1. Ancient Biological Model:
The verse cites the nuṭfah (sperm-drop) as the sole material source of human life. This reflects Aristotelian biology, which saw semen as the complete life-blueprint and the womb as a passive vessel.
2. Omission of the Female Ovum:
Human genetics requires equal contributions from both sperm and ovum. Omitting the female egg highlights 7th-century anatomical limits.
To counter the skeptics who doubted the Resurrection, the text attempts to humble mankind by pointing out their microscopic biological origins.
The Quran Verse
Surah 36:77:
Does man not consider that We created him from a [mere] sperm-drop (nutfah)? Then at once he is an open disputer.
The Quran repeatedly points to the nutfah (male semen) as the singular physical substance from which human life is generated.
This reflects the prevailing one-sided Aristotelian biology of the ancient world, which taught that the male semen contained the active form, blueprint, and soul of the child, while the female womb acted merely as a passive incubator or field for the seed. The Quran makes no mention of the female ovum (egg), a critical omission for a text claiming absolute divine knowledge of anatomy.