is quite common in plants and insects, it does not appear in any creature above the level of the amphibians. No verified case of parthenogenesis has occurred in humans, and it is considered impossible for species as complex as the higher apes or humans³ An additional complexity would be that Jesus would have been female after the parthenogenetic division of an XX oocyte, since he would have lacked the Y chromosome normally contributed by a human father. Parthenogenesis is not, therefore, a logical explanation to account for the virgin birth of Jesus.

The birth of Jesus without a biological father, in fact, should be viewed as a supernatural event-a miracle, to be more accurate. It would be useful to define here what we mean by miracle. Although a miracle is a supernatural phenomenon, there is a minimal natural cause for the miracle, which is then caused to happen by God, as appropriate. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, touched a small portion of food with his blessed hands; and this food became sufficient for an entire army. Likewise, he poured water from a flask onto his hands, and the water was made enough to satisfy hundreds of people. Even though God Almighty assigns a duty to natural causes-even if the influence of the natural cause is not more than 1-3%-we should accept that in miracles it may not always be possible to have a materialistic interpretation for everything. By definition, miracles are extraordinary events that God Almighty grants to His messengers to prove their prophethood and strengthen the believers’ faith. To insist on their essential rationality is to deny their existence as miracles, and hence an objection to the revelation at some level. The universe operates according to God’s fixed laws, which allow us to discover the divine laws of nature and make scientific progress. However, God has determined these laws and therefore He is not bound by them. He may sometimes annul a law or change the ordinary flow of events to allow a Prophet to perform what we call a miracle⁴

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi comments on the miracles in his magnum opus, The Words, as follows:

By relating the prophets’ spiritual and moral perfections, the Qur’an encourages people to benefit from them. By presenting their miracles, the Qur’an urges people to achieve something similar through science. It may even be said that, like spiritual and moral attainments, material attainments and wonders were first given to humanity as gifts through prophetic miracles. . . . [Miracles] comprise numerous indications of guidance. By relating these miracles, the Qur’an shows the ultimate goal of scientific and technological developments, and specifies their final aims, toward which it urges humanity⁵

So what else can we learn from the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus? Does it indicate any specific scientific discovery? In this respect, we may refer to at least one other explanation by which a virgin conception could have been occurred, turning again to the Qur’an for an answer, as there is no contradiction between the Qur’an, the Word of God, and laws of nature, which have been designed by God. In verse 3:37 “… her Lord accepted her with gracious favor and enabled to her a good growth” the word nabat is used to describe Mary’s growth, literally meaning “plant” in Arabic. Alongside the miracle of Mary’s sustenance, could this verse be encouraging us to study the plant world to observe how plants reproduce?

Many flowering plants can reproduce by self-fertilization because a single flower produces both eggs and sperm cells. Flowers contain two sets of structures that are important for fertilization. The first is an organ that contains pollen grains, each of which contains two male sperm cells. The second is an organ that contains one or more ovaries, each of which contains egg cells (oocytes) (Fig.1). At fertilization, the pollen delivers two sperm cells to the ovary, where one sperm cell fuses with the egg cell, and the fertilized egg grows to form an embryo⁶ A question naturally arises at this point. Could a human being have two different reproductive cell types (both oocyte and sperm) at the same time? The simple answer is “yes.”

In some persons, both ovarian and testicular tissues are present, either in the same or in opposite gonads⁷ About 13% of these persons are derived from more than one zygote and are known as chimeras (chi 46,XX/46,XY)⁸ Cases with normal male and normal female phenotypes have been ascertained as an incidental finding⁹ Chimeras are the result of the fusion of two zygotes to form a single embryo and they contain cells from two separate zygotes in a single organism¹⁰ The fusion of two zygotes may occur soon after fertilization, producing an individual with genetically different kinds of tissue. If the fused zygotes are of different sexes, then the individual develops both ovarian and testicular tissues¹¹ The majority of these people are best reared as females and many pregnancies with living offspring have been reported in persons reared as females;¹² in contrast, only one person has apparently fathered a child¹³ The wisdom of the Qur’an is no doubt beyond the current level of scientific development and the human mind, and what we may deduce from verse 3:37 and scientific research, in fact, is little more than mere speculation. We certainly do not mean to suggest that Mary was a hermaphrodite; the Qur’an clearly states that she was a woman (5:75). Rather, it may be possible that she could have been a woman who had been derived from the fusion of two different embryos; i.e. a chimera.

The statement in the Qur’an (3:37) may demonstrate that Mary could have been a chimera of XX/XY type, and she might have been created by the fusion of two embryos to become one. Of course, God Almighty knows best. And whatever our limited explanation may be, it is clear that Mary co-operated in the formation of Jesus’ body just as every other mother co-operates in the formation of the body of her child. In the end, whether one looks to science or not for an understanding of the deeper mysteries of life, there is consensus among the great majority of Christians and Muslims that Jesus came to earth by means of a virgin birth. And the virgin birth of Jesus was a miracle.

Notes

1. Moore KL, Persaud TVN, The Developing Human, Clinically Oriented Embryology, 7th ed. Saunders, Philadelphia, 2003, p. 16.
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
4. M.Fethullah Gulen, The Essentials of the Islamic Faith, The Light, Inc., NJ:2005, pp. 193-4.
5. Said Nursi, The Words, The Twentieth Word, The Light, Inc. NJ: 2005, p. 267.
6. Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K, Walter P. Molecular Biology of the Cell, ed Gibbs S. 4th ed. New York: Taylor & Francis Group; 2002, pp. 1243-1246.
7. Behrman RE, Kliegman RM, Jenson HB. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics 17th ed. Saunders, Philadelphia, 2004, p. 1945.
8. ibid.
9. Tanaka Y, Fujiwara K, Yamauchi H, Mikami Y, Kohno I. Pregnancy in a woman with a Y chromosome after removal of an ovarian dysgerminoma. Gynecol Oncol. 2000; 79: 519-521.
10. Strachan T, Read AP. Human Molecular Genetics. 3rd ed. New York: Taylor & Francis Group; 2004, p. 110.
11. ibid.
12. Haqq CM, Donahoe PK. Regulation of sexual dimorphism in mammals. Physiol Rev. 1998; 78: 1-33.
13. Krob G, Braun A, Kuhnle U. True hermaphroditism: geographical distribution, clinical findings, chromosomes and gonadal histology. Eur J Pediatr. 1994; 153: 2-10.